Orrell & Longshaw in Wigan Early years summary

Local area: Orrell & Longshaw

Local authority: Wigan

Summary

Orrell & Longshaw (E02001304) is part of Wigan local authority (view on map). Orrell & Longshaw has an approximate population of 13,000 people, of which 5.5% are children 5 years old and under. It is classified as "urban: nearer to a major town or city".

Orrell & Longshaw neighbours Shevington, Pemberton North, Winstanley, Ashton-in-Makerfield North, Ashton-in-Makerfield West, Rainford, Billinge, Garswood, and Upholland.

Headlines for early years in Wigan

The data below is only available at local authority level

  • In Wigan, 102% of the funded places for 2-year-olds have been taken up, which is higher than the national at 72%. This places it among the top 10% of areas
Guidance and data sources

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:

Deprivation

Orrell & Longshaw is the 3rd least deprived area in Wigan (out of 40) with 15% of children living in low-income families, compared to 36% across Wigan and 38% nationally.

Data source

Provider information

Registered childcare providers

Orrell & Longshaw has 10 registered childcare providers.

Type Number in Orrell & Longshaw
All childcare providers 10
Childminders 4
Pre-school/day nursery/out-of-school care 6

In Orrell & Longshaw, there have been 3 full inspections of childcare providers since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.

Achievement: 3 were graded 'expected standard' (of 3).

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: 3 were graded 'expected standard' (of 3).

Children's welfare and wellbeing: 1 was graded 'strong standard', and 2 were graded 'expected standard' (of 3).

Curriculum and teaching: 3 were graded 'expected standard' (of 3).

Inclusion: 1 was graded 'strong standard', and 2 were graded 'expected standard' (of 3).

Leadership and governance: 1 was graded 'strong standard', and 2 were graded 'expected standard' (of 3).

The tables below show the outcomes of inspections of childcare providers in Orrell & Longshaw. 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.

Contents

All childcare

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement
Achievement 3 0 0 3 0 0
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines 3 0 0 3 0 0
Children's welfare and wellbeing 3 0 1 2 0 0
Curriculum and teaching 3 0 0 3 0 0
Inclusion 3 0 1 2 0 0
Leadership and governance 3 0 1 2 0 0

Childminders

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement
Achievement 1 0 0 1 0 0
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines 1 0 0 1 0 0
Children's welfare and wellbeing 1 0 1 0 0 0
Curriculum and teaching 1 0 0 1 0 0
Inclusion 1 0 1 0 0 0
Leadership and governance 1 0 1 0 0 0

Pre-school/day nursery/out-of-school care

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement
Achievement 2 0 0 2 0 0
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines 2 0 0 2 0 0
Children's welfare and wellbeing 2 0 0 2 0 0
Curriculum and teaching 2 0 0 2 0 0
Inclusion 2 0 0 2 0 0
Leadership and governance 2 0 0 2 0 0

Data source

Summary of Ofsted findings

Summary of Ofsted findings

Inspection of Wigan’s local authority children’s services

These inspections focus on the effectiveness of local authority services and arrangements:

  • to help and protect children, and enable families to stay together and get the help they need
  • the experiences and progress of children in care wherever they live, including those children who return home
  • the arrangements for permanence for children who are looked after, in stable, loving homes, including adoption
  • the experiences and progress of care leavers.
Inspection type Inspection start date Overall effectiveness Impact of leaders Help and protection Children in care Care leavers
ILACS Standard Inspection 6 October 2025 Good Good Requires improvement to be good Outstanding Outstanding

Data source

Area SEND inspection of Wigan Local Area Partnership

The purpose of an area SEND inspection is to:

  • provide an independent, external evaluation of the effectiveness of the local area partnership’s arrangements for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
  • where appropriate, recommend what the local area partnership should do to improve the arrangements.
Inspection outcome

Wigan local area partnership has not yet been inspected under the current area SEND framework.

Data source

Joint targeted area inspection of Wigan local authority

The agencies for these inspections can include the police, children’s social care, probation services, education and relevant health services. Inspectors will also evaluate how local agencies work with education and childcare providers. The focus of these inspections is how effectively the local safeguarding partners work together at the practice and strategic levels.

Theme Inspection start date Link
There have been no JTAI inspections for this local authority.

Data source

Early years population

Contents

Percentage of Orrell & Longshaw population by age group

Table showing percentage of Orrell & Longshaw population by age group

% in Orrell & Longshaw % in Wigan % National
Age 5 and under 5.5% 6.4% 6.4%
Under 1 year 0.8% 1.0% 1.0%
1 year 0.8% 1.0% 1.0%
2 years 0.9% 1.1% 1.1%
3 years 1.0% 1.1% 1.1%
4 years 1.0% 1.1% 1.1%
5 years 1.1% 1.1% 1.1%

Data source

Local authority context

Early years pupil premium

In Wigan, 5.5% of children are receiving the early years pupil premium, compared to 5.1% nationally.

