Castle Carrock School

Castle Carrock School is performing well overall, having improved its ratings since the last inspection. The school is characterized by a friendly atmosphere where pupils enjoy learning together and demonstrate high levels of behaviour. The new leadership has set high expectations, particularly for those with special educational needs, creating an environment where pupils feel safe and valued. Areas of the curriculum have been strengthened, although some subjects require further refinement in their delivery within mixed-age classes to ensure all pupils can achieve their best.

Strengths

• Pupils exhibit exceptionally high standards of behaviour.
• Strong subject knowledge among teachers.
• Effective support and adaptations for students with SEND.
• Outstanding early years provision.
• Pupils highly engaged in learning and show enthusiasm.
• Safe and inclusive school environment.
• Vigilant safeguarding culture established by leaders.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum design in a few subjects not fully finalized, leading to gaps in pupils' subject knowledge.

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 Castle Carrock School attended 97.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.0% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Castle Carrock 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 Castle Carrock School had 12.8 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, 7.0% of pupils at Castle Carrock School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.7% 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 Castle Carrock School received £11,220 and spent £11,348 for each of its 43 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £32,000 (-£733 per pupil).

Across all 17 schools of Cumbria Education Trust, income was £7,121 and spending £7,168 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Brampton · Cumberland local authority: places and applications

Castle Carrock School is part of Cumbria Education Trust, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

• William Howard School Brampton
• Petteril Bank School Carlisle
• Caldew Lea School Carlisle
• Newtown Primary School Carlisle
• Yewdale School Carlisle
• Longtown Primary School Carlisle
• Yanwath Primary School Penrith
• Tebay Primary School Penrith
• Kirkby Stephen Grammar School Kirkby Stephen
• Workington Academy Workington

What is Castle Carrock School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Castle Carrock School is Good, from an inspection in September 2023.

When was Castle Carrock School last inspected by Ofsted?

Castle Carrock School was last inspected in September 2023.

How many pupils does Castle Carrock School have?

Castle Carrock School has 43 pupils on roll.

What age range does Castle Carrock School cover?

Castle Carrock School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Castle Carrock School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Castle Carrock School?

Castle Carrock School is at Castle Carrock, Castle Carrock School, Brampton, Cumbria, CA8 9LU.