Ewanrigg Junior School

Ewanrigg Junior School is a small community junior school that knows its pupils and community well. Pupils value their relationships with staff, behave well in lessons and social times, and benefit from strong pastoral support, a wide range of clubs and trips, and opportunities to take on responsibilities. Personal development and behaviour are clear strengths, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school is ambitious for pupils but that ambition is not yet fully realised. Pupils have gaps in knowledge across several subjects, and while the curriculum is suitable and ambitious on paper, implementation is uneven. Activities do not always focus sharply on the intended knowledge, assessment checks are not yet precise enough to identify gaps quickly, and the writing curriculum is at an early stage, with too few opportunities for pupils to write across subjects. Published outcomes in 2024 were lower than average in mathematics and writing, although recent changes in mathematics and reading are beginning to have a positive impact. Leadership is a mixed picture. The school has taken effective action on attendance, and staff feel supported in their workload and wellbeing. However, many governors are new and do not yet challenge leaders effectively enough to hold them to account for the quality of education. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the current headteacher was appointed in April 2024.

Strengths

• Strong pastoral support and positive relationships between pupils and staff
• Pupils behave well in lessons and interact happily at social times
• Effective support for pupils with SEND removes barriers to learning
• A broad range of clubs, trips and pupil responsibilities enriches personal development
• The profile of reading has been raised, with a new phonics programme building confidence and fluency
• Recent mathematics curriculum changes are improving pupils’ mathematical knowledge
• Effective action has improved attendance, and pupils now attend well
• Pupils develop resilience and a secure understanding of physical and mental health
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Staff feel that their workload and wellbeing are supported

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is uneven, and activities do not always focus sharply on the intended knowledge
• Assessment checks do not consistently identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge
• The writing curriculum is underdeveloped, and pupils have too few opportunities to write across subjects
• Pupils have gaps in knowledge across a range of subjects
• Published outcomes have remained lower than average over time
• Governors do not provide sufficient challenge and do not hold leaders to account effectively for the quality of education
• Published 2024 results were significantly lower than average in mathematics and lower than average in writing

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 Ewanrigg Junior School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.0% 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, 0.7% of pupils at Ewanrigg Junior 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 Ewanrigg Junior School had 17.3 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, 30.8% of pupils at Ewanrigg Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 11.3% 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 Ewanrigg Junior School received £9,824 and spent £9,810 for each of its 133 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £34,000 (£256 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 Maryport · Cumberland local authority: places and applications

What is Ewanrigg Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ewanrigg Junior School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Ewanrigg Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ewanrigg Junior School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Ewanrigg Junior School have?

Ewanrigg Junior School has 133 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ewanrigg Junior School cover?

Ewanrigg Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Ewanrigg Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 48% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ewanrigg Junior School?

Ewanrigg Junior School is at Ennerdale Road, Maryport, Cumbria, CA15 8HN.