Plumbland CofE School

Plumbland CofE School is a small Church of England primary school in Cumbria, with 53 pupils on roll. Inspectors found safeguarding standards met and a generally caring, calm and inclusive school where pupils feel safe, behave well and attend regularly. Attendance is well above national levels, persistent absence has fallen significantly, and pupils with SEND or who are disadvantaged are well supported to take part in school life. The school's personal development and wellbeing provision is a notable strength, with strong PSHE, enrichment, leadership opportunities and a clear Christian vision. However, the quality of education requires attention. Teaching is not consistently effective, activities do not always help pupils learn and remember the curriculum, vocabulary is not taught consistently, and spelling and grammar errors persist. Some pupils move on before securing knowledge, and outcomes have been variable, with times tables and phonics screening below national averages over time. Early years has similar concerns: adult-child interactions do not consistently develop communication and language, so some children are not as ready for Year 1. Leadership and governance also need attention because quality assurance does not focus sharply enough on the impact of leaders' actions on pupils' outcomes, and governors lack a clear picture of progress and disadvantaged pupil spending. Leaders have made some curriculum improvements and prioritised reading, but the needed improvements to teaching and learning have not yet been secured.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where pupils feel safe.
• Pupils attend regularly, and attendance is well above national levels.
• Persistent absence has reduced significantly and is well below national levels.
• Pupils behave well and create a calm, orderly and respectful environment.
• Older pupils take on a nurturing role with younger pupils.
• The school has an inclusive culture where pupils with SEND access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.
• Disadvantaged pupils are supported to take a full part in school life and enrichment activities.
• Personal development and wellbeing provision is carefully planned and well matched to pupils' ages and needs.
• Pupils benefit from a rich variety of enrichment experiences, including outdoor education, visits, music and clubs.
• Reading is prioritised across the school and staff receive regular training.
• Leaders have designed an ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum with improved logical ordering of knowledge.
• Staff feel valued and proud to work at the school and value their professional development.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching is not consistently effective across the school.
• Teachers do not consistently choose activities that help pupils learn and remember the curriculum.
• Vocabulary is not taught consistently, so pupils do not always have the words they need for new learning.
• Teachers do not consistently identify and correct errors in pupils' spelling and grammar.
• Some pupils struggle to produce neat and legible written work.
• Some pupils move on to new learning before they are secure in what they have been taught.
• Some disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND do not make the progress of which they are capable.
• Outcomes in national curriculum tests at the end of Year 6 have been variable over time.
• Times tables and phonics screening outcomes have been below national averages over time.
• Some pupils are not as prepared as they could be for their next stage of education.
• Adults in the early years do not consistently develop children's communication and language.
• Some children are not as well prepared for Year 1 as they could be.
• Quality assurance procedures do not focus sharply on the impact of leaders' actions on pupils' outcomes.
• Governors rely on verbal updates rather than looking carefully at information about pupils' progress and achievement.
• Governors are not clear about the impact of spending on disadvantaged pupils.
• The rigour of governance oversight in some aspects, such as checking the quality of education, has not been maintained.
• Leaders and governors have not brought about the needed changes so that pupils learn more and remember more.

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 Plumbland CofE School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.3% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Plumbland 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 2025–26 Plumbland CofE School had 16.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.9% 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, 22.6% of pupils at Plumbland CofE School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% 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 Plumbland CofE School received £10,483 and spent £10,956 for each of its 53 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £27,000 (£501 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 Wigton · Cumberland local authority: places and applications

What is Plumbland CofE School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Plumbland CofE School is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Plumbland CofE School last inspected by Ofsted?

Plumbland CofE School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Plumbland CofE School have?

Plumbland CofE School has 53 pupils on roll.

What age range does Plumbland CofE School cover?

Plumbland CofE School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Plumbland CofE School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Plumbland CofE School?

Plumbland CofE School is at School Lane, Parsonby, Aspatria, Wigton, Cumbria, CA7 2DQ.