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St Oswald's Catholic Primary School

Primary Ages 4-11 242 pupils Wigan
Ofsted: Good
All schools in Wigan

St Oswald's Catholic Primary School is a voluntary aided school in Wigan for pupils aged 4 to 11. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It has 242 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for St Oswald's Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2023. In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Ofsted inspection: January 2023. KS2 results: 2025.

Type Primary / Voluntary aided school
Age Range 4-11
Religion Roman Catholic
Address Council Avenue
Ashton-in-Makerfield
Wigan
Lancashire
WN4 9AZ
Phone 01942724820
Reference Number 106488

General Makeup

Number of pupils 242
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 49.17%
Girls: 50.83%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 19%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 2.9%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 30.3
Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher 28.5
Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher 31

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
1 10 20 30
2 15 12 27
3 14 17 31
4 17 9 26
5 22 25 47
6 26 25 51

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 92.1%
White, Other 1.7%
Asian, Other 1.2%
Chinese 0.8%
African 0.8%
Mixed, Other 0.8%
Irish 0.4%

St Oswald’s Catholic Primary School continues to demonstrate good performance and is characterized by a vibrant learning environment where pupils feel safe and valued. The school's leadership emphasizes an ambitious curriculum that meets the diverse needs of its students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils express happiness and pride in their school, making strong recommendations for others to attend. Overall, the school has established a commendable culture that supports both academic and personal development for its pupils.

Overall Ofsted Rating Good
Last Report Date 02 Nov 2022
Date Report
02 Nov 2022 School inspection
04 Jul 2017 Short inspection
12 Jun 2013 Full inspection:
07 Jan 2011 Interim assessment
24 Jun 2008 Full inspection:
24 Jan 2005 Full inspection

Strengths

  • Pupils are eager to learn and enjoy their educational experiences.
  • Strong emphasis on mental health and well-being support.
  • Effective safeguarding measures are in place.
  • Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum.
  • Pupils learn to appreciate diversity and respect differences.
  • Teachers have secure subject knowledge and check on pupil learning effectively.
  • Strong support for pupils with SEND to access the curriculum.

Areas for Improvement

  • In a few subjects, key knowledge for teachers has not been made clear enough, leading to potential gaps in pupils' learning.

How many students meet the standards

Reading, Writing & Maths School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Pupils meeting the expected standard 52%
Pupils meeting a higher standard 0%

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 102
Maths 102

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 -2.6
Writing 1.9
Maths -2.9

How many students meet the standards

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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.

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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.

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Reception admissions, 2026 entry

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 13 2
Third Preference 5 0
From another Local Authority 3 2

Previous years

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Places and pupil numbers

In 2024–25 St Oswald's Catholic Primary School had 256 pupils for 349 places. 93 places (26.6%) 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 349349349349349349349349349349349349349349349
Pupils 337339346348350349350340340332324304297275256
Unfilled 3.4%2.9%0.9%0.3%0.0%0.0%0.0%2.6%2.6%4.9%7.2%12.9%14.9%21.2%26.6%

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 Oswald's Catholic Primary School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

20142015201620172018201920212022202320242025
Authorised absence 2.3%2.9%3.0%3.5%3.2%2.9%2.8%4.7%3.7%4.3%3.6%
Unauthorised absence 0.2%0.2%0.2%0.6%0.7%0.5%0.5%1.0%1.1%1.1%1.3%
Severely absent pupils 0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.3%1.7%0.7%0.0%0.4%0.0%

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, 0.4% of pupils at St Oswald's Catholic 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 0.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.01.50.63.80.32.71.90.8
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 St Oswald's Catholic Primary School had 19.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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 12.115.014.815.111.710.810.911.311.711.311.110.811.310.811.011.3
Teachers who left state teaching 13.4%7.9%0.0%0.0%3.5%12.0%13.6%4.1%7.4%7.4%6.2%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%–
Teachers who took any sick leave 0.0%28.6%7.7%0.0%11.8%33.3%11.8%40.0%28.6%–25.0%50.0%31.3%28.6%50.0%–
Sick days per teacher 0.03.61.60.00.46.10.74.13.9–8.01.52.41.31.2–

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, 18.6% of pupils at St Oswald's Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

SEN support EHC plan
Moderate learning difficulty 25 1
Speech, language and communication needs 11 3
Social, emotional and mental health 5 1
Specific learning difficulty 1 1
Hearing impairment 1 0
No specialist assessment of need 1 0
Other difficulty or disability 0 1
Vision 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 St Oswald's Catholic Primary School received £6,461 and spent £6,855 for each of its 242 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £98,000 (-£406 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

20192020202120222023202420252026
Revenue reserve £42,000£45,000£99,000£179,000£93,000£74,000-£3,000-£98,000
per pupil £124£139£310£616£315£274-£11-£406
In-year balance -£62,000£4,000£53,000£80,000-£87,000-£19,000-£76,000-£95,000
per pupil -£184£12£167£276-£295-£70-£305-£394

