Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School

Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School is a happy and inclusive school where pupils form positive relationships with staff and feel safe and cared for. Inspectors found the school to be good across all key areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The curriculum is well planned and delivered, staff are well supported by the trust, and pupils benefit from a broad extra-curricular offer and strong SEND provision. Reading and phonics are particular strengths, with enthusiastic teaching and effective support for pupils who fall behind. The school is not without areas to improve. In some foundation subjects, checks on pupils' long-term recall are not consistently effective, so some pupils do not remember essential knowledge. Speaking and oracy gaps also affect some pupils' ability to talk about their learning. Published 2024 Year 6 outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics were significantly below the national average, but the school is acutely aware of the context, has taken swift action, and inspectors consider the data does not reflect the quality of education pupils receive. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection; it converted to academy status in 2022 and is part of South Cumbria Multi-Academy Trust. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and leaders, governors and trustees show high ambition for all pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, make friends and enjoy positive, supportive relationships with staff.
• Staff care about pupils, keep them safe and take a genuine interest in their views.
• The school has high expectations for achievement and behaviour and supports pupils to overcome challenges.
• Pupils achieve well, behave sensibly and benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular clubs.
• Pupils with SEND are well supported and have equal opportunities to take part and succeed.
• The curriculum is well thought out and delivered, with effective trust support and staff expertise.
• Teaching strategies, such as those used in mathematics, help pupils remember essential concepts.
• The English curriculum is effective, with enthusiastic teachers and high-quality fiction and poetry.
• Phonics teaching is skilful, and pupils who struggle receive regular, precise support to catch up.
• SEND identification and support begin early and help pupils make important strides in learning and inclusion.
• Personal development includes citizenship, healthy living and online safety.
• Trustees and governors act thoughtfully, check and challenge leaders, and share high ambition.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In some foundation subjects, checks on pupils' long-term knowledge are less effective, so pupils sometimes do not remember essential information.
• The school does not always close gaps in pupils' speaking skills, which affects some pupils' oral language.
• The recently revised curriculum and oracy teaching need to ensure pupils can communicate well.
• Published 2024 Year 6 attainment in reading, writing and mathematics was significantly below the national average, although the school is taking swift action.

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 Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School attended 93.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.3% 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, 2.8% of pupils at Ormsgill Nursery and 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 Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School had 15.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 28.6% 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, 19.2% of pupils at Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 12.8% 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 Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School received £10,264 and spent £10,545 for each of its 173 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £329,000 (-£1,900 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of South Cumbria Multi-Academy Trust, income was £8,046 and spending £8,375 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 Barrow-In-Furness · Westmorland and Furness local authority: places and applications

Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School is part of South Cumbria Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Chetwynde School Barrow-In-Furness
• Newbarns Primary and Nursery School Barrow-In-Furness
• Cambridge Primary School Barrow-In-Furness
• Vickerstown School Barrow-In-Furness
• South Walney Junior School Barrow-In-Furness

What is Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School have?

Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School has 156 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School cover?

Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 24% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School?

Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School is at Mill Bank, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA14 4AR.