Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery

Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery is performing well, achieving a 'Good' overall effectiveness rating. The school provides a strong educational experience, with notable strengths in personal development and a rich curriculum that fosters pupil engagement and achievement. Pupils demonstrate good behavior, are supportive of each other, and engage actively in school life, including after-school activities and community initiatives. The school was inspected for the first time since its previous rating of 'Requires Improvement' and has made several positive strides since then. However, there are some concerns regarding the retention of knowledge from previous years, particularly in subject areas outside of mathematics. The need for improvement in the continuity of learning across the wider curriculum has been identified. Additionally, while leaders are effective in holding staff accountable for pupil achievement in core subjects, further focus is required for the same across other subjects to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the curriculum by governors.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy attending school and exhibit good behavior.
• Leaders have high expectations and provide a supportive learning environment.
• The school offers a rich curriculum that promotes knowledge and skills.
• Strong personal development initiatives help pupils understand life in modern Britain.
• Effective teaching of phonics contributes to high reading attainment.
• Excellent relationships between staff and pupils foster a safe and happy environment.
• The early years provision is well-planned to meet children's needs.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not consistently recall what they have learned from previous years in subjects like history.
• Governors need to challenge leaders more on achievements in the wider curriculum.

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 Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.1% 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 Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery 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 Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery had 28.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.7% 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, 4.5% of pupils at Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.7% 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 Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery received £7,092 and spent £7,145 for each of its 267 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £14,000 (£54 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 Westmorland And Furness · Westmorland and Furness local authority: places and applications

What is Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery is Good, from an inspection in September 2024.

When was Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery was last inspected in September 2024.

How many pupils does Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery have?

Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery has 267 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery cover?

Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery?

Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery is at Skelwith Drive, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria, LA14 4PG.