Secondary applications close 31 October – compare your shortlist now

R L Hughes Primary School

Primary Ages 3-11 425 pupils Wigan
Ofsted: Good
All schools in Wigan

R L Hughes Primary School is a community school in Wigan for pupils aged 3 to 11. It has 425 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for R L Hughes Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2023. In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Ofsted inspection: March 2023. KS2 results: 2025.

Type Primary / Community school
Age Range 3-11
Religion Does not apply
Address Mayfield Street
Ashton-in-Makerfield
Wigan
Lancashire
WN4 9QL
Phone 01942701147
Reference Number 106424

General Makeup

Number of pupils 425
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 48.24%
Girls: 51.76%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 20.2%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 5.9%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 27.5
Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher 27.7
Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher 28.5

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
1 28 29 57
2 27 31 58
3 26 26 52
4 31 28 59
5 26 34 60
6 32 28 60

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 91.5%
Chinese 1.6%
White, Other 1.2%
Mixed, Other 1.2%
African 0.9%
White & Asian 0.7%
White & Black (African) 0.5%

R L Hughes Primary School continues to perform well, maintaining its status as a good school since its last inspection. The school fosters a positive atmosphere, with pupils feeling happy and safe due to strong relationships with both peers and staff. Leaders are ambitious for student success and prioritize academic achievement alongside personal development. Most pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well and display positive attitudes towards learning, benefitting from effective teaching methods and a supportive learning environment.

Overall Ofsted Rating Good
Last Report Date 02 Feb 2023
Date Report
02 Feb 2023 School inspection
05 Dec 2017 Short inspection
17 Jan 2013 Full inspection:
07 Jan 2011 Interim assessment
23 Apr 2008 Full inspection:
18 Apr 2005 Full inspection

Strengths

  • Pupils feel safe and happy due to positive relationships with peers and staff.
  • The curriculum is ambitious and well-organized from early years to Year 6.
  • Teachers have high expectations and provide opportunities for pupils to revisit learning.
  • Effective phonics program consistently supports early reading development.
  • Strong support systems are in place for pupils with SEND.
  • Pupils are encouraged to participate in leadership roles, fostering responsibility.

Areas for Improvement

  • Some teachers are unclear about specific subject content due to recent curriculum revisions that are not fully implemented.

How many students meet the standards

Reading, Writing & Maths School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Pupils meeting the expected standard 78%
Pupils meeting a higher standard 7%

Average Scaled Score

Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.

Subject School Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Reading 107
Maths 109

Progress Scores

A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.

Metric School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Reading -1.3
Writing 1.3
Maths 1.2

How many students meet the standards

Sample

Unlock

Average Scaled Score

Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.

Sample

Unlock

Progress Scores

A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.

Sample

Unlock
Unlock Premium

See how R L Hughes Primary School ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.

£9.99 one-off payment. Lifetime access, no subscription.

Unlock for £9.99

Reception admissions, 2026 entry

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 41 14
Third Preference 15 0
From another Local Authority 3 0

Previous years

Sample

Unlock

Places and pupil numbers

In 2024–25 R L Hughes Primary School had 407 pupils for 420 places. 13 places (3.1%) were unfilled.

Pupils and places

Reception intake in the “Area 8: Ashton Primary” planning area

Wigan counted 205 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 183 in 2029–30, down 11%.

201020112012201320142015201620172018201920212022202320242025
Places 460460460480495420420420420420420420420420420
Pupils 462460472472460452446436414411381399398404407
Unfilled 0.0%0.0%0.0%1.7%7.1%0.0%0.0%0.0%1.4%2.1%9.3%5.0%5.2%3.8%3.1%

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at R L Hughes Primary School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

20142015201620172018201920212022202320242025
Authorised absence 3.0%3.8%3.0%2.6%2.9%2.6%2.3%4.1%3.3%3.5%2.8%
Unauthorised absence 0.8%0.7%1.0%1.0%0.8%0.9%0.6%1.0%1.2%1.8%1.4%
Severely absent pupils 0.0%0.8%0.0%0.0%0.3%0.0%0.3%0.0%0.6%0.6%0.6%

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.5% of pupils at R L Hughes Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

2010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Suspensions per 100 pupils 0.00.00.00.20.20.20.60.00.42.51.10.20.70.00.00.7
Permanent exclusions 0000000000000000

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 R L Hughes Primary School had 23.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

2011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Pupils per adult 11.113.214.714.211.612.611.611.411.613.313.312.713.012.612.411.9
Teachers who left state teaching 0.0%9.3%14.0%8.8%15.7%0.0%0.0%0.0%5.4%5.7%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%5.6%–
Teachers who took any sick leave 34.8%39.1%57.1%21.1%43.5%43.5%27.3%50.0%45.0%–15.8%52.6%42.1%50.0%52.6%–
Sick days per teacher 2.52.21.51.23.41.02.31.40.9–0.73.41.91.12.3–

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 13.4% of pupils at R L Hughes Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

SEN support EHC plan
Speech, language and communication needs 23 10
Social, emotional and mental health 13 0
Specific learning difficulty 5 1
No specialist assessment of need 5 0
Autistic spectrum disorder 3 1
Moderate learning difficulty 3 0
Hearing impairment 1 1
Other difficulty or disability 2 0
Physical disability 1 1
Multi-sensory impairment 1 0

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 R L Hughes Primary School received £6,461 and spent £6,304 for each of its 418 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £289,000 (£692 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

20192020202120222023202420252026
Revenue reserve £38,000£88,000£201,000£184,000£167,000£146,000£223,000£289,000
per pupil £87£206£496£441£398£344£519£692
In-year balance -£29,000£50,000£113,000-£17,000-£17,000-£20,000£77,000£66,000
per pupil -£66£117£279-£41-£42-£47£179£157

