Bickershaw CofE Primary School

About Bickershaw CofE Primary School

Bickershaw CofE Primary School is a Church of England state primary in Wigan, one of 99 schools of its type in the local authority. It currently ranks 83rd in the LA, placing it in the bottom half of local primaries. The top-performing peers in the area include Nicol Mere School, Gilded Hollins Community School, and Standish St Wilfrid's Church of England Primary Academy, all of which score higher on the same ranking metric. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Twelve Apostles Catholic Primary School, just 1.8 km away. Bickershaw itself holds a Good rating from its most recent graded inspection in 2020, with an ungraded visit in 2025 confirming that standards have been maintained. The school is led by headteacher Allison Taberner and has 142 pupils on roll against a capacity of 154, so there is some spare capacity. It is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, with 27 applications for 20 places and 16 first-preference offers made.

Academically, Bickershaw's Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 show that 52% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined. That is notably below the Wigan LA average of 65%. In reading, 67% met the expected standard, matching the maths figure, while 62% did so in writing. Only 14% of pupils achieved the higher standard in each of reading, maths, and writing, and no pupils reached the higher standard across all three subjects. The school's average scaled scores were 104 in reading and 103 in maths, both close to the national average of 100. Nationally, Bickershaw ranks in the bottom quarter of all primaries on the combined expected standard metric, and in the bottom 50% of Wigan schools. Ofsted rated behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management all as Good, with early years provision also Good. The previous inspection in 2007 had rated the school Outstanding across all areas.

The school offers a range of facilities including a sports hall, gymnasium, ICT suite, music rooms, library, sensory room, dining hall, and chapel. Sports provision includes rounders, athletics, cricket, and netball, while clubs extend to film club, drama, choir, art club, and coding. SEND support is available for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and hearing impairment. Parent View responses from 15 respondents between September 2024 and September 2025 show mixed feelings: 73% agreed or strongly agreed their child is happy, but 20% strongly disagreed that bullying is dealt with quickly. 60% would recommend the school to another parent. With 40.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a community with above-average disadvantage. It is best suited to families who value a Church of England setting and are comfortable with a school that is improving but currently below local averages on attainment.

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