St James' Catholic Primary School Orrell
St James Road, Wigan, WN5 7AA
347 pupils · 86% of 405 capacity
- Phase
- Primary
- Type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Local authority
- Wigan
- Free school meals
- 9.5%
Ofsted
Good (2022) — Ungraded inspection — “School remains Good” (previous grade confirmed, not re-graded)
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 17 February 2022, published 28 April 2022. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths | 80% |
| Reaching the higher standard | 20% |
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 1.17 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 46 | 54 | 113 | 46 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 40 | 40 | 103 | 40 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 44 | 44 | 112 | 44 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 39 | 37 | 111 | 39 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 55 | 45 | 129 | 55 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 55 | 50 | 124 | 55 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 39 | 39 | 98 | 39 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 60 | 60 | 134 | 60 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Orrell Newfold Community Primary School 0.2 km · Outstanding (2024) · previous system
- Orrell Holgate Academy 0.7 km · Improved significantly (2025)
- St Thomas the Martyr Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School 1.9 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- Orrell Lamberhead Green Academy 2.2 km · No overall grade (2025)
- St John's CofE Primary School 2.3 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- St Teresa's Catholic Primary School 2.4 km · Good (2019) · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.