Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh is a 4–11 Roman Catholic primary that was previously judged to require improvement and was inspected in July 2025. Pupils generally enjoy school, behave well and benefit from positive relationships and a broad personal development offer, including roles that build responsibility and strong knowledge of British values. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The curriculum has been strengthened and knowledge is now mapped clearly from Reception to Year 6, and the phonics programme is implemented consistently with well-matched reading books. However, the school’s work is not yet securely embedded. In the early years, staff do not always use the most effective approaches to build children’s vocabulary and knowledge, and in some subjects staff do not consistently identify or close gaps in pupils’ reading, writing and mathematics. Support for pupils with SEND, including those with speech, language and communication needs or English as an additional language, is not consistently timely or effective, so some pupils are not well prepared for the next stage. Leadership has overseen significant change, and governors have a clear role in this, but leaders recognise that recent improvements need to become embedded and that staff workload and morale concerns remain. The school is currently led by a seconded executive headteacher and an interim head of school.

Strengths

• Pupils generally enjoy school and value positive relationships with staff and each other.
• Behaviour and attitudes are strong; pupils are courteous and usually follow the school’s rules.
• The school provides effective support for pupils who struggle to manage their emotions.
• The curriculum identifies the knowledge pupils should learn clearly from Reception to Year 6.
• The phonics programme is implemented consistently well, with reading books matched to pupils’ known sounds.
• Pupils who struggle to read confidently receive effective support, and older pupils increasingly read well.
• Pupils benefit from a well-considered personal development offer, including local visits and play leader roles.
• Pupils show strong knowledge of fundamental British values and respect for people from different backgrounds.
• Pupils appreciate the school’s support for their mental and physical health, including yoga and fitness opportunities.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some early years staff do not use the most effective strategies to develop children’s vocabulary and knowledge across the curriculum.
• Staff do not consistently identify and close gaps in some pupils’ fundamental reading, writing and mathematics skills.
• Some pupils, including those with SEND and English as an additional language, do not receive timely or effective support.
• Support for pupils with speech, language and communication needs is not as effective as it could be.
• Recent curriculum and leadership improvements are not yet fully embedded across the school.
• Some staff have raised concerns about workload and morale.
• Some pupils are not as well prepared for the next stage of their education as they should be.

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 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh attended 93.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.5% 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, 3.7% of pupils at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh 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 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh had 23.1 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, 20.0% of pupils at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.3% 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 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh received £7,291 and spent £7,349 for each of its 300 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £10,000 (£32 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 Leigh · Wigan local authority: places and applications

What is Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh last inspected by Ofsted?

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh have?

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh has 300 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh cover?

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh?

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh is at Windermere Road, Leigh, Lancashire, WN7 1UX.