Carnforth Community Primary School

Carnforth Community Primary School is performing well, maintaining a good overall effectiveness rating since its last inspection. The school fosters a nurturing environment, where pupils feel valued and supported. There is a strong emphasis on school values such as kindness and friendship, which contributes to positive relationships and pupil happiness. The curriculum is ambitious and well-implemented across various subjects, although some minor gaps exist in the delivery of certain curriculums. The school is effectively preparing Year 6 students for their transition to secondary education, and there are sufficient resources in place to support students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Nurturing environment where pupils feel valued.
• Ambitious and well-thought-out curriculum.
• Strong support systems for pupils with SEND.
• Wide range of extracurricular activities enhancing personal development.
• Governors show accurate oversight and commitment to pupil success.
• Effective promotion of reading across the school.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent delivery of the curriculum in a few subjects.
• Occasional low-level disruptions from some pupils in class.

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 Carnforth Community Primary School attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.7% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Carnforth Community 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 Carnforth Community Primary School had 11.0 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, 26.3% of pupils at Carnforth Community Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 20.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 14 pupils.

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 Carnforth Community Primary School received £10,152 and spent £10,114 for each of its 99 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £12,000 (-£124 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 · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Carnforth Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Carnforth Community Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was Carnforth Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Carnforth Community Primary School was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does Carnforth Community Primary School have?

Carnforth Community Primary School has 99 pupils on roll.

What age range does Carnforth Community Primary School cover?

Carnforth Community Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Carnforth Community Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 29% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Carnforth Community Primary School?

Carnforth Community Primary School is at North Road, Carnforth, Lancashire, LA5 9LQ.