St Patrick's Catholic Primary School

About St Patrick's Catholic Primary School

St Patrick's Catholic Primary School sits within Wigan local authority, a Roman Catholic state primary for mixed pupils aged 3 to 11. In the most recent local rankings, it placed 27th out of 99 same-type schools in the borough, placing it comfortably in the top quarter of primary schools in Wigan. The three highest-ranked peers locally are Nicol Mere School, Gilded Hollins Community School, and Standish St Wilfrid's Church of England Primary Academy. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is St Mary and St John Catholic Primary School, just 0.8 kilometres away. Headteacher Lisa Hobden leads a school that is close to capacity, with 363 pupils on a roll of 375. It is oversubscribed for 2025/26 entry: 75 families applied for 45 places, with 47 putting it as their first preference, and all 45 first-preference offers were taken up. That level of demand suggests a school that local families are actively choosing.

Academically, St Patrick's performs well above the Wigan average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 75% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a local authority average of 65%. The school's ranking score of 75 on this metric places it in the top 25% nationally. In individual subjects, 80% met the expected standard in writing, 77% in maths, and 75% in reading. At the higher standard, 34% achieved in maths, 30% in reading, and 20% in writing. Average scaled scores were 105 in maths and 106 in reading. Ofsted's most recent inspection in January 2025 rated the school Good overall, with Outstanding marks for personal development and for behaviour and attitudes. The early years provision and leadership and management were both rated Good. This represents a change from the school's previous Outstanding rating in 2014, but inspectors noted that behaviour and personal development remain exceptional.

The school offers a range of facilities including a Forest School, a chapel, a library, a dining hall and an outdoor playground. Sports on offer include swimming, cricket, netball and dance, and there are clubs such as Book Club, Choir and Eco Club. SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability and other difficulties. Parent View responses from 35 families between September 2024 and September 2025 were overwhelmingly positive: 94% would recommend the school, 97% felt their child was happy (combining strongly agree and agree), and 97% felt their child was safe. The school has a nursery provision for younger children. Given its strong local reputation, oversubscribed admissions, and solid academic outcomes above the LA average, St Patrick's is a realistic and popular choice for Catholic families in Wigan, particularly those who prioritise behaviour, personal development and a supportive community feel.

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