Bedford High School
Manchester Road, Leigh, WN7 2LU
1,111 pupils · 92% of 1,210 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Community school
- Ages
- 11–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Does not apply
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Local authority
- Wigan
- Free school meals
- 40.2%
Ofsted
Good (2023) — Rated under the pre-September 2024 inspection system
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 3 October 2023, published 8 November 2023. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 45.5 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 47.8% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 69.6% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 55.1% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Usually has places available — 0.89 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 179 | 159 | 493 | 172 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 231 | 199 | 448 | 219 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 210 | 188 | 507 | 206 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 224 | 212 | 516 | 224 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 227 | 241 | 513 | 227 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 214 | 202 | 470 | 214 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 227 | 214 | 495 | 227 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 216 | 197 | 493 | 216 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- St Mary's Catholic High School 1.7 km · Standards maintained (2024)
- Fred Longworth High School 2.4 km · Good — confirmed 2022 · previous system
- Atherton High School 3.1 km · Good (2024) · previous system
- The Westleigh School 3.4 km · Good (2022) · previous system
- Lowton Church of England High School 4.2 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Culcheth High School 4.6 km · Good — confirmed 2022 · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.