Norman Street Primary School

Norman Street Primary School continues to demonstrate effective educational practices, maintaining its status as a good school. Pupils and families appreciate the supportive learning community, where barriers to attendance are effectively addressed by dedicated staff. The school offers a rich curriculum complemented by diverse extracurricular activities that enhance students' learning experiences. Positive relationships between pupils and staff foster an environment that encourages trust and engagement, leading to well-rounded development and achievements among students. However, the school is still adjusting its curriculum and assessment strategies in certain subjects, sometimes leaving identified gaps in pupils' knowledge unaddressed. Staff changes have prompted a reevaluation of how education is delivered, but overall, the school's inclusive approach and commitment to pupil welfare, including robust support for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), mark it as a strong foundation for future improvements.

Strengths

• Strong relationships between staff and pupils foster a positive learning environment.
• Robust support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Effective prioritization of reading instruction, showing clear understanding of phonics teaching.
• Engagement in diverse extracurricular activities enhances learning opportunities.
• Pupils demonstrate excellent behavior and are respectful towards each other and staff.
• The school council has positively impacted resources used at playtimes.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects have recent changes that hinder staff from choosing appropriate teaching activities.
• Assessment strategies in a few subjects do not effectively identify pupils' prior knowledge.

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 Norman Street Primary School attended 94.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.5% 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, 4.0% of pupils at Norman Street Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Norman Street Primary School had 23.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.7% 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, 20.2% of pupils at Norman Street Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.1% 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 Norman Street Primary School received £7,279 and spent £7,947 for each of its 322 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £357,000 (-£1,108 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 Carlisle · Cumberland local authority: places and applications

What is Norman Street Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Norman Street Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2024.

When was Norman Street Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Norman Street Primary School was last inspected in June 2024.

How many pupils does Norman Street Primary School have?

Norman Street Primary School has 322 pupils on roll.

What age range does Norman Street Primary School cover?

Norman Street Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Norman Street Primary School?

Norman Street Primary School is at Norman Street, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA1 2BQ.