Walton & Lees Hill CofE School

Walton & Lees Hill CofE School is a small, rural Church of England primary where pupils are well cared for and typically achieve well. Inspectors found a warm, inclusive community with high expectations, strong relationships, effective teaching and a curriculum that is usually ambitious and well sequenced. Reading is a particular priority, with expert phonics support and older pupils who enjoy books and can discuss authors and poets knowledgeably. Behaviour is generally calm and orderly, pupils feel safe, bullying is rare, and personal development is strong, including community service and understanding of British values. Safeguarding is effective. Leadership and governance are secure, and staff workload and wellbeing are considered. The main areas for improvement are in curriculum precision and delivery. In a small number of subjects, the intended knowledge and incremental steps are not clearly defined, so pupils do not learn as deeply as they could. Sometimes activities do not focus on the most important knowledge, meaning pupils can move on before they are ready. In the early years, although the curriculum is ambitious and children are well looked after, staff do not routinely use activities well enough to engage children in meaningful and appropriate learning, which can weaken attitudes to learning. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and was a graded inspection under the current framework, so no overall effectiveness grade was given. The school remains good across the key judgements and early years provision, with clear next steps focused on consistent curriculum implementation.

Strengths

• Warm, inclusive rural community where pupils look after each other and everyone is included
• High expectations and effective teaching help pupils build knowledge and achieve well
• Strong reading culture with expert phonics support and fluent, confident readers
• Ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum in most subjects with regular practice of key knowledge
• Calm, orderly school where most pupils behave well and bullying is rare
• Strong personal development, including community service, charity work and British values
• Skilled early years staff who build language, communication and early number skills
• Effective governors who know the school well and provide appropriate support and challenge
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, the incremental steps of knowledge are not clearly defined, limiting depth of learning
• Curriculum delivery is not consistently strong; some activities do not focus on the most important knowledge
• Pupils can move on to new learning before they are ready
• Early years activities are not routinely used well enough to engage children in meaningful, appropriate learning
• Children’s attitudes to learning in early years are not as strong as they could be when activities are poorly matched

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 2021–22 pupils at Walton & Lees Hill CofE School attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 93.7%). 0.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 17.7%).

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 Walton & Lees Hill CofE 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 2024–25 Walton & Lees Hill CofE School had 9.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.8). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 32.1% 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, 5.0% of pupils at Walton & Lees Hill CofE School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 10.0% 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 2024–25 Walton & Lees Hill CofE School received £15,771 and spent £16,062 for each of its 24 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £16,000 (£700 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 Brampton · Cumberland local authority: places and applications

What is Walton & Lees Hill CofE School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Walton & Lees Hill CofE School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Walton & Lees Hill CofE School last inspected by Ofsted?

Walton & Lees Hill CofE School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Walton & Lees Hill CofE School have?

Walton & Lees Hill CofE School has 20 pupils on roll.

What age range does Walton & Lees Hill CofE School cover?

Walton & Lees Hill CofE School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

Where is Walton & Lees Hill CofE School?

Walton & Lees Hill CofE School is at Lees Hill, Brampton, Cumbria, CA8 2BB.