Heron Hill Primary School

Heron Hill Primary School continues to perform well, maintaining its good status since the last inspection. The school fosters a positive learning environment where pupils are encouraged to learn, grow, and feel safe. Leaders prioritize high expectations, and students, including those with special educational needs, are actively engaged in school life. The broad and ambitious curriculum supports student development, although there are areas for improvement regarding curriculum clarity in some subjects and access to a diverse range of reading materials for older pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils exhibit good behavior and respect for one another.
• Leaders have high expectations for all pupils.
• The school provides a wide range of extracurricular clubs.
• Effective support is given to pupils with special educational needs.
• Staff feel supported and valued by the leadership team.
• Leaders ensure that pupils develop a strong foundation in reading.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects lack clarity regarding the essential knowledge pupils need to learn.
• The selection of reading materials for older pupils is limited.

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 Heron Hill Primary School attended 96.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.2% 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, 1.4% of pupils at Heron Hill 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 Heron Hill Primary School had 22.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.0% 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, 12.9% of pupils at Heron Hill Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.4% 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 Heron Hill Primary School received £6,380 and spent £6,541 for each of its 419 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £126,000 (£300 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 Kendal · Westmorland and Furness local authority: places and applications

What is Heron Hill Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Heron Hill Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was Heron Hill Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Heron Hill Primary School was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does Heron Hill Primary School have?

Heron Hill Primary School has 419 pupils on roll.

What age range does Heron Hill Primary School cover?

Heron Hill Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Heron Hill Primary School?

Heron Hill Primary School is at Hayfell Avenue, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 7JH.