Hope School is a council-run special school in Wigan for children and young people aged 2 to 19. It supports dyslexia and SpLD, vision, hearing and 6 other needs.
- Ages 2–19
- 233 pupils
School details
- Type
- Council special school
- Ages
- 2 to 19
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 233 (places for 200)
- Headteacher
- Mrs Susan Lucas (Headteacher)
- Free school meals
- 43.4% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Wigan
- School reference (URN)
- 106543
Needs it supports
10 needs: dyslexia and SpLD, vision and 8 more
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Communication and interaction
- Autism Other schools for this in Wigan (11)
- Speech, language and communication Other schools for this in Wigan (6)
Cognition and learning
- Specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia) Other schools for this in Wigan (5)
- Severe learning difficulty Other schools for this in Wigan (4)
- Profound and multiple learning difficulties Other schools for this in Wigan (2)
Sensory and physical
- Hearing impairment Other schools for this in Wigan (2)
- Visual impairment Other schools for this in Wigan (2)
- Multi-sensory impairment Other schools for this in Wigan (2)
- Physical disability Other schools for this in Wigan (3)
It also lists other needs. Ask the school what these are.
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Wigan council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Free home-to-school transport is often part of the arrangement.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Graded by area, June 2025; school remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next (April 2024)
Inspected in June 2025. Inspections from September 2024 to November 2025 graded each area but gave no overall grade.
- Quality of educationGood
- Behaviour and attitudesOutstanding
- Personal developmentOutstanding
- Leadership and managementGood
- Early yearsOutstanding
- Sixth formOutstanding
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: School remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next (ungraded inspection, April 2024).
Contact and getting there
Kelvin Grove, Marus Bridge, Wigan, WN3 6SP
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Hawkley Hall High School Mainstream + base · Ages 11–16 0.9 miles
- Expanse Learning Wigan School Independent · Ages 11–16 · Ofsted: Good 0.9 miles
- Landgate School, Bryn Special school · Ages 4–19 1.0 mile
By need in Wigan: Autism (12) · Speech and language (7) · SEMH (6) · Dyslexia and SpLD (6) · Severe learning (5) · Physical (4) · Moderate learning (3) · PMLD (3) · Hearing (3) · Vision (3) · Multi-sensory (3)
Questions about Hope School
How do I get a place at Hope School?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Hope School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Hope School support?
Specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia), visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication, autism, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, severe learning difficulty and profound and multiple learning difficulties. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Hope School take?
Aged 2 to 19, boys and girls.
What is Hope School’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in June 2025 at its last graded inspection. Newer inspections no longer give a single overall grade, so read the latest report for the full picture.
Where is Hope School?
Kelvin Grove, Marus Bridge, Wigan, WN3 6SP, in Wigan.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.