School admissions in Wigan
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 64 of these schools also have a published admissions cutoff distance. Sorted by first preferences per place. We don't invent rankings: the order is arithmetic on a published figure, not a view about which school is better.
Wigan in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 69 schools in Wigan first 2,212 times for 2,223 places: 1.00 first choices per place. 20 of the 69 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 11 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.20 miles (Millbrook Primary School) to 3.10 miles (Our Lady and All Saints Roman Catholic Primary School, Parbold).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 13 schools in Wigan first 2,567 times for 2,568 places: 1.00 first choices per place. 6 of the 13 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 5 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.43 miles (St John Fisher Catholic High School) to 2.67 miles (Shevington High School).
Totals for the schools listed on this page. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE; last-offer distances as the council published them.
Reception places, September 2026
69 schools. 20 received more first preferences than they had places.
First preferences per place is the number of families naming the school first, divided by its published admission number. Above 1.00 means more first choices than places. It is not a ranking and not a measure of quality: a popular school can be easy to get into and a quiet one hard, because places are allocated by each school's own criteria, siblings and faith and banding first, with distance often the last tie-breaker. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE.
Year 7 places, September 2026
13 schools. 6 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Byrchall High School | 1.26 | 250 | not published |
| St Peter's Catholic High School | 1.20 | 199 | not published |
| The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College | 1.12 | 245 | 1.096 miles |
| St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield | 1.11 | 233 | 1.91 miles |
| Shevington High School | 1.08 | 169 | 2.672 miles |
| St John Fisher Catholic High School | 1.04 | 194 | 0.435 miles |
| Outwood Academy Hindley | 0.98 | 176 | not published |
| Hawkley Hall High School | 0.93 | 210 | 2.298 miles |
| Up Holland High School | 0.91 | 192 | 2.1 miles |
| Standish Community High School | 0.90 | 240 | not published |
| Dean Trust Wigan | 0.79 | 140 | not published |
| Cansfield High School | 0.78 | 172 | 2.785 miles |
| Dean Trust Rose Bridge | 0.65 | 148 | not published |
First preferences per place is the number of families naming the school first, divided by its published admission number. Above 1.00 means more first choices than places. It is not a ranking and not a measure of quality: a popular school can be easy to get into and a quiet one hard, because places are allocated by each school's own criteria, siblings and faith and banding first, with distance often the last tie-breaker. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE.