St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Wrightington

Primary · Wigan · WN6 9RE

Needs attention

Report-card inspection (current system, from November 2025)

The headline grade shown is the Achievement area of the school's report card.

Safeguarding: MetCurriculum & teaching: Needs attentionAchievement: Needs attentionAttendance & behaviour: Expected standardPersonal development: Expected standardInclusion: Needs attentionLeadership & governance: Needs attentionEarly years: Expected standardPost-16: Not applicable

Inspected 19 May 2026 · report published 29 June 2026

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

67 pupils · 48% of 140 capacity

School type: Voluntary aided school
Age range: 4–11
Gender: Mixed
Religious character: Roman Catholic
Free school meals: 4.5% of pupils
English as additional language: 5.1% of pupils
SEN support: 11.4% of pupils
EHC plan: 8.9% of pupils
Website: https://www.st-josephs-wrightington.lancs.sch.uk
URN: 119696

Admissions demand: Reception entry, September 2026

0.87 first-choice applications per place

15 places offered · 13 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20

20/21

21/22

22/23

23/24

24/25

25/26

26/27

Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE. A ratio above 1.00 means more families named this school first choice than there were places.

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

17 pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2024/2025

Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths

65%

England 62%

Reaching the higher standard

18%

England 8%

Average scaled score (reading)

105

England 106

Average scaled score (maths)

107

England 105

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025. “Suppressed” means the DfE withholds figures for very small cohorts.

Attendance (2025/26 autumn term)

Sessions missed (overall absence)

6.9%

England 6.5%

Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)

18.6%

England 18.1%

Autumn-term absence, DfE pupil absence data. Lower is better.

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher

England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

78% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 9% moved to another state school · 13% left the state-funded sector

School Workforce Census, DfE. The ratio counts full-time-equivalent qualified teachers; retention follows teachers in post one November to the next. Open Government Licence v3.0.

Spending per pupil

This school£8,594

Typical primary school£6,960

Total expenditure ÷ pupils, council-maintained school finance return (DfE Schools Financial Benchmarking, latest year). Higher spending is not a measure of quality. It often reflects greater pupil need or a smaller school. Open Government Licence v3.0.

Inspection history since 2015

19 May 2026: Needs attention (report card inspection)
22 March 2022: School remains Good (ungraded inspection)
28 February 2017: Yes - improving (good) (ungraded inspection)

Ofsted management information. Ungraded and monitoring visits do not award a new grade. How the two inspection systems work.

Nearby schools

Wrightington Mossy Lea Primary SchoolNo current grade · Primary · 0.7 mi
Standish Community High SchoolExpected standard · Secondary · 1.0 mi
Shevington Vale Primary SchoolGood · Primary · 1.2 mi
Shevington High SchoolExpected standard · Secondary · 1.3 mi
Coppull St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolGood · Primary · 1.3 mi
St Marie's Catholic Primary School StandishOutstanding · Primary · 1.4 mi
Appley Bridge All Saints Church of England Primary AcademyGood · Primary · 1.4 mi
Wood Fold Primary SchoolNot yet graded · Primary · 1.5 mi

See all primary schools in Wigan →