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
R L Hughes Primary School
Mayfield Street, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9QL
0.23 miles
St Thomas CofE Primary School
Hodnet Drive, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 8PQ
0.43 miles
Nicol Mere School
Roman Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 8DF
0.7 miles
St Wilfrids Catholic Primary School
Golborne Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 8SJ
0.87 miles
Bryn St Peter's CofE Primary School
Downall Green Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 0DL
1.05 miles
Willow Grove Primary School
Willow Grove, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Greater Manchester, WN4 8XF
1.15 miles
Rectory CofE Primary School
Rectory Road, North Ashton, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 0QF
1.32 miles
Garswood Primary and Nursery School
Hamilton Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 0SF
1.33 miles
Haydock English Martyrs' Primary School
Piele Road, Haydock, St. Helens, Merseyside, WA11 0JY
1.58 miles
St James' Church of England Primary School
Lyme Street, Haydock, St Helens, Merseyside, WA11 0NL
1.69 miles
Golborne Community Primary School
Talbot Street, Golborne, Warrington, Cheshire, WA3 3NN
1.83 miles
St Thomas CofE Junior and Infant School
Church Street, Golborne, Warrington, Cheshire, WA3 3TH
2.03 miles
Grange Valley Primary School
Heyes Avenue, Haydock, St Helens, Merseyside, WA11 0XQ
2.08 miles
All Saints Catholic Primary School, Golborne, Wigan
Hazel Grove, Golborne, Warrington, Cheshire, WA3 3LU
2.11 miles
St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy
Victoria Road, Newton-le-Willows, St Helens, Merseyside, WA12 9RX
2.21 miles
Lyme Community Primary School
Lyme Street, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 9HD
2.21 miles
St Mary's Catholic Junior Academy
Barn Way, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 9QQ
2.31 miles
The District CofE Primary School
Patterson Street, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 9PZ
2.34 miles
Legh Vale Primary School
Legh Road, Haydock, St Helens, Merseyside, WA11 0ER
2.36 miles
Marus Bridge Primary School
Kelvin Grove, Marus Bridge, Wigan, Lancashire, WN3 6SP
2.39 miles
Name Distance
St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield
Rookery Avenue, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9PF
0.37 miles
Cansfield High School
Old Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9TP
0.43 miles
The Byrchall High School
Warrington Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9PQ
0.44 miles
Martha H School
Downall Green Road, Wigan, Greater Manchester, WN4 0LZ
1.28 miles
Learn 4 Life School
64a Rectory Road, Ashton in Makerfield, Wigan, Skelmersdale, Lancashire, WN4 0QD
1.3 miles
Landgate School, Bryn
Landgate Lane, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Bryn, Wigan, Greater Manchester, WN4 0EP
1.39 miles
Hope Academy
Ashton Road, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 0AQ
1.91 miles
Outwood Academy Haydock
Clipsley Lane, Haydock, St. Helens, Merseyside, WA11 0JG
2.13 miles
Golborne High School
Lowton Road, Golborne, Warrington, Cheshire, WA3 3EL
2.27 miles
Hope School
Kelvin Grove, Marus Bridge, Wigan, Greater Manchester, WN3 6SP
2.35 miles
Hawkley Hall High School
Carr Lane, Hawkley Hall, Wigan, Lancashire, WN3 5NY
2.47 miles
Willow Bank School
Winwick Road, St Helens, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 8DE
2.75 miles
Progress Arc Billinge School
Carr Mill Road, Billinge, Wigan, Lancashire, WN5 7TT
2.84 miles
Fix-It (UK) Ltd
Unit 6-7 Rosebridge Industrial Estate, Wigan, WN3 4TA
2.99 miles
Wargrave House School
449 Wargrave Road, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 8RS
3.08 miles
Newbridge Learning Community
Moss Lane, Platt Bridge, Wigan, Lancashire, WN2 3TL
3.08 miles
Expanse Learning Wigan School
Tyrer Avenue, Worsley Mesnes, Wigan, Greater Manchester, WN3 5XF
3.2 miles
Green Meadow Independent Primary School
Robson Way, Lowton, Warrington, WA3 2RD
3.32 miles
St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy
Boardmans Lane, Blackbrook, St. Helens, Merseyside, WA11 9BB
3.34 miles
Winstanley College
Winstanley Road, Billinge, Wigan, Lancashire, WN5 7XF
3.55 miles

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

What is St Oswald's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Oswald's Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2023.

When was St Oswald's Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Oswald's Catholic Primary School was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does St Oswald's Catholic Primary School have?

St Oswald's Catholic Primary School has 242 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Oswald's Catholic Primary School cover?

St Oswald's Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Oswald's Catholic Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Oswald's Catholic Primary School?

St Oswald's Catholic Primary School is at Council Avenue, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9AZ.

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