St Paul's Church of England Primary School

About St Paul's Church of England Primary School

St Paul's Church of England Primary School in Wigan is a popular choice among local families, and the numbers back that up. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 42 applications for just 21 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of exactly 2:1. Every one of those 21 places went to a first-preference applicant, which suggests parents who want a spot here tend to put it at the top of their list. The school is a state primary for mixed genders aged 4 to 11, with a Church of England character and a current roll of 181 pupils against a capacity of 210, so there is some room to grow. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, the school was rated Good across every category, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. That marks a change from its previous inspection in 2011, when it was rated Outstanding overall.

Academically, St Paul's performs solidly against local benchmarks. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 67% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is just above the Wigan local authority average of 65%. The school ranks 46th out of 98 primary schools in the borough, placing it in the top half locally. Individual subject scores are encouraging: 90% met the expected standard in writing, 83% in reading, and 80% in maths. At the higher standard, 37% achieved that level in reading, 23% in writing, and 20% in maths, with 10% hitting the higher bar across all three subjects. Average scaled scores were 106 in reading and 104 in maths. The school does not publish progress scores for reading, writing or maths, so it is not possible to compare pupil progress directly with other schools, but the attainment figures suggest a reliable, above-average performance for the area.

The school offers a good range of facilities and activities that give a sense of a well-resourced environment. There is a sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, an ICT suite, a library, and a forest school area, plus a sensory room and a chapel. Sports on offer include tennis, football, dance, rounders, cross country and cricket, while clubs cover gardening, eco club, choir, drama, film club and book club. For children with additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions for moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication difficulties, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 16% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a mixed catchment. Given its oversubscription, families considering St Paul's should be prepared to apply as a first preference to maximise their chances of securing a place.

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