Gilsland CofE Primary School

Gilsland Church of England Primary School has made significant improvements since its previous inspection, moving from a grade of Requires Improvement to Good. The school offers a warm and inclusive environment where pupils feel safe and supported. With a strong emphasis on high expectations and a broad curriculum, most students are achieving well. The school effectively incorporates local history into learning, enhancing pupils' engagement and sense of community. However, some issues remain regarding identifying and supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), which needs addressing to help all students reach their full potential.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy and safe in a supportive school environment.
• Leaders have established a broad and ambitious curriculum.
• Pupils, including those with SEND, are generally well supported in their learning.
• Strong reading program with new and diverse books encourages a love of reading.
• Pupils engage in extracurricular activities that enhance their skills.

Areas for Improvement

• Staff training on identifying pupils with additional needs is insufficient.
• Personal development curriculum needs improvement to better prepare pupils for life.

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 2018–19 pupils at Gilsland CofE Primary School attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 96.0%). 3.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 8.2%).

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 2023–24, 0.0% of pupils at Gilsland CofE Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.0%). 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 2023–24 Gilsland CofE Primary School had 9.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.8). Of its teachers in 2023–24, 54.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 17.1%).

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 2023–24 Gilsland CofE Primary School received £13,886 and spent £12,640 for each of its 24 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £38,000 (£1,570 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of The Good Shepherd Multi Academy Trust, income was £9,527 and spending £9,193 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

Gilsland CofE Primary School is part of The Good Shepherd Multi Academy Trust, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• Whitfield CofE Primary School Hexham
• Wreay Church of England Primary School Carlisle
• Lazonby C of E Primary School Penrith
• Threlkeld CofE Primary School Keswick
• Braithwaite CofE Primary School Keswick
• All Saints' CofE School Cockermouth
• Lorton School Cockermouth
• Ellenborough Academy Maryport
• Ambleside CofE Primary School Ambleside
• Dean CofE School Workington

What is Gilsland CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Gilsland CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in December 2022.

When was Gilsland CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Gilsland CofE Primary School was last inspected in December 2022.

How many pupils does Gilsland CofE Primary School have?

Gilsland CofE Primary School has 18 pupils on roll.

What age range does Gilsland CofE Primary School cover?

Gilsland CofE Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

Where is Gilsland CofE Primary School?

Gilsland CofE Primary School is at Gilsland, Brampton, Cumbria, CA8 7AA.