St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton
Bolton Old Road, Atherton, Manchester, M46 9FD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Miss L Rigby
- Diocese
- Diocese of Manchester
- Constituency
- Leigh and Atherton
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 397
- URN
- 106515
- Local authority
- Wigan
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01942883919
About this school
St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Manchester. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 397 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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
- Outstanding
- 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 | 60 | 58 | 59 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 70% | 78% | 71% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 17% | 9% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 77% | 86% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 83% | 88% | 80% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 90% | 83% | 76% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.60 | - | - |
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 Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton 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 | 70% | 62.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 78% | 62.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 71% | 63.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 413 |
| 2023/24 | 396 |
| 2024/25 | 396 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton compares
St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton ranked 40th of 97 primary schools in Wigan for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 71% | 5.5% | 15.4% | 397 | — |
| Chowbent Primary School | 36% | 5.8% | 32.4% | 147 | 0.1 miles |
| Meadowbank Primary School | 70% | 7.6% | 54.8% | 220 | 0.4 miles |
| St Richard's Roman Catholic Primary School Atherton | 54% | 4% | 37.5% | 184 | 0.5 miles |
| Parklee Primary School | — | — | — | 325 | 0.5 miles |
| Atherton St George's CofE Primary School | 56% | 6.8% | 54.3% | 333 | 0.7 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)
- 15.4%
- English as an additional language
- 5.6%
- Overall absence
- 5.46%
- Persistent absence
- 13.54%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Chowbent Primary School0.1 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
Meadowbank Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
St Richard's Roman Catholic Primary School Atherton0.5 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
Parklee Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Wigan
-
Atherton St George's CofE Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Manchester
Other schools in Manchester
St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton ranks 71st of the 252 ranked primary schools in Manchester.
- Abbey Hey Primary Academy Primary
- Abbott Community Primary School Primary
- Acacias Community Primary School Primary
- Acre Hall Primary School Primary
- Aldwyn Primary School Primary
- Alkrington Primary School Primary
- All Saints C of E Primary School Primary
- All Saints Church of England Primary School, Stand Primary
- All Saints Primary School Primary
- Alma Park Primary School Primary
- Armitage CofE Primary School Primary
- Ashbury Meadow Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton teach?
- St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Manchester.
- Who is the headteacher of St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton?
- The headteacher of St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton is Miss L Rigby, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton, 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 Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton?
- St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton has 397 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton full?
- St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton has capacity for 420 pupils and 397 on roll (95%), 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 Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton a faith school?
- Yes. St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Manchester.
- Does St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 70% in 2022/23 and 71% 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 Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton rank locally?
- St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton ranked 40th of 97 primary schools in Wigan for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% 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 Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton's absence rate?
- St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton's overall absence rate is 5.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton'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.