SCHOOL PROFILE

Dean Trust Wigan

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 144519
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,025 Published school capacity
Capacity used 69.8% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

17 October 2023
Latest published outcome Requires improvement
OEIF
Quality of education Requires improvement
Behaviour & attitudes Requires improvement
Personal development Requires improvement
Leadership & management Requires improvement
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy sponsor led
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character —
Local authority Wigan
Trust THE DEAN TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 715 715 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 354 49.5% of pupils
Male pupils 361 50.5% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

58.2%
33.4 pts above England
School 58.2%
Wigan 29.4%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

13.4%
6.9 pts below England
School 13.4%
Wigan 11.9%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Wigan 0.5%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
78.0%
558
African
5.6%
40
Any other White background
4.1%
29
Unclassified
2.9%
21
Any other ethnic group
2.8%
20
Any other Mixed background
1.7%
12
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 25.2% 180 of 715 pupils
4.3 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 25.2%
Wigan 22.5%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 23.8% 170 pupils
England 14.8% 9.0 pts above
EHC plans 1.4% 10 pupils
England 6.0% 4.6 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Moderate learning difficulty 66
Social, emotional & mental health 52
Speech, language & communication 40
Autistic spectrum disorder 14
Specific learning difficulty 5
Hearing impairment 1

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

33.1 6.1 pts below England
School 33.1
Wigan 36.6
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 22.6% England 36.0% 13.4 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 37.7% England 51.4% 13.7 pts below England
EBacc entry 60.4% England 30.6% 29.8 pts above England
EBacc average point score 3.06 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -1.12 · 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

9.04%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

2.83 pts higher than England
School 9.04%
Wigan 6.03%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

26.14%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

10.32 pts higher than England
School 26.14%
Wigan 15.01%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

4.44%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

2.64 pts higher than England
School 4.44%
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

69.8% 22.6 pts below England
Dean Trust Wigan
69.8%
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