Atherton High School
Free schools · 561 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.3
Voluntary aided school
St Mary's Catholic High School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,537of 1,569 places
- Free school meals
- 20.3%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 253
- Ofsted
- Standards maintained, 9 October 2024Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 249 pupils who finished Year 11 at St Mary's Catholic High School in 2023, 47% stayed on in St Mary's Catholic High School’s own sixth form (Wigan average 6%), 29% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 142 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 45% went to university (Wigan 39%, England 37%), and 16% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally; 13% started an apprenticeship, well above the 7% England average.
Religious Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 99% of the year group took it, against 31% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 44.2 against 46.1 across England and 43.4 in Wigan, with 38% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Wigan and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Wigan | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 249 | 3,620 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 85% | 82% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 47% | 6% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 9% | 33% | 13% |
| — further education college | 29% | 41% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 5% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 4% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 7% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 2% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Wigan | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 142 | 3,563 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 89% | 82% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 45% | 39% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 16% | 17% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 13% | 11% | 7% |
| Employment | 28% | 27% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 8% | 14% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Wigan | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 44.2 | 43.4 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 38% | 39% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 63% | 61% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 21% | 30% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.68 | 3.73 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 18% | 28% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 36.3 | 33.5 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 45.9 | 47.2 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 10% | 8% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 252 | 100% | 89% | 13% | 20% | 63% |
| Mathematics | 251 | 99% | 88% | 16% | 22% | 75% |
| Religious Studies | 250 | 99% | 31% | 11% | 32% | 45% |
| English Literature | 250 | 99% | 86% | 14% | 21% | 67% |
| Combined Science | 203 | 80% | 65% | 6% | 9% | 53% |
| History | 121 | 48% | 41% | 18% | 26% | 60% |
| Spanish | 106 | 42% | 19% | 7% | 27% | 52% |
| Business Studies | 72 | 28% | 18% | 10% | 20% | 44% |
| Physics | 47 | 19% | 23% | 34% | 46% | 79% |
| Biology | 47 | 19% | 23% | 26% | 45% | 81% |
| Chemistry | 47 | 19% | 23% | 30% | 47% | 79% |
| Physical Education | 46 | 18% | 11% | 13% | 24% | 65% |
| Geography | 44 | 17% | 41% | 36% | 25% | 68% |
| Computer Science | 42 | 17% | 13% | 14% | 30% | 52% |
| Art and Design | 22 | 9% | 7% | 41% | 24% | 86% |
| Music | 19 | 8% | 5% | 21% | 33% | 95% |
| Photography | 19 | 8% | 6% | 42% | 19% | 95% |
| Drama | 15 | 6% | 7% | 20% | 27% | 60% |
| Polish | 11 | 4% | 1% | 73% | 84% | 82% |
| Chinese | 6 | 2% | 1% | 100% | 75% | 100% |
| Portuguese | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Latin | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 74% | — |
| Arabic | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 58 | 65% | — |
| Engineering Studies | 42 | 47% | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 41 | 46% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 19 | 21% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 17 | 19% | — |
| Sports Coaching | 13 | 15% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 6 | 7% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 1 | 1% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Wigan | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 247 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 89 | 1,713 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 30.11 | 36.37 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 33 | 37% | 23% |
| Sociology | 22 | 25% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 21 | 24% | 31% |
| Biology | 20 | 22% | 20% |
| Chemistry | 15 | 17% | 17% |
| Physics | 12 | 13% | 12% |
| English Language and Literature | 10 | 11% | 2% |
| Geography | 9 | 10% | 10% |
| Business Studies | 8 | 9% | 13% |
| Physical Education | 7 | 8% | 3% |
| History | 7 | 8% | 13% |
| Economics | 6 | 7% | 13% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Polish | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 60 | 67% | — |
| Biology | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 23 | 26% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 20 | 22% | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 19 | 21% | — |
| Engineering Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 16 | 18% | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 12 | 13% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 12 | 13% | — |
| Multimedia | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 9 | 10% | — |
| Art and Design | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 8% | — |
| Tourism | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 7% | — |
| Engineering Studies | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Music performance: Group | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Wigan
Bedford High School
Community school · 1,111 pupils
74% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.5
Cansfield High School
Community school · 974 pupils
76% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.4
Dean Trust Rose Bridge
Academy sponsor led · 692 pupils
73% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.7
Dean Trust Wigan
Academy sponsor led · 715 pupils
74% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.1
Fred Longworth High School
Academy converter · 1,283 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.9
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.