Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington

About Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington

Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington, holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across both its most recent inspections. The school’s most recent graded inspection took place in 2020, and an ungraded visit in January 2025 confirmed that standards are being sustained, with all key areas — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — each judged Good. The most telling exam metric for this primary school is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which stands at 57%. That figure is below the Wigan local authority average of 65%, and it places Christ Church 73rd out of 98 primary schools in the borough, putting it in the bottom half nationally. The school’s ranking score of 57 reflects a broader challenge in academic outcomes, though the picture is more nuanced when you look at individual subjects.

In maths, 80% of pupils met the expected standard and the average scaled score was 107, which is above the national benchmark of 100. Reading and writing were weaker by comparison: 73% reached the expected level in reading and 70% in writing. At the higher standard, 17% of pupils achieved the top marks across all three subjects, with maths again the strongest subject at 33% reaching the higher threshold. The school’s Progress 8 scores are not available, so it is difficult to measure how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points, but the raw attainment data suggests that maths is a relative strength. Ofsted’s breakdown notes that the school has high expectations for behaviour and attitudes, and the parent view survey supports this: 94% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy at the school, and a similar proportion felt their child is safe.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 55 applications for 30 places, with all 25 first-preference applicants receiving an offer. That gives an oversubscription ratio of 1.83, meaning the school is popular locally despite its middling academic ranking. Facilities include a forest school, chapel, ICT suite, library, sports hall and playing fields, and the school offers clubs such as chess, choir and film club. SEND provision covers five areas including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health support, though the parent view data on SEND support is mixed — 70% agreed or strongly agreed that SEND children get the support they need, but 30% disagreed or strongly disagreed. With 40.4% of pupils eligible for free school meals, Christ Church serves a community with above-average disadvantage, and it will suit families who prioritise a Church of England ethos, a strong sense of safety and happiness, and a school that is at the heart of its local area, even if its academic results are not the strongest in Wigan.

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