Secondary
St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield
Rookery Avenue, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, WN4 9PF
Key facts
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Intake
- Mixed
- Pupils
- 1204 of 1250 places
- Pupils per teacher
- 16.5
- Local authority
- Wigan
- Religious character
- Yes
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Liverpool
Staffing23/24
- Teachers (FTE)
- 73.4
- All staff (FTE)
- 106.7
- Pupils per adult
- 11.4
- Pupils
- 1,211
Staff are counted as full-time equivalents in the November school workforce census, so the pupil figure here is that census’s own and will differ a little from the roll above, which is counted in January.
Ofsted
Last inspected March 2026
- AchievementStrong standard
- Attendance and behaviourStrong standard
- Curriculum and teachingStrong standard
- InclusionStrong standard
- Leadership and governanceStrong standard
- Personal development and wellbeingStrong standard
SafeguardingMet
Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)Earlier inspections1
November 2021
Ungraded inspection
Good
Read the report (opens in a new tab)
GCSE results
51%
12 points above the Wigan average (39% across 20 schools)
49.1
5.0 above the Wigan average (44.1 across 20 schools)
3rd of 20 by our score, among the secondary schools in Wigan we can score - 27 in total, the rest without enough published data. Local and same-phase on purpose: a national table mostly measures who attends.
All published measures2024/2025
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 | 49.1 |
| EBacc average point score | 4.15 |
| Entered the EBacc | 29% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 77% |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 51% |
From the Department for Education. Measures are published per year and suppressed where a cohort is too small, so some schools show fewer. There are no results for 2019/20 or 2020/21, when exams and assessments were cancelled.
Results over time4 years
Each measure on its own scale, over every year we hold.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 21/22 | 53% |
| 22/23 | 50% |
| 23/24 | 57% |
| 24/25 | 51% |
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 21/22 | +0.02 |
| 22/23 | +0.13 |
| 23/24 | +0.16 |
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 21/22 | 52.2 |
| 22/23 | 49.7 |
| 23/24 | 51.5 |
| 24/25 | 49.1 |
Rookery Avenue, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, WN4 9PF
Admissions
How to apply (opens in a new tab)
You apply through your council, not the school - even for academies and free schools. Applications close on 31 October, the year before starting.
Wigan admissions (opens in a new tab)
The council publishes the oversubscription criteria and last year’s offer distances, which is the closest thing to knowing your chances.
If you are refused a place (opens in a new tab)
You can appeal, and you can join a waiting list at the same time. Accept whatever offer you get first - declining it can leave you with no place at all.
This school’s own admissions (opens in a new tab)
Schools that set their own criteria - faith schools, grammars, academies - publish them on their own site.
Contact
- Headteacher
- Mark Dumican
- Address
- Rookery Avenue, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, WN4 9PF
- Telephone
- 01942728651