Contents

Percentage of children in receipt of early years pupil premium

Table showing the percentage of children in receipt of early years pupil premium

Number in Wigan % in Wigan % National
Receiving pupil premium 1,215 5.5% 5.1%

Data source

Children looked after

The percentage of 'children looked after' in Wigan is 0.8% for under 1 year olds and 0.6% for 1 to 4 year olds. The national average is 0.6% for under 1 year olds and 0.4% for 1 to 4 year olds.

Contents

Table showing percentage of children looked after in Wigan

Number in Wigan % in Wigan % National
Children looked after (under 1 year) 25 0.8% 0.6%
Children looked after (aged 1 to 4 years) 87 0.6% 0.4%

Percentage of children looked after in Wigan

Data source

Special educational needs and disabilities in state-funded schools

This data is taken from the school census data for children aged 5 and under with special educational needs and disabilities in state-funded settings.

In Wigan, 5.3% of children aged 5 and under receive SEN support in state-funded settings and 1.5% have an EHC plan, compared to 4.5% and 1.4% nationally.

Contents

Percentage of children with SEND in state-funded settings by age group

Table showing percentage of children with SEND in state-funded settings by age group

Number in Wigan % in Wigan % National
Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (age 5 and under) 1,185 5.3% 4.5%
Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (under 2 years) 51 0.5% 0.3%
Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (3 years) 148 3.9% 3.7%
Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (4 years) 448 12% 9.2%
Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (5 years) 538 14% 12%
Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (age 5 and under) 343 1.5% 1.4%
Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (under 2 years) 0 0% 0%
Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (3 years) 5 0.1% 0.3%
Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (4 years) 118 3.1% 3.1%
Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (5 years) 220 5.6% 4.8%

Data source

Education, health and care plans

This data is taken from the local authority level data for children aged 5 and under issued with an education, health and care (EHC) plan in Wigan.

In Wigan, 1.8% of children aged 5 and under have an EHC plan, compared to 1.6% nationally.

Contents

Percentage of children with an EHCP in Wigan by age group

Table showing percentage of children with an EHCP in Wigan by age group

Number in Wigan % in Wigan % National
Total: Children with an EHCP (age 5 and under) 406 1.8% 1.6%
Total: Children with an EHCP (under 2 years) 0 0% 0%
Total: Children with an EHCP (3 years) 43 1.1% 0.8%
Total: Children with an EHCP (4 years) 125 3.3% 3.4%
Total: Children with an EHCP (5 years) 238 6.1% 5.0%

Data source

Early years funded takeup

In Wigan, take-up of funded early years places is 102% for 2-year-olds, 91% for 3-year-olds, and 94% for 4-year-olds, compared to 72%, 88%, and 93% nationally.

In Wigan, 102% of the funded places for 2-year-olds have been taken up, which is higher than the national at 72%. This places it among the top 10% of areas.

Contents

Percentage of eligible children taking up funded early years places

Table showing percentage of eligible children taking up funded early years places

Funded early years places for 2-year-olds Number of eligible 2-year-olds % of population aged 2 % take-up of funded places
Wigan 765 20% 102%
National 119,598 19% 72%
Funded early years places for 3-year-olds Number of eligible 3-year-olds % of population aged 3 % take-up of funded places
Wigan All 3-year olds are eligible 91%
National 88%
Funded early years places for 4-year-olds Number of eligible 4-year-olds % of population aged 4 % take-up of funded places
Wigan All 4-year olds are eligible 94%
National 93%
The 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old funded places tables look different because they measure different things; funded places for 2-year-olds are only for children considered to be disadvantaged, while for 3- and 4-year-olds everyone is entitled to a funded place.
Why these numbers might look odd for the 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old funded take-up charts and tables

The number of disadvantaged 2-year-olds eligible for the entitlement has decreased, but take-up rates have increased. This is because eligibility has fallen faster than registrations, due to:

  • lower birth rates in recent years
  • the move from legacy benefits to Universal Credit
  • unchanged income thresholds while average incomes have risen

Even if the rate goes up, the fall in eligibility means fewer children overall are benefitting, so it's important to consider both the percentage and the number.

Data source

Children's overweight and obesity

In Wigan, 27% of reception-age children are overweight or obese, compared to 24% nationally.

Contents

Percentage of reception-age children overweight or obese

Table showing percentage of reception-age children overweight or obese

Number in Wigan % in Wigan % National
Children's overweight and obesity (reception-age children) 825 27% 24%

Data source

Oral health

In Wigan, 28% of children aged 5 have visible tooth decay (oral health issues) compared to 22% nationally.

Contents

Percentage of 5-year-olds with visible tooth decay

Table showing percentage of 5-year-olds with visible tooth decay

Number examined in Wigan % examined in Wigan % in Wigan % National
Oral health (visible tooth decay in 5-year-olds) 429 11% 28% 22%

Data source