Bransty Primary School

Bransty Primary School has demonstrated overall good performance across all key areas, marking it as a promising educational environment for its pupils. The school's curriculum is ambitious, helping students to build knowledge and skills progressively, particularly in the early years where development is well-supported. Pupils exhibit positive attitudes, strong friendships, and a joy for learning, which are fostered by the school's high expectations and supportive framework. The first routine inspection since the pandemic recognizes the strong achievements of diverse student groups, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, there are areas for improvement, especially in a few subject areas where curriculum implementation is still developing, potentially leading to some gaps in understanding for certain pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy strong friendships and are polite and kind.
• The school has high aspirations for pupil achievement.
• Most pupils achieve well and are prepared for their next educational stages.
• Children in early years receive strong support for their development.
• The curriculum is ambitious and designed to build knowledge over time.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND helps them achieve exceptionally well.
• Pupils engage in various extracurricular activities that develop their interests.
• The school fosters leadership and resilience among pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Some areas of the curriculum are new, leading to gaps in pupil learning.
• Instances where pupils move on to new learning before they are ready occur.

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 Bransty Primary School attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.8% 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 Bransty Primary 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 Bransty Primary School had 22.9 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, 5.4% of pupils at Bransty Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.3% 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 Bransty Primary School received £7,992 and spent £7,750 for each of its 205 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £132,000 (£645 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 Whitehaven · Cumberland local authority: places and applications

What is Bransty Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bransty Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was Bransty Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bransty Primary School was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does Bransty Primary School have?

Bransty Primary School has 205 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bransty Primary School cover?

Bransty Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Bransty Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 44% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bransty Primary School?

Bransty Primary School is at Mona Road, Bransty, Whitehaven, Cumbria, CA28 6EG.