Armathwaite School

Armathwaite School is a small, 64-pupil primary school that is performing strongly overall. Inspectors found a warm, calm and inclusive school where pupils are happy, behave well and attend regularly; attendance is above the national average and persistent absence is well below it. Early years is a particular strength, with an ambitious curriculum, highly skilled language teaching and a strong start in reading, so children leave well prepared for Year 1. Safeguarding standards are met. Most areas of the school meet the expected standard. Pupils achieve well overall, with recent outcomes in writing and mathematics above the national average and reading in line with it; pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are identified promptly and supported to take a full part in school life. Personal development, enrichment and governance are also strengths, and staff feel well supported. A new headteacher has been appointed since the previous inspection. The main areas for improvement concern curriculum precision and quality assurance. In some subjects, leaders have not set out the subject-specific skills pupils should learn, and pupils do not always build on prior learning, so their knowledge is less detailed. Leaders and governors also need to check more closely how their actions affect pupils' outcomes, and some pupils need better knowledge of the personal development opportunities on offer so they can get the most from them.

Strengths

• Early years curriculum is ambitious and precisely matched to children's starting points.
• Staff are highly skilled at teaching language and reading, including phonics.
• Pupils achieve well overall, with writing and mathematics above national averages in recent years.
• Attendance is above the national average and persistent absence is well below national levels.
• Pupils behave well and the school has a calm, orderly environment.
• Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are identified quickly and supported to learn alongside their peers.
• Personal development helps pupils understand diversity, responsibility and life in modern Britain.
• Governors fulfil their statutory duties and hold leaders to account.
• Staff feel valued and supported, with leaders considering workload and wellbeing.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, the curriculum does not set out subject-specific skills clearly enough.
• Pupils' knowledge in some subjects is less detailed because they do not build on prior learning.
• Leaders and governors do not closely check the impact of their actions on pupils' outcomes.
• Some pupils lack detailed knowledge of aspects of the personal development programme and do not get the most from it.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Armathwaite School attended 97.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 1.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Armathwaite School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Armathwaite School had 13.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 10.9% of pupils at Armathwaite School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Armathwaite School received £10,619 and spent £11,010 for each of its 61 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £69,000 (£1,133 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Carlisle · Westmorland and Furness local authority: places and applications

What is Armathwaite School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Armathwaite School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Armathwaite School last inspected by Ofsted?

Armathwaite School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Armathwaite School have?

Armathwaite School has 64 pupils on roll.

What age range does Armathwaite School cover?

Armathwaite School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Armathwaite School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Armathwaite School?

Armathwaite School is at Armathwaite, Station Road, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA4 9PW.