Westleigh St Paul's CofE Primary School

About Westleigh St Paul's CofE Primary School

Westleigh St Paul's CofE Primary School sits in the bottom half of Wigan's primary schools, ranked 80th out of 98, with a KS2 score of 53 that places it well below the local authority average of 65. That headline gap is worth paying attention to, but it doesn't tell the whole story. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in October 2024, confirmed that standards are being maintained at Good, a rating it has held consistently since at least 2012. With 58% of pupils eligible for free school meals — nearly three times the national average — the school serves a community with significant disadvantage, and its results need to be read in that context. The leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness were all judged Good in the last graded inspection back in 2015, and the 2024 visit found no reason to downgrade. For families weighing up options, this is a school that Ofsted considers to be doing a solid job under challenging circumstances, even if its raw academic metrics don't compete with the top performers in the borough.

Looking at the 2023/24 KS2 results, the picture is mixed. Just 53% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the Wigan average of 65%. The school's strongest individual subject was writing, where 80% met expectations, while reading (63%) and maths (67%) lagged behind. At the higher standard, only 7% achieved across all three subjects, and the figures for individual subjects were similarly low: 13% in reading, 13% in writing, and 10% in maths. Average scaled scores sat at 103 for both reading and maths, which is exactly the national baseline. The school ranks in the bottom 50 nationally on the combined expected standard metric, sitting at the 73rd percentile. Progress scores aren't available in the data, so it's hard to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points, but the raw outcomes suggest that while most children leave with the basics in writing, fewer are secure in reading and maths, and very few reach the top grades.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 47 applications for 30 places and 22 first-preference offers, giving a ratio of 1.57 applicants per place. That suggests it's a popular choice locally despite the middling results. Facilities include a Forest School, sports hall, music rooms, ICT suite, chapel, and library, plus clubs like chess, choir and art. Sports provision covers dance, football, cricket, rounders, cross country and swimming. The SEND register is broad, covering dyslexia, moderate and severe learning difficulties, social and emotional needs, speech and language issues, visual and multi-sensory impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder — so the school is equipped to support a wide range of additional needs. For families in the Leigh area who value a Church of England ethos, a strong pastoral offer, and a school that Ofsted trusts to maintain Good standards despite high deprivation, Westleigh St Paul's is a realistic and well-regarded option. Just don't expect it to top any league tables.

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