St Bees Village Primary School

St Bees Village Primary is a small, community-focused school in Cumbria that has undergone significant change since joining the Changing Lives Learning Trust in November 2023, including two changes to the headteacher role. New leaders have made rapid improvements across the school in a short space of time, and the school is performing well overall. Safeguarding standards are met, early years provision and inclusion are particular strengths, and pupils are proud, well behaved and well supported. Most pupils make secure progress, with children in the early years making rapid progress in reading and writing and being very well prepared for Year 1. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND are well supported to learn alongside their peers, and attendance is in line with national averages, with attendance for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND above national averages for those groups. Leadership, governance, personal development and the curriculum are all effective, and staff feel well supported. There are still areas to develop. In some lessons, teachers do not always give precise enough guidance or design activities that let pupils show the full depth of what they know, and pupils do not always get timely support to catch up when gaps appear. Published mathematics attainment at the expected standard was below the national average in 2024/25, and a small number of pupils miss too much school because of term-time holidays, although leaders take robust action.

Strengths

• Warm, language-rich early years provision with strong phonics and early writing.
• Highly effective inclusion for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Pupils with SEND learn alongside their peers and make strong progress from their starting points.
• Early reading and writing are prioritised, with writing attainment above national average in 2024/25.
• Positive, calm and respectful pupil behaviour rooted in the school's values.
• Attendance is in line with national averages; disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND attend above national averages for their groups.
• An ambitious, logically sequenced curriculum with a sharp focus on foundational reading, writing and mathematics.
• Leaders have made rapid improvements since joining the trust and following changes to headship.
• Governance and trust arrangements provide appropriate challenge and support, including scrutiny of additional funding.
• Staff feel well supported, value professional development and are consulted on changes.
• A broad personal development programme includes safety education, clubs and leadership opportunities.
• Strong relationships with parents and families, who recognise the school's recent improvements.
• Children in the early years are extremely well prepared for Year 1.

Areas for Improvement

• In some lessons, teachers do not provide pupils with precise enough guidance, which slows progress.
• Some activities do not help pupils demonstrate all that they know.
• Pupils do not always receive timely and effective support to catch up quickly when gaps in learning arise.
• Teachers are not yet consistently designing activities that develop sufficient depth of knowledge.
• Published mathematics attainment at the expected standard was below the national average in 2024/25.
• A small number of pupils miss too much school because of term-time holidays, despite leaders taking robust 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 St Bees Village Primary School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.2% 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 St Bees Village 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 St Bees Village Primary School had 21.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 56.2% 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 St Bees Village Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.9% 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Cumberland · Cumberland local authority: places and applications

St Bees Village Primary School is part of Changing Lives Learning Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• West Lakes Academy Egremont
• Thornhill Primary School Egremont
• Arlecdon Primary School Frizington
• Flimby Primary School Maryport
• Dearham Primary School Maryport
• Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith Penrith
• Kirkby Thore School Penrith
• Settlebeck School Sedbergh

What is St Bees Village Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Bees Village Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was St Bees Village Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Bees Village Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does St Bees Village Primary School have?

St Bees Village Primary School has 162 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Bees Village Primary School cover?

St Bees Village Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are St Bees Village Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Bees Village Primary School?

St Bees Village Primary School is at Main Street, St Bees, Cumbria, CA27 0AA.