1
Golborne High School
Warrington • Cheshire • WA3 3EL
1
8 Mar 2023
Top 10 Secondary schools in Wigan
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2023)
This Top 10 showcases secondary schools in the district of Wigan. It’s built from the latest graded Ofsted inspections. We rank Outstanding (grade 1) above Good (grade 2), then prioritise newer inspections. As tie-breakers, we consider the “Quality of education” sub-judgement (where available), then %FSM and school size.
Total secondary schools
19
Outstanding
1
Good
14
Median inspection year
2023
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 6% · G: 82% · RI: 12% · I: 0%
2
Cansfield High School
Wigan • Lancashire • WN4 9TP
2
17 Jul 2024
3
Atherton High School
Atherton • Greater Manchester • M46 0AY
2
14 May 2024
4
St Peter's Catholic High School
Wigan • Lancashire • WN5 8NU
2
28 Apr 2024
5
Bedford High School
Leigh • Lancashire • WN7 2LU
2
8 Nov 2023
6
Lowton Church of England High School
Warrington • Cheshire • WA3 1DU
2
25 May 2023
7
The Westleigh School
Leigh • Lancashire • WN7 5NL
2
15 Dec 2022
8
The Byrchall High School
Wigan • Lancashire • WN4 9PQ
2
9 Nov 2022
9
St Mary's Catholic High School
Manchester • M29 7EE
2
20 May 2019
10
Fred Longworth High School
Manchester • M29 8JN
2
11 Dec 2017
How we rank these schools
- Headline Ofsted grade: Outstanding (1) outranks Good (2), then RI (3), then Inadequate (4).
- More recent graded inspection dates rank higher.
- Where available, we use the Quality of education sub-judgement as a tie-breaker.
- Lower free school meals (%) may break remaining ties.
- Larger roll (pupil count) is a final tie-breaker.
Only the ten highest-ranked schools are shown; we also list “near misses” just below.
About Ofsted grades
- Outstanding (1): Highest judgement across key areas.
- Good (2): Strong effectiveness; meets standards consistently.
- Requires improvement (3): Not yet good; clear areas to improve.
- Inadequate (4): Significant weaknesses found.
Ungraded Section 8 visits check whether the previous graded judgement still stands, but they don’t replace it.
Data freshness & coverage
We refresh inspections and school snapshots regularly. If a school was inspected very recently, its report may not yet appear here.
Top-10 pages only appear for areas with at least 10 secondary schools that have a graded Ofsted inspection.
Map of the Top 10
Also highly rated nearby
- Shevington High School 2 • Feb 2017
- The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College 2 • Nov 2016
- Standish Community High School 2 • Dec 2014
- St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield 2 • Feb 2012
- St John Fisher Catholic High School 2 • Nov 2010
- Dean Trust Wigan 3 • Nov 2023
- Dean Trust Rose Bridge 3 • May 2023
- Outwood Academy Hindley Not judged • Jan 2025
- Hawkley Hall High School Not judged • Dec 2024