Northside Primary School

Northside Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating across all inspection areas since its first inspection. The school benefits from a supportive environment where staff maintain high expectations for pupils, fostering positive relationships that enhance learning. Notable strengths include the effective leadership, a broad and challenging curriculum, and strong performance in reading and mathematics, including for disadvantaged students and those with special educational needs. Parents and staff express high levels of satisfaction with the school's approach and environment.

Strengths

• Positive relationships between staff and pupils
• High expectations for pupil achievement
• Broad and challenging curriculum
• Strong emphasis on reading and mathematics
• Effective early years provision
• Successful support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
• Engaging teaching methods that make learning enjoyable

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in subject leadership and teaching across some subjects
• Limited planning for opportunities to learn about different cultures and religions

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 Northside Primary School attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.1% 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 Northside 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 Northside Primary School had 16.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 61.7% 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, 22.7% of pupils at Northside Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 13.3% 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 Northside Primary School received £10,106 and spent £8,252 for each of its 77 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £122,000 (£1,586 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 Workington · Cumberland local authority: places and applications

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

• Workington Academy Workington
• The Whitehaven Academy Whitehaven
• Hensingham Primary School Whitehaven
• Yewdale School Carlisle
• Newtown Primary School Carlisle
• Caldew Lea School Carlisle
• Petteril Bank School Carlisle
• Yanwath Primary School Penrith
• Longtown Primary School Carlisle
• Castle Carrock School Brampton

What is Northside Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Northside Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Northside Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Northside Primary School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Northside Primary School have?

Northside Primary School has 75 pupils on roll.

What age range does Northside Primary School cover?

Northside Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 30% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Northside Primary School?

Northside Primary School is at Northside Road, Northside, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 1BD.