SCHOOL PROFILE

The Byrchall High School

Secondary Academy converter URN 138699
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,216 Published school capacity
Capacity used 93.6% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

13 September 2022
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 Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character —
Local authority Wigan
Trust MAKERFIELD ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,138 1,138 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 557 48.9% of pupils
Male pupils 581 51.1% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

33.7%
8.9 pts above England
School 33.7%
Wigan 29.4%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

7.5%
12.8 pts below England
School 7.5%
Wigan 11.9%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.4%
0.6 pts below England
School 0.4%
Wigan 0.5%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
86.2%
981
Any other White background
3.4%
39
Chinese
2.3%
26
African
1.8%
21
Any other ethnic group
1.0%
11
Any other Asian background
0.8%
9
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 21.8% 248 of 1,138 pupils
1.0 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 21.8%
Wigan 22.5%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 17.4% 198 pupils
England 14.8% 2.6 pts above
EHC plans 4.4% 50 pupils
England 6.0% 1.6 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 98
Moderate learning difficulty 47
Autistic spectrum disorder 33
Specific learning difficulty 29
Speech, language & communication 22
Hearing impairment 9

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

41.3 2.1 pts above England
School 41.3
Wigan 36.6
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 39.0% England 36.0% 3.0 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 56.7% England 51.4% 5.3 pts above England
EBacc entry 11.2% England 30.6% 19.4 pts below England
EBacc average point score 3.48 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.40 · 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

9.41%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

3.19 pts higher than England
School 9.41%
Wigan 6.03%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

25.09%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

9.27 pts higher than England
School 25.09%
Wigan 15.01%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

5.36%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

3.55 pts higher than England
School 5.36%
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

93.6% 1.3 pts above England
The Byrchall High School
93.6%
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