SCHOOL PROFILE

The Westleigh School

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 146087
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,050 Published school capacity
Capacity used 93.0% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

8 November 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 sponsor led
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Wigan
Trust THE SHAW EDUCATION TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 976 976 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 458 46.9% of pupils
Male pupils 518 53.1% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

44.1%
19.3 pts above England
School 44.1%
Wigan 29.4%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

18.9%
1.4 pts below England
School 18.9%
Wigan 11.9%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

1.1%
0.1 pts above England
School 1.1%
Wigan 0.5%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
70.2%
685
African
8.8%
86
Any other White background
3.8%
37
Any other Mixed background
2.4%
23
Any other ethnic group
2.2%
21
Pakistani
1.7%
17
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 23.8% 232 of 976 pupils
2.9 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 23.8%
Wigan 22.5%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 18.6% 181 pupils
England 14.8% 3.8 pts above
EHC plans 5.2% 51 pupils
England 6.0% 0.8 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 69
Speech, language & communication 44
Moderate learning difficulty 40
Specific learning difficulty 36
Autistic spectrum disorder 33
Physical disability 6

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

36.4 2.8 pts below England
School 36.4
Wigan 36.6
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 21.2% England 36.0% 14.8 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 42.9% England 51.4% 8.5 pts below England
EBacc entry 13.2% England 30.6% 17.4 pts below England
EBacc average point score 3.09 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.81 · 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

10.20%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

3.98 pts higher than England
School 10.20%
Wigan 6.03%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

29.41%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

13.59 pts higher than England
School 29.41%
Wigan 15.01%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

7.85%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

6.05 pts higher than England
School 7.85%
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

93.0% 0.6 pts above England
The Westleigh School
93.0%
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