Leigh St Peter's CofE Primary School

About Leigh St Peter's CofE Primary School

Leigh St Peter's CofE Primary School sits in a tricky spot when you compare its headline Key Stage 2 results against the Wigan local authority average. In the 2023/24 academic year, 56% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is nine percentage points below the LA average of 65%. That places the school 74th out of 99 primary schools in Wigan, firmly in the bottom half of the local league table. The picture is mixed when you look at individual subjects: 77% hit the expected standard in writing, comfortably above the national benchmark, but reading (65%) and maths (68%) are more middling. Only 5% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects, and the school's national percentile ranking of 67th suggests it's broadly in line with the lower end of the national distribution. For parents weighing up options, these numbers flag that while the school isn't struggling, it's not punching above its weight either.

The school's recent Ofsted history tells a story of genuine improvement. In March 2023, inspectors rated it 'Requires improvement' across the board, including for quality of education, behaviour and leadership. Just two years later, in March 2025, every graded category jumped to 'Good' — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision all received the higher mark. That's a significant turnaround in a short period, and it suggests the leadership team under headteacher Gemma Yapp has been effective at driving change. The parent view data, based on 25 responses collected between September 2024 and September 2025, is more divided. While 80% of parents said their child is happy (combining 'strongly agree' and 'agree'), only 72% would recommend the school to another parent. Concerns around bullying and how concerns are handled show notable pockets of dissatisfaction, with 28% disagreeing that bullying is dealt with effectively.

On the practical side, Leigh St Peter's is a Church of England primary that takes children from age 2 through to 11, with nursery provision on site. It was oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 49 applications for 29 places, with 34 of those as first preferences — a ratio of 1.69 applicants per place. The school has a range of facilities including playing fields, a library, art studios and a chapel, and offers clubs like drama, choir, film club, chess and gardening. Sports include netball, football, tennis and cricket. The SEND provision is fairly broad, covering specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional needs, speech and language issues, visual impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. With 47.6% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a community with above-average disadvantage. For families who value a school that's shown it can improve quickly and offers a full range of support, this could be a solid option — though the academic results and mixed parent feedback are worth weighing carefully.

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