Hensingham Primary School

Hensingham Primary School has performed well in its first inspection since becoming an academy, achieving a 'Good' rating overall. The school fosters a welcoming environment where pupils feel happy and valued, showcasing strong academic support for students, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The ambitious curriculum is designed thoughtfully, aiming to help pupils succeed from their early years through to key stage 2. The school community emphasizes the importance of positive behaviour, cooperation, and understanding diversity, contributing to a calm and orderly atmosphere conducive to learning.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy and proud to belong to the school.
• Strong academic support for pupils with SEND.
• Ambitious and well-structured curriculum.
• Positive attitudes and behaviour among pupils.
• Emphasis on reading achievement from early years.
• Effective support for pupils' wider development.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistency in teachers' delivery of the curriculum.
• Some pupils struggle to recall key knowledge.
• Teachers occasionally move on to new topics before ensuring pupils' understanding.

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 Hensingham Primary School attended 95.1% 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, 4.5% of pupils at Hensingham 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 Hensingham Primary School had 15.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.0% 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, 16.7% of pupils at Hensingham Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 12.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 3 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 2024–25 Hensingham Primary School received £9,261 and spent £9,315 for each of its 130 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £42,000 (£321 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 Whitehaven · Cumberland local authority: places and applications

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

• The Whitehaven Academy Whitehaven
• Workington Academy Workington
• Northside Primary School Workington
• Yanwath Primary School Penrith
• Yewdale School Carlisle
• Newtown Primary School Carlisle
• Caldew Lea School Carlisle
• Petteril Bank School Carlisle
• Stramongate Primary School Kendal
• The Queen Katherine School Kendal

What is Hensingham Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hensingham Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2024.

When was Hensingham Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hensingham Primary School was last inspected in June 2024.

How many pupils does Hensingham Primary School have?

Hensingham Primary School has 120 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hensingham Primary School cover?

Hensingham Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 50% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hensingham Primary School?

Hensingham Primary School is at Main Street, Whitehaven, Cumbria, CA28 8QZ.