St Mary's CofE Primary School

St Mary’s CofE Primary School is performing exceptionally well, with outstanding judgements across the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This was a graded inspection, so no overall effectiveness grade was given, but the report describes a vibrant, welcoming school where pupils are happy, safe and highly engaged in their learning. The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND, and pupils consistently meet or exceed them.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, safe and excited to attend school.
• The ambitious curriculum is coherently planned from the early years and enables pupils to learn exceptionally well.
• Staff use high-quality training to design highly effective learning activities.
• Reading is central to the school, with expert phonics teaching and strong support for pupils who need to catch up.
• Pupils with SEND are identified early and supported effectively so they learn successfully alongside their peers.
• Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary, and relationships between staff and pupils are caring and supportive.
• Attendance rates are high because the school prioritises attendance and works well with families.
• Personal development is praiseworthy, with strong music, art, trips and enrichment opportunities.
• Governors are passionate, carry out their duties effectively and are considerate of staff workload and well-being.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

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 St Mary's CofE Primary School attended 97.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 2.8% 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, 0.0% of pupils at St Mary's 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 St Mary's CofE Primary School had 22.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.1% 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, 5.9% of pupils at St Mary's CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.8% 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 St Mary's CofE Primary School received £6,507 and spent £6,133 for each of its 220 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £197,000 (£893 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 Carnforth · Westmorland and Furness local authority: places and applications

What is St Mary's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's CofE Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was St Mary's CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's CofE Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does St Mary's CofE Primary School have?

St Mary's CofE Primary School has 220 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's CofE Primary School cover?

St Mary's CofE Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Mary's CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary's CofE Primary School?

St Mary's CofE Primary School is at Kendal Road, Kirkby Lonsdale, Carnforth, Lancashire, LA6 2DN.