SCHOOL PROFILE

Cansfield High School

Secondary Community school URN 106521
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,012 Published school capacity
Capacity used 96.2% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

12 June 2024
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Community school
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Wigan
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 974 974 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 431 44.3% of pupils
Male pupils 543 55.7% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

28.9%
4.1 pts above England
School 28.9%
Wigan 29.4%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

4.0%
16.3 pts below England
School 4.0%
Wigan 11.9%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.1%
0.9 pts below England
School 0.1%
Wigan 0.5%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
91.6%
892
Any other Mixed background
1.5%
15
Any other White background
1.4%
14
African
1.2%
12
Chinese
1.1%
11
Any other Asian background
1.0%
10
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 26.1% 254 of 974 pupils
5.3 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 26.1%
Wigan 22.5%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 21.3% 207 pupils
England 14.8% 6.5 pts above
EHC plans 4.8% 47 pupils
England 6.0% 1.2 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Other difficulty or disability 76
Specific learning difficulty 36
Autistic spectrum disorder 33
Moderate learning difficulty 27
Social, emotional & mental health 26
Speech, language & communication 25

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

44.4 5.2 pts above England
School 44.4
Wigan 36.6
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 40.9% England 36.0% 4.9 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 63.7% England 51.4% 12.3 pts above England
EBacc entry 40.0% England 30.6% 9.4 pts above England
EBacc average point score 3.82 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.55 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

6.97%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.75 pts higher than England
School 6.97%
Wigan 6.03%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

18.87%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

3.05 pts higher than England
School 18.87%
Wigan 15.01%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.26%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.46 pts higher than England
School 2.26%
Wigan 1.55%
North West 1.75%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

96.2% 3.9 pts above England
Cansfield High School
96.2%
Wigan
96.1%
North West
91.8%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information