St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield
Rookery Avenue, Wigan, WN4 9PF
1,204 pupils · 96% of 1,250 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 11–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Local authority
- Wigan
- Free school meals
- 15.7%
Ofsted
Strong standard (2026) — Report card — the most common grade across the inspected areas
| Inclusion | Strong standard |
|---|---|
| Curriculum and teaching | Strong standard |
| Achievement | Strong standard |
| Attendance and behaviour | Strong standard |
| Personal development and wellbeing | Strong standard |
| Leadership and governance | Strong standard |
| Safeguarding | Met |
Inspected 3 March 2026, published 5 May 2026. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 49.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 50.8% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 76.5% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 29.4% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“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 — 1.11 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 233 | 258 | 453 | 233 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 227 | 223 | 387 | 227 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 236 | 222 | 404 | 232 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 231 | 229 | 401 | 231 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 233 | 228 | 408 | 233 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 235 | 246 | 439 | 235 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 234 | 259 | 446 | 234 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 234 | 273 | 474 | 234 |
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
- The Byrchall High School 0.1 km · Good (2022) · previous system
- Cansfield High School 1.3 km · Good (2024) · previous system
- Hope Academy 2.5 km · No overall grade (2024)
- Outwood Academy Haydock 3.1 km · No overall grade (2024)
- Golborne High School 3.5 km · Outstanding (2023) · previous system
- Hawkley Hall High School 4.5 km · No overall grade (2024)
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.