Carnforth School

Carnforth School is a smaller-than-average primary in Worcester, part of Black Pear Trust, serving a community with well-above-average free school meals and deprivation. The inspection found the school performing at a strong standard overall, with early years singled out as strong and all other key areas at expected standard. Safeguarding standards are met. Children make a rapid start, reading and phonics are prioritised, and pupils with SEND or other barriers are well supported and included. Behaviour, personal development and outdoor learning are strengths, and relationships between staff and pupils are highly respectful. Leadership and governance are effective, with strong trust support, staff development and parent engagement. The main areas for improvement are attendance and assessment. Attendance has improved and persistent absence is reducing, but leaders rightly recognise that rates are not yet in line with national averages; persistent absence remains notably high. In teaching, staff sometimes do not spot pupils' errors quickly enough, which means some learning opportunities are missed. Next steps focus on continuing to analyse attendance patterns and work with families, and on strengthening teachers' use of assessment to address gaps promptly. Overall, this is a school with a clear sense of community and many strengths, particularly in early years and inclusion, but with focused work still needed to secure consistently strong attendance and to sharpen assessment practice.

Strengths

• Children make a very successful start in the early years and progress quickly from their starting points.
• High-quality phonics and early reading teaching is a particular strength.
• The curriculum is well considered, ambitious and builds step by step.
• Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are well supported and fully included.
• Behaviour is strong, with highly respectful relationships between staff and pupils.
• Attendance is improving and persistent absence is reducing.
• Leaders, governors and trust leaders have clear oversight and work effectively together.
• Staff benefit from strong professional development and leaders prioritise staff wellbeing.
• Personal development, British values and outdoor learning are well planned and delivered.
• Parents and carers are engaged effectively in children’s learning and school life.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance rates are not yet in line with national averages.
• Persistent absence remains above the national average.
• Teachers do not always identify pupils’ errors swiftly enough, so some learning opportunities are missed.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes have been below national in some recent years, leaving gaps to close.

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 School attended 93.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.9% 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, 1.6% of pupils at Carnforth 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 School had 17.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.9% 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, 18.0% of pupils at Carnforth School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.3% 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 Carnforth School received £8,314 and spent £7,856 for each of its 179 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £84,000 (£471 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of The Black Pear Trust, income was £7,808 and spending £7,915 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 Worcester · Worcestershire local authority: places and applications

Carnforth School is part of The Black Pear Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Hollymount School Worcester
• The Orchards School Bromsgrove
• Brockhampton Primary School Bromyard
• St George's CofE School Kidderminster
• Upper Arley CofE Primary School Bewdley
• Honeybourne Primary Academy Evesham
• Woodrush High School Wythall

What is Carnforth School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Carnforth School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Carnforth School last inspected by Ofsted?

Carnforth School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Carnforth School have?

Carnforth School has 178 pupils on roll.

What age range does Carnforth School cover?

Carnforth School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Carnforth School?

Carnforth School is at Carnforth Drive, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR4 9HG.