Standing view · skills · Wigan
deteriorating, held with established confidence, formed on 5 October 2026 from movements in 2024/2025.
Skills and attainment in Wigan have been slipping. GCSE grade 4+ in English and maths was 60.3 in 2023/2024 and pupils entering English and maths GCSEs 96.2 in the same year, both recorded as unfavourable against the usual pattern for their year. Entry rates then read 97 in 2024/2025 and were favourable. Two unfavourable readings against one, with the favourable one the most recent and on the entry measure rather than attainment, is why the view is held as established rather than strong.
A view is formed only where the evidence names a figure you can check. Each movement listed as a reason had to be large enough to matter and distinctive in at least one way — unusual against this area's own history, unusual against comparable areas, or sustained over several periods. A movement shared with peers counts for less, because it says something about the country rather than about Wigan. Where no figure supports a direction we hold no view rather than a hedged one.
| Measure | Period | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE grade 4+ in English and maths | 2023/2024 | deteriorating |
| Pupils entering English and maths GCSEs | 2023/2024 | deteriorating |
| Pupils entering English and maths GCSEs | 2024/2025 | improving |