Kells Infant School

Kells Infant School is a friendly, caring school where pupils are happy and typically achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Inspectors found a broad and ambitious curriculum delivered effectively, with reading at its heart and strong support for pupils' personal development and early years provision. Behaviour is positive, attendance has improved, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. Parents speak positively about the support their children receive. The main areas for improvement are limited and specific. In a very small number of subjects, the school does not yet check how well pupils are learning and remembering the intended curriculum, which restricts its ability to identify improvements. Governors also do not systematically review the impact of improvement actions, so they are not sufficiently clear about what needs to change in the quality of education. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2014, when it was judged outstanding and was subsequently exempt from routine inspection until November 2020. Under the arrangements from September 2024, no overall effectiveness grade was awarded.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, friendly and well cared for, with positive feedback from parents.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious, with carefully sequenced knowledge from the early years.
• Staff deliver the curriculum well and adapt learning effectively for pupils with SEND.
• Reading is central to the curriculum, and pupils gain the phonics knowledge to become confident readers.
• Early years provision is exceptionally strong, helping Nursery children develop confidence, curiosity and communication skills.
• Pupils behave sensibly and attentively, creating a positive learning environment with little disruption.
• Personal development is rich and varied, preparing pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Attendance has improved following more rigorous action.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Staff workload is manageable and staff are proud to work at the school.

Areas for Improvement

• In a very small number of subjects, the school has not checked the impact of the curriculum on pupils' learning.
• Governors do not systematically review the impact of the school's improvement actions and are not sufficiently clear about areas needing improvement.

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 Kells Infant School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.0% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Kells Infant 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 Kells Infant School had 15.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.3% 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, 26.2% of pupils at Kells Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% 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 Kells Infant School received £6,778 and spent £7,280 for each of its 130 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £31,000 (£240 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 Kells Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Kells Infant School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Kells Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Kells Infant School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Kells Infant School have?

Kells Infant School has 130 pupils on roll.

What age range does Kells Infant School cover?

Kells Infant School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Kells Infant School?

Kells Infant School is at High Road, Kells, Whitehaven, Cumbria, CA28 9PQ.