Belle Vue Primary School

Belle Vue Primary School is a popular, friendly community primary where pupils are happy, behave well and generally achieve well. Inspectors found high expectations, an ambitious and enriched curriculum, and a strong sense of community. Children settle quickly in early years, reading and phonics are prioritised, pupils with SEND are identified accurately and supported inclusively, and attendance is improving. The school also provides a wide range of clubs and trips, and governors are effective in supporting and challenging leaders. The main area for improvement is assessment in a small number of subjects. The school does not consistently check whether pupils have understood and remembered key learning, so misconceptions are sometimes not identified or addressed quickly enough. This limits how well some pupils progress through the curriculum in those subjects. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was a graded inspection, and as with schools inspected from September 2024, no overall effectiveness grade was awarded. The school was previously judged good.

Strengths

• High expectations for pupils' academic success, with pupils generally achieving well in many subjects
• Ambitious, high-quality curriculum enriched with experiences that broaden pupils' interests and aspirations
• Early years provision helps children settle quickly and promotes speech, language and communication effectively
• Effective support for pupils' personal development, helping them become confident and successful learners
• Strong sense of community and a consistent approach to behaviour, with respectful and sensitive pupils
• Accurate and quick identification of SEND, with well-trained staff and a highly inclusive culture
• Reading and phonics are prioritised, with consistent teaching and strong support for weaker readers
• Older pupils develop a genuine love of reading and enjoy well-resourced library and reading areas
• High expectations for attendance and punctuality, with improving attendance over time
• Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain and take on leadership responsibilities
• A wide range of clubs and trips, including residential visits and tournaments, accessible to pupils including those with SEND
• Governors know the school well, fulfil their duties effectively and consider staff work-life balance
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, the school does not consistently check whether pupils have understood and remembered key learning, so misconceptions are not always identified and addressed quickly enough

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 Belle Vue Primary School attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.0% 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, 1.4% of pupils at Belle Vue 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 Belle Vue Primary School had 22.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.3% 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, 10.3% of pupils at Belle Vue Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.9% 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 Belle Vue Primary School received £6,538 and spent £6,616 for each of its 426 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £169,000 (-£396 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 Belle Vue Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Belle Vue Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Belle Vue Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Belle Vue Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Belle Vue Primary School have?

Belle Vue Primary School has 426 pupils on roll.

What age range does Belle Vue Primary School cover?

Belle Vue Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

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

Where is Belle Vue Primary School?

Belle Vue Primary School is at Beaver Road, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA2 7PT.