Winstanley College

About Winstanley College

Winstanley College, a state-funded sixth form in Wigan, has a clear story to tell about academic outcomes. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, which is the key metric for parents, awarded the school a Good rating. This places it among the minority of schools in the local authority that have achieved this standard, given that only one of the 22 similar schools in Wigan is rated Outstanding. On the most informative exam metric available, the college’s average A-level grade per entry was a B-, with a points score of 37.83. This is a solid, above-national-average performance for a non-selective sixth form. The school’s Progress 8 score for A-levels, which measures how much students improve relative to their prior attainment, sits at -0.01, with a confidence interval ranging from -0.05 to 0.03. This places the college in the ‘Average’ progress banding, meaning students typically achieve in line with expectations given their starting points.

Looking more closely at the academic data, Winstanley’s performance is consistent and reliable. The average grade across a student’s best three A-levels was also a B-, with a points score of 37.87. The proportion of students achieving AAB or higher in at least two facilitating subjects was 16.5%, a figure that reflects the college’s broad intake. With 1,116 students in the 2023/24 cohort, this is a large institution, and the sheer scale means the results are statistically robust. Compared to the local authority average Progress 8 score of -0.3 for all schools, Winstanley’s -0.01 is notably stronger, suggesting it adds more value than many of its peers in Wigan. The college does not publish separate maths or English progress data, but the overall picture is of a sixth form that delivers solid, middle-of-the-road outcomes without dramatic swings in performance.

Beyond the exam hall, Winstanley offers a comprehensive range of facilities that support both academic and extracurricular life. There are science labs, an ICT suite, a library, and a dedicated sixth form centre, alongside a theatre, music rooms, art studios, and a sports hall with a swimming pool and astro turf. The clubs and societies list includes the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Young Enterprise, coding, choir, orchestra, Model UN, and debate, giving students plenty of scope to build skills outside the classroom. The college is mixed, non-denominational, and has no religious character, which suits families looking for a secular environment. Oversubscription data is not provided, but the size of the cohort suggests it is a popular choice. This is a school for students who want a large, well-resourced sixth form with a strong track record of Good outcomes, a wide choice of subjects, and a balanced approach to academic and personal development.

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