St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge
Leigh Road, Atherton, Greater Manchester, M46 0PA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sarah Dring
- Diocese
- Diocese of Manchester
- Constituency
- Leigh and Atherton
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 207
- URN
- 106478
- Local authority
- Wigan
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01942883118
About this school
St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Greater Manchester. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 207 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 31 | 26 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 87% | 77% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 13% | 12% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 94% | 92% | 70% |
| Expected standard in maths | 97% | 81% | 70% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 94% | 81% | 83% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.50 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Wigan average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 87% | 62.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 77% | 62.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 63.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 203 |
| 2023/24 | 203 |
| 2024/25 | 210 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge compares
St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge ranked 47th of 97 primary schools in Wigan for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67% | 4.6% | 17.6% | 207 | — |
| Parklee Primary School | — | — | — | 325 | 0.7 miles |
| Atherton St George's CofE Primary School | 56% | 6.8% | 54.3% | 333 | 0.7 miles |
| St Richard's Roman Catholic Primary School Atherton | 54% | 4% | 37.5% | 184 | 0.8 miles |
| Meadowbank Primary School | 70% | 7.6% | 54.8% | 220 | 0.8 miles |
| Sacred Heart RC Primary School | 61% | 6.2% | 42% | 178 | 0.9 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 17.62%
- English as an additional language
- 2.9%
- Overall absence
- 4.61%
- Persistent absence
- 8.65%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Parklee Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Wigan
-
Atherton St George's CofE Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
St Richard's Roman Catholic Primary School Atherton0.8 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
Meadowbank Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
Sacred Heart RC Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Manchester
Other schools in Greater Manchester
- Glodwick Infant and Nursery School Primary
- CEWE School Special schools
- The Greens ENS Special schools
- Willow House School Special schools
Common questions
- What year groups does St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge teach?
- St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Greater Manchester.
- Who is the headteacher of St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge?
- The headteacher of St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge is Mrs Sarah Dring, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge?
- St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge has 207 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge full?
- St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge has capacity for 210 pupils and 207 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge a faith school?
- Yes. St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Manchester.
- Does St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 87% in 2022/23 and 67% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge rank locally?
- St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge ranked 47th of 97 primary schools in Wigan for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge's absence rate?
- St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge's overall absence rate is 4.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Michael's CofE Primary School, Howe Bridge's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.