St Peter's Catholic High School
Howards Lane, Orrell, Wigan, WN5 8NU
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mr Andrew McGlown
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Liverpool
- Constituency
- Makerfield
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,040
- Pupils on roll
- 1,026
- URN
- 106537
- Local authority
- Wigan
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01942747693
About this school
St Peter's Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided secondary school in Wigan. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 1,026 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Peter's Catholic High School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 204 | 215 | 207 |
| Attainment 8 score | 51.4 | 51.6 | 51.1 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.25 -0.45 to -0.06 | -0.12 -0.31 to +0.07 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 55% | 55.8% | 51.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 78% | 77.7% | 73.9% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 15% | 10.7% | 23.2% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Peter's Catholic High School 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 | 51.4 | 36.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 51.6 | 34.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 51.1 | 36.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,036 |
| 2023/24 | 1,045 |
| 2024/25 | 1,033 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Peter's Catholic High School compares
St Peter's Catholic High School ranked 1st of 19 secondary schools in Wigan for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 79% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 51.1 | 5.7% | 11.3% | 1,026 | — |
| Dean Trust Wigan | 33.1 | 9% | 57.3% | 715 | 0.5 miles |
| Up Holland High School | 48.8 | 8.3% | 23.9% | 874 | 1.1 miles |
| St John Fisher Catholic High School | 41.3 | 8.9% | 32.9% | 998 | 2.3 miles |
| The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College | 45.7 | 8.8% | 30.6% | 1,365 | 2.6 miles |
| Shevington High School | 49 | 7.4% | 23.7% | 878 | 2.8 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)
- 11.33%
- English as an additional language
- 6.1%
- Overall absence
- 5.69%
- Persistent absence
- 13.35%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Dean Trust Wigan0.5 miles
Secondary · Wigan
-
Up Holland High School1.1 miles
Secondary · Wigan
-
St John Fisher Catholic High School2.3 miles
Secondary · Wigan
-
The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College2.6 miles
Secondary · Wigan
-
Shevington High School2.8 miles
Secondary · Wigan
Other schools in Wigan
St Peter's Catholic High School ranks 1st of the 13 ranked secondary schools in Wigan.
- Cansfield High School Secondary
- Dean Trust Rose Bridge Secondary
- Dean Trust Wigan Secondary
- Hawkley Hall High School Secondary
- Outwood Academy Hindley Secondary
- Shevington High School Secondary
- St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield Secondary
- St John Fisher Catholic High School Secondary
- Standish Community High School Secondary
- The Byrchall High School Secondary
- The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College Secondary
- Up Holland High School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does St Peter's Catholic High School teach?
- St Peter's Catholic High School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Wigan.
- Who is the headteacher of St Peter's Catholic High School?
- The headteacher of St Peter's Catholic High School is Mr Andrew McGlown, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Peter's Catholic High School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Peter's Catholic High School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at St Peter's Catholic High School?
- St Peter's Catholic High School has 1,026 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is St Peter's Catholic High School full?
- St Peter's Catholic High School has capacity for 1,040 pupils and 1,026 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 Peter's Catholic High School a faith school?
- Yes. St Peter's Catholic High School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Archdiocese of Liverpool.
- Is St Peter's Catholic High School a selective school?
- No. St Peter's Catholic High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have St Peter's Catholic High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 51.4 in 2022/23 and 51.1 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 Peter's Catholic High School compare with other schools in Wigan?
- St Peter's Catholic High School ranked 1st of 19 secondary schools in Wigan for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 79% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% 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 Peter's Catholic High School's absence rate?
- St Peter's Catholic High School's overall absence rate is 5.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Peter's Catholic High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Peter's Catholic High School'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 7 July 2026.