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

Name Distance
St Oswald's Catholic Primary School
Council Avenue, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9AZ
0.23 miles
Nicol Mere School
Roman Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 8DF
0.56 miles
St Thomas CofE Primary School
Hodnet Drive, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 8PQ
0.59 miles
Bryn St Peter's CofE Primary School
Downall Green Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 0DL
0.85 miles
St Wilfrids Catholic Primary School
Golborne Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 8SJ
1 miles
Rectory CofE Primary School
Rectory Road, North Ashton, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 0QF
1.09 miles
Garswood Primary and Nursery School
Hamilton Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 0SF
1.14 miles
Willow Grove Primary School
Willow Grove, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Greater Manchester, WN4 8XF
1.23 miles
Haydock English Martyrs' Primary School
Piele Road, Haydock, St. Helens, Merseyside, WA11 0JY
1.62 miles
St James' Church of England Primary School
Lyme Street, Haydock, St Helens, Merseyside, WA11 0NL
1.74 miles
Golborne Community Primary School
Talbot Street, Golborne, Warrington, Cheshire, WA3 3NN
2.05 miles
Grange Valley Primary School
Heyes Avenue, Haydock, St Helens, Merseyside, WA11 0XQ
2.12 miles
Marus Bridge Primary School
Kelvin Grove, Marus Bridge, Wigan, Lancashire, WN3 6SP
2.2 miles
St Thomas CofE Junior and Infant School
Church Street, Golborne, Warrington, Cheshire, WA3 3TH
2.25 miles
Lyme Community Primary School
Lyme Street, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 9HD
2.32 miles
Legh Vale Primary School
Legh Road, Haydock, St Helens, Merseyside, WA11 0ER
2.33 miles
All Saints Catholic Primary School, Golborne, Wigan
Hazel Grove, Golborne, Warrington, Cheshire, WA3 3LU
2.33 miles
St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy
Victoria Road, Newton-le-Willows, St Helens, Merseyside, WA12 9RX
2.39 miles
Winstanley Community Primary School
Tan House Drive, Winstanley, Wigan, Lancashire, WN3 6JP
2.39 miles
St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan
Holmes House Avenue, Winstanley, Wigan, Lancashire, WN3 6EE
2.44 miles
Name Distance
Cansfield High School
Old Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9TP
0.26 miles
St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield
Rookery Avenue, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9PF
0.56 miles
The Byrchall High School
Warrington Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9PQ
0.62 miles
Martha H School
Downall Green Road, Wigan, Greater Manchester, WN4 0LZ
1.05 miles
Learn 4 Life School
64a Rectory Road, Ashton in Makerfield, Wigan, Skelmersdale, Lancashire, WN4 0QD
1.07 miles
Landgate School, Bryn
Landgate Lane, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Bryn, Wigan, Greater Manchester, WN4 0EP
1.21 miles
Hope Academy
Ashton Road, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 0AQ
2.11 miles
Outwood Academy Haydock
Clipsley Lane, Haydock, St. Helens, Merseyside, WA11 0JG
2.12 miles
Hope School
Kelvin Grove, Marus Bridge, Wigan, Greater Manchester, WN3 6SP
2.17 miles
Hawkley Hall High School
Carr Lane, Hawkley Hall, Wigan, Lancashire, WN3 5NY
2.34 miles
Golborne High School
Lowton Road, Golborne, Warrington, Cheshire, WA3 3EL
2.48 miles
Progress Arc Billinge School
Carr Mill Road, Billinge, Wigan, Lancashire, WN5 7TT
2.66 miles
Willow Bank School
Winwick Road, St Helens, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 8DE
2.85 miles
Fix-It (UK) Ltd
Unit 6-7 Rosebridge Industrial Estate, Wigan, WN3 4TA
2.95 miles
Expanse Learning Wigan School
Tyrer Avenue, Worsley Mesnes, Wigan, Greater Manchester, WN3 5XF
3.03 miles
Newbridge Learning Community
Moss Lane, Platt Bridge, Wigan, Lancashire, WN2 3TL
3.06 miles
Wargrave House School
449 Wargrave Road, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 8RS
3.26 miles
St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy
Boardmans Lane, Blackbrook, St. Helens, Merseyside, WA11 9BB
3.3 miles
Winstanley College
Winstanley Road, Billinge, Wigan, Lancashire, WN5 7XF
3.32 miles
Green Meadow Independent Primary School
Robson Way, Lowton, Warrington, WA3 2RD
3.53 miles

All schools in Wigan · Wigan local authority: places and applications

What is R L Hughes Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for R L Hughes Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was R L Hughes Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

R L Hughes Primary School was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does R L Hughes Primary School have?

R L Hughes Primary School has 425 pupils on roll.

What age range does R L Hughes Primary School cover?

R L Hughes Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are R L Hughes Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is R L Hughes Primary School?

R L Hughes Primary School is at Mayfield Street, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9QL.

Filters

Basics

Age Range

Special Schools

Independent Schools

Faith Schools

Key Stage 2 Attainment

Students Meeting expected standard

Unlock Premium to filter by results - £9.99 one-off, lifetime access.

Unlock for £9.99

Students Meeting higher standard

Unlock Premium to filter by results - £9.99 one-off, lifetime access.

Unlock for £9.99

GCSE Attainment

Attainment 8 score percentile

Unlock Premium to filter by results - £9.99 one-off, lifetime access.

Unlock for £9.99

Students getting 5 or more GCSE's at grade 9-4 (A-C)

Unlock Premium to filter by results - £9.99 one-off, lifetime access.

Unlock for £9.99
There are too many schools to show on the map at one time.
Please either zoom in or adjust the filters to reduce the number of schools.