Brook Street Primary School

Brook Street Primary School is a warm, inclusive school where pupils feel safe and behave well. Inspectors found the school meeting expected standards in attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Safeguarding standards are met. Leaders have a clear understanding of the school’s context, including above-average deprivation, and use additional funding well to remove barriers, especially for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Pupils benefit from a broad personal development programme, strong pastoral care and a wide range of enrichment opportunities. However, achievement and early years are graded as needing attention. Some older pupils do not secure the foundations they need, especially in writing and mathematics, with gaps in handwriting, spelling, sentence construction and number fluency; published key stage 2 outcomes in writing and mathematics are below national averages. Disadvantaged pupils also perform below their non-disadvantaged peers nationally. In early years, the curriculum is not taught consistently well, and staff do not consistently build children’s vocabulary, deepen understanding or address misconceptions, so some children are not well prepared for the next stage. The school is not in urgent difficulty. Leaders know the priorities, and actions to improve writing, mathematics and early language are beginning to have an impact, but this is not yet consistent. The next steps focus on making early years interactions purposeful, securing older pupils’ writing foundations, and matching SEND support precisely to pupils’ needs so they fully benefit from the curriculum.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe.
• Pupils behave well, are polite and kind, and bullying is rare.
• Attendance is improving, with persistent absence reduced for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Staff build warm, supportive relationships and use clear routines to help pupils regulate emotions.
• Reading and vocabulary are a clear priority, with structured phonics teaching.
• Recent changes to writing teaching are helping pupils improve written work and handwriting.
• Support staff are deployed effectively and identify pupils needing extra help quickly.
• Inclusion is well led; additional funding is used effectively to remove barriers linked to deprivation.
• Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils typically access the same curriculum as their peers.
• Governors meet statutory duties and have a secure understanding of school priorities.
• Leaders value staff, manage workload and provide professional training linked to school priorities.
• A well-organised personal development programme covers safety, relationships, mental health and British values.
• Enrichment, clubs and leadership roles build pupils’ confidence, interests and responsibility.
• Pastoral care, including the 'discovery den', helps pupils manage emotions and return to learning.
• Younger pupils are making more secure progress in reading and early writing.
• Early years staff build warm, caring relationships, and children with SEND receive highly adapted lessons and care.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement requires attention; some pupils do not secure foundations, especially in writing and mathematics.
• Older pupils have gaps in handwriting, spelling, sentence construction and number fluency.
• Some pupils struggle to remember prior learning and carry gaps or misconceptions into new topics.
• Published key stage 2 results in writing and mathematics are below national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ combined reading, writing and mathematics outcomes are well below national non-disadvantaged peers.
• The early years curriculum is not taught consistently well.
• Early years staff do not consistently build children’s vocabulary, deepen understanding or address misconceptions.
• Assessment information in early years is not used well enough to match activities to children’s next learning needs.
• Some children, including in early communication, do not build knowledge securely.
• Leaders recognise some SEND actions need sharper focus so support precisely meets pupils’ needs.
• Improvements in writing and mathematics are beginning to have an impact but are not yet consistent.

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 Brook Street Primary School attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.8% 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, 0.4% of pupils at Brook Street 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 Brook Street Primary School had 20.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 11.0% of pupils at Brook Street Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.5% 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 Brook Street Primary School received £7,292 and spent £7,469 for each of its 227 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £55,000 (£243 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 Brook Street Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Brook Street Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Brook Street Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Brook Street Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Brook Street Primary School have?

Brook Street Primary School has 228 pupils on roll.

What age range does Brook Street Primary School cover?

Brook Street Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 43% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Brook Street Primary School?

Brook Street Primary School is at Edward Street, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA1 2JB.