Cansfield High SchoolSt Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Wigan.
Summary of the comparison
Cansfield High School and St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield are secondary schools in Wigan.
Cansfield High School scores 53 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield scores 66 out of 100 (grade C, average). St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield is ahead on our composite score.
Cansfield High School was judged Good and St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield was judged strong.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 41.7 for Cansfield High School and 50.4 for St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Cansfield High School (53.5 in 2021-22, 41.7 in 2025-26) and has held broadly level at St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield (52.2 in 2021-22, 50.4 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | WiganCansfield High School | WiganSt Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D53/100 | C66/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 14th of 19 in Wigan | 1st of 19 in Wigan Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: StrongStronger figure | |
| School type | Community school | Voluntary aided school | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 974 | 1,204 | |
| Capacity | 1,012 | 1,250 | |
| Location | Wigan, WN4 9TP | Wigan, WN4 9PF | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 41.7 | 50.4 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 36.3% | 53.6% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 59.3% | 75.5% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 204 | 237 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,036 | 1,202 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 27.1% | 13.7% | |
| English as an additional language | 3.5% | 6.7% | |
| SEN support | 20.4% | 6.7% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.4% | 4.0% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 7.0% Stronger figure | 7.0% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 18.9% | 17.1% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Cansfield High School
St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield
Full profiles: Cansfield High School · St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield