St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan

St Aidan’s Catholic Primary School is a happy, aspirational school where pupils are well supported and achieve highly in many subjects. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2014, when it was exempt because of its previous outstanding judgement. Under the current framework the school has not been given an overall effectiveness grade, but the inspection found strong provision across the key judgements, with behaviour and attitudes standing out as a particular strength.

Strengths

• Pupils are eager, well-mannered and articulate, and they forge strong relationships with staff and each other.
• Behaviour around school and attitudes to learning are exemplary, creating calm and harmonious classrooms and playgrounds.
• The curriculum is broad, stimulating and ambitious, including for pupils with SEND.
• Reading is at the heart of the curriculum, and almost all pupils become confident, accurate readers before the end of Year 2.
• Pupils with SEND are identified early and supported well, including through tailored provisions such as The Nest and Branches.
• Early years provision gives high priority to communication, language and vocabulary, and children quickly learn sounds and letters.
• Pupils develop a mature understanding of the wider world and show empathy and respect for others.
• Governors bring wide-ranging expertise, staff value leaders’ consideration of workload and well-being, and parents are resoundingly positive about the school.

Areas for Improvement

• Some learning activities selected by the school lack a clear purpose and do not consistently move pupils’ learning forward.
• Expectations for handwriting are not high enough, and some pupils leave Year 6 without mastering legible and accurate letter formation.

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 St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

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, 0.3% of pupils at St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

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 St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan had 23.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

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, 15.9% of pupils at St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

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 St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan received £6,874 and spent £6,918 for each of its 319 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £16,000 (£50 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

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

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

What is St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan last inspected by Ofsted?

St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan have?

St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan has 321 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan cover?

St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan?

St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Wigan is at Holmes House Avenue, Winstanley, Wigan, Lancashire, WN3 6EE.