Atherton North (E02001303) is part of Wigan local authority (view on map). Atherton North has an approximate population of 9,300 people, of which 22% are children 15 years old and under. It is classified as "urban: nearer to a major town or city".
Atherton North neighbours Westhoughton East, Over Hulton, Westhoughton Daisy Hill, Atherton South East & Tyldesley West, and Atherton South West.
Local area pages are based on the middle-layer super output areas (MSOAs) distributed across the country. MSOAs comprise between 2,000 and 6,000 households and have a resident population of, generally, between 5,000 and 15,000 people. MSOAs fit within local authorities. For each area, descriptive statistics are compared with local authority and national averages. For more information about MSOAs, please visit the Office for National Statistics website.
The data displayed is sourced from:
Atherton North is the 35th least deprived area in Wigan (out of 40) with 54% of children living in low-income families, compared to 36% across Wigan and 38% nationally.
Information acquired from the school census.
In Atherton North, 45% of state-funded pupils are eligible for free school meals, compared to 30% in Wigan and 27% nationally.
| % in Atherton North | % in Wigan | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eligible for free school meals | 45% | 30% | 27% |
| Not eligible for free school meals | 55% | 70% | 73% |
In Atherton North, 30% of pupils in state-funded settings have special educational needs (SEN), compared to 21% in Wigan, and 19% nationally.
This includes the number of pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan and the number of pupils with SEN support.
| % in Atherton North | % in Wigan | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No special educational needs | 70% | 79% | 81% |
| Receiving special educational needs support | 23% | 15% | 14% |
| With an education, health, and care plan (EHCP) | 7% | 6% | 5% |
In Atherton North, 14% of pupils are from a minority ethnic background, compared to 15% in Wigan, and 33% nationally.
Percentages may not sum to 100%, due to small values being suppressed.
| % in Atherton North | % in Wigan | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 85% | 85% | 67% |
| Asian | 3% | 4% | 14% |
| Black | 6% | 5% | 7% |
| Mixed | 3% | 4% | 7% |
| Other | 2% | 2% | 3% |
| Not known | 1% | 0% | 2% |
The percentage of pupils in Atherton North with English as an additional language is 10%, compared with 12% in Wigan, and 22% nationally.
Numbers may not sum to 100%, due to a small number of pupils with an unclassified language.
| % in Atherton North | % in Wigan | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Known or believed to be other than English | 10% | 12% | 22% |
| Known or believed to be English | 90% | 88% | 78% |
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Atherton North has 7 registered childcare providers.
| Type | Number in Atherton North |
|---|---|
| All childcare providers | 7 |
| Childminders | 5 |
| Pre-school/day nursery/out-of-school care | 2 |
In Atherton North, there has been 1 full inspection of childcare providers since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.
Under the renewed education inspection framework, childcare providers are evaluated on the following areas:
We use a 5-point scale to grade different areas of a provider’s work. The evaluation scale for each evaluation area, other than safeguarding, is:
Achievement: 1 was graded 'strong standard' (of 1).
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: 1 was graded 'strong standard' (of 1).
Children's welfare and well-being: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).
Curriculum and teaching: 1 was graded 'strong standard' (of 1).
Inclusion: 1 was graded 'strong standard' (of 1).
Leadership and governance: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).
The tables below show the outcomes of inspections of childcare providers in Atherton North. The tables are split by provider type, and show the number of inspections that have taken place for each area, and the outcomes of those inspections.
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Children's welfare and well-being | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Children's welfare and well-being | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement |
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| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement |
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| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement |
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| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement |
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Atherton North has 3 state-funded schools.
| Type | Number in Atherton North |
|---|---|
| All state-funded schools | 3 |
| Nursery schools | 0 |
| Primary and all-through schools | 3 |
| Secondary and all-through schools | 0 |
| Special schools | 0 |
| Registered alternative provision | 0 |
In Atherton North, there has been 1 full inspection of schools since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.
Under the renewed education inspection framework, schools are evaluated on the following areas:
The evaluation scale for each evaluation area, other than safeguarding, is:
Achievement: 1 was graded 'needs attention' (of 1).
Attendance and behaviour: 1 was graded 'needs attention' (of 1).
Curriculum and teaching: 1 was graded 'needs attention' (of 1).
Early years: 1 was graded 'needs attention' (of 1).
Inclusion: 1 was graded 'needs attention' (of 1).
Leadership and governance: 1 was graded 'needs attention' (of 1).
Personal development and wellbeing: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).
Post-16 provision: There have been no inspections of Post-16 provision in Atherton North so no outcomes are available for this area.
The tables below show the outcomes of inspections of state-funded schools in Atherton North. The tables are split by provider type, and show the number of inspections that have taken place for each area, and the outcomes of those inspections.
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Early years | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Early years | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Early years | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Early years | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Early years | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Early years | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Data sources: