St John Rigby College, Wigan

St John Rigby College is a sixth form college in the Orrell district of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester situated in a 30acre estate overlooking the Lancashire countryside. As a college for students who intend to proceed into higher education, students are accepted from across the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and Metropolitan Borough of Bolton areas of Greater Manchester as well as parts of Merseyside and Lancashire.The school's A Level pass rate was 98% in 2009, well above the national average, as are its vocational courses at Levels 1, 2 and 3. Students go on to attend a wide range of universities across the UK and abroad including Cambridge. The college also works to promote Fairtrade and forming partnerships with people in other countries such as Brazil which is part of the work the college does with CAFOD, and also forming partnerships with other colleges with Loreto College, Manchester.HistoryOriginally a Christian Brothers boys' grammar school,and was named Blessed John Rigby RC Grammar School. John Rigby only being Beatified, not yet Canonized. In 1972 the school became a Sixth Form College under the trusteeship of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Liverpool. In 2012 the college celebrated its 40th Anniversary.