School Chooser

Beech Hill Community Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedCouncil282 pupilsNursery Free breakfast clubWigan
School Chooser Score
59
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 37 to 78
Out of 100. Better than 86% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, October 2022
Reached the expected level at 1176%England 63%
Attendance95.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families45%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull282 pupils, 270 places
Pupils per teacher24.6School workforce census

Beech Hill Community Primary School is a council school in Wigan for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 282 pupils, 12 more than it has places for. About 45 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 59 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 86% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Netherby Road, Beech Hill, Wigan, WN6 7PT01942 243582beechhillwigan.co.ukMrs Michelle McCarthy headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 4 October 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

34 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1176%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level6%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score107.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score106.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 45%45%20172018: 64%64%20182019: 55%55%20192023: 63%63%20232024: 64%64%20242025: 76%76%2025
Since 2017: +31%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017WiganEngland
Pupils tested344543292822
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths76%64%63%55%64%45%66%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths6%0%2%3%7%14%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score107.0105.0106.0101.0105.0101.0105.7105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score106.0105.0104.0102.0103.0103.0105.4104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0105.0106.0102.0105.0102.0105.6105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard82%84%74%59%79%50%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard79%84%79%79%71%73%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)79%73%67%79%82%82%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.9-3.9-0.2-0.5
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.4-3.1-0.6+1.1
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged63%50%65%47%59%31%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged93%84%61%67%73%67%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
63%93%
Gap 30 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
79%73%
Gap 6 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
86%76%
Gap 10 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%6%
Gap 6 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places266 pupils for 315 places, 2024/25
84% full

49 places were empty (16% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 8% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 0.6 miles away in 2026. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 0.6 miles from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.

EntryPlacesGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary30300.6 milesLA

What a home within 0.6 miles of the school costs

Typical sale price within 0.6 miles of the school£170,000half sold for £139k to £210k
Homes sold387December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district-13%a typical home in the district sells for £195,000

Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll282Census January 2026
Places270104% full
Pupils from low-income families44%45% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English27%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support32%89 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%12 pupils with a plan
Average class size27.710 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)41%£161,200 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls165 / 117
White British pupils70%

Specialist SEND provision. SEN unit with 9 pupils, for autism.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Wigan with autism provision.

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 27.8 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (51), Moderate learning difficulty (13), emotional and mental health (13), Specific learning difficulty (8), Physical disability (5), Vision impairment (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll282294309305308309
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals44%42%43%44%46%48%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language27%27%22%16%13%13%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support30%34%31%25%24%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%3%3%3%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school12.6%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils1.72024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.6%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.8%5.9%6.1%6.5%5.1%5.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.3%3.5%3.4%4.2%2.9%2.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.6%2.4%2.8%2.3%2.2%2.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence12.6%15.5%18.8%22.3%13.2%12.0%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate1.70.70.72.31.9
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers11.2full-time equivalent, 13 people
Pupils per teacher24.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants14.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£64,305
Teachers who left in the year8%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher4.42024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£7,568England £7,738. Total £2.1m
Income per pupil£7,923England £7,697. Total £2.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,313England £3,480
Money in reserve13%A healthy amount put by: £295k, £1,040 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£101kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,568spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Local crime rate0 per 1,000 people100% lower than the England average
Typical house price£195,000Wigan
Nearest bus stop90 mSt Anne's Church, 29 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic310 m447Good 202335Compare
Wigan St Andrew's CofE Junior and Infant SchoolChurch of England700 m194Report card 20268Compare
Standish Lower Ground St Anne's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England0.7 miles145No overall grade 202435Compare
Woodfield Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles209No overall grade 202499Compare
Mab's Cross Primary SchoolCouncil1.1 miles461Report card 202647Compare
St Mary and St John Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic1.1 miles209Outstanding 202389Compare
Marsh Green Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles371No overall grade 202519Compare
St Mark's CofE Primary SchoolAcademy1.4 miles240Good 202321Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Beech Hill Community Primary School with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats86%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 59 is 31 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 29 · highest 75100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Beech Hill Community Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Highfield Community Primary SchoolAcademy6.7 miles234Good 201968Compare
Alderman Bolton Primary SchoolAcademy12.7 miles277Good 202264Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 59 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 59% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 37 to 78. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
-0.04
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 34 pupils
Ofsted inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.9 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.06
DfE progress measure; 34 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well above
+0.11
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.01
2024/25; 246 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.08
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 34 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Beech Hill Community Primary School a good school?

It is about average. Beech Hill Community Primary School scores 59 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 86% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 37 to 78, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

What is Beech Hill Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Beech Hill Community Primary School good at its last full inspection on 4 October 2022.

How good are Beech Hill Community Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 76% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 6% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Beech Hill Community Primary School have?

282 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 270 places, so it is 104% full.

Is Beech Hill Community Primary School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 0.6 miles away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.

What is attendance like at Beech Hill Community Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 13% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Beech Hill Community Primary School?

The average class had 27.7 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Beech Hill Community Primary School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has sen unit for autism. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Beech Hill Community Primary School have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Netherby Road, Beech Hill, Wigan, WN6 7PT
Telephone
01942 243582
Website
www.beechhillwigan.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Michelle McCarthy
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Wigan
Ward
Wigan West
Constituency
Wigan
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
106399 · LAESTAB 3592000 · UKPRN 10078951

Where these figures come from