Newbarns Primary and Nursery School

Newbarns Primary and Nursery School is a good school overall, with all key judgements rated good at this first section 5 inspection. The school is inclusive, has high expectations for pupils and has designed a broad, ambitious curriculum from Nursery to Year 6. Pupils are happy, behave well, attend well and benefit from strong reading provision, effective support for pupils with SEND, and a wide range of personal development and enrichment opportunities. Safeguarding is effective, and leadership, governance and trust support are strong. The main areas for improvement are in curriculum precision and assessment. In a small number of subjects, the key knowledge pupils should learn is not defined clearly enough, which can hinder secure progression. In some subjects, checks on pupils’ learning do not identify gaps quickly enough, so some pupils’ misunderstandings or missing knowledge are not addressed as promptly as they could be. The school has recently revised aspects of the curriculum with good effect and is well placed to address these remaining areas. This inspection took place under section 5 of the Education Act 2005, and the school has not previously been inspected under that framework. Its predecessor school was judged outstanding before it became an academy in September 2023, and the school is part of South Cumbria Multi-Academy Trust. An acting headteacher was temporarily leading the school at the time of inspection.

Strengths

• Inclusive culture with high expectations for all pupils
• Broad and ambitious curriculum from Nursery to Year 6
• Effective teaching with targeted activities that help pupils apply knowledge
• Strong reading provision, including a well-delivered phonics programme
• SEND provision is a strength, with early identification and bespoke support
• Pupils behave well and learning is rarely disrupted
• Low levels of persistent absence and effective action on attendance
• Broad personal development offer, including clubs, trips and leadership roles
• Effective governance and trust support, with attention to staff workload
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, the key knowledge pupils should learn is not identified clearly enough
• In some subjects, assessment does not swiftly identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge so they can be addressed

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 Newbarns Primary and Nursery School attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.7% 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, 0.2% of pupils at Newbarns Primary and Nursery 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 Newbarns Primary and Nursery School had 23.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.2% 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, 15.3% of pupils at Newbarns Primary and Nursery School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.8% 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 Newbarns Primary and Nursery School received £6,897 and spent £6,928 for each of its 437 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £270,000 (£618 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How many pupils does Newbarns Primary and Nursery School have?

Newbarns Primary and Nursery School has 444 pupils on roll.

What age range does Newbarns Primary and Nursery School cover?

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

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

In 2025, 47% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Newbarns Primary and Nursery School?

Newbarns Primary and Nursery School is at Rising Side, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA13 9ET.