Vicarage Park CofE Primary School

Vicarage Park CofE Primary School continues to perform well, maintaining its 'good' rating since its last inspection in 2017. The school fosters an inclusive, warm environment where both staff and pupils exhibit a strong sense of belonging. The curriculum is designed to be ambitious and inspiring, with a particular emphasis on early reading, where students generally excel. Overall, pupils, including those with special educational needs, are supported effectively and achieve well academically while enjoying a well-rounded educational experience through extracurricular activities.

Strengths

• Strong sense of belonging and community spirit among pupils and staff.
• High expectations for behavior and achievement are clearly communicated and adhered to.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Well-organized and ambitious curriculum that promotes effective learning.
• Strong emphasis on early reading leading to most pupils quickly learning to read.
• Positive start to education for children in the early years.
• Variety of extracurricular opportunities that enhance personal development.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, assessment strategies are not used effectively to monitor pupil learning over time.
• Some pupils do not read with sufficient fluency, affecting their comprehension across the 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 Vicarage Park CofE Primary School attended 94.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.0% 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, 2.2% of pupils at Vicarage Park CofE 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 Vicarage Park CofE Primary School had 17.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.7% 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 Vicarage Park CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 9.2% 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 Vicarage Park CofE Primary School received £8,127 and spent £10,348 for each of its 109 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £447,000 (-£4,105 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 Kendal · Westmorland and Furness local authority: places and applications

What is Vicarage Park CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Vicarage Park CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was Vicarage Park CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Vicarage Park CofE Primary School was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does Vicarage Park CofE Primary School have?

Vicarage Park CofE Primary School has 109 pupils on roll.

What age range does Vicarage Park CofE Primary School cover?

Vicarage Park CofE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

Where is Vicarage Park CofE Primary School?

Vicarage Park CofE Primary School is at Vicarage Drive, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 5BP.