Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #71 in Cumberland public Top 93% UK

Robert Ferguson Primary School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Graham Frost

location_onCarlisle, CA2 5LA

language Visit Website phone 1228535091

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2017

groups

Students

431

school

Expected Standard

38%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

1.0x

summarize

Robert Ferguson Primary School is a Community school primary school in Carlisle, serving ages 3-11. Rated Good by Ofsted. Ranks in the top 93% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

Robert Ferguson Primary School is a community school in Carlisle, Cumberland, admitting pupils aged 3-11. The school has approximately 424 pupils on roll, of whom 25% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 38% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 2% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #71 of 111 primaries in Cumberland and #11,703 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2017. The school's current overall rating is Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.4 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

38%

LA 55%

Reading62% LA 72%

Writing42% LA 68%

Maths60% LA 68%

Read SS

103

Maths SS

102

GPS SS

103

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

59%

LA 52%England 61%

Reading82% LA 70% · Eng 74%

Writing72% LA 66% · Eng 72%

Maths75% LA 66% · Eng 73%

Read SS

106

Maths SS

104

GPS SS

106

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

45%

LA 53%England 60%

Reading68% LA 70% · Eng 73%

Writing60% LA 67% · Eng 71%

Maths68% LA 67% · Eng 73%

Read SS

104

Maths SS

102

GPS SS

104

Progress (0 = national avg)

0.5

Read

LA -0.4

-1.2 to 2.1

-0.8

Write

LA -0.2

-2.4 to 0.8

-0.5

Maths

LA -1.2

-2.0 to 1.0

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

61%

LA 64%England 65%

Reading70% LA 75% · Eng 73%

Writing75% LA 79% · Eng 78%

Maths75% LA 76% · Eng 79%

Read SS

106

Maths SS

105

GPS SS

108

Progress (0 = national avg)

-0.8

Read

LA 0.2

-2.4 to 0.8

-1.8

Write

LA 0.3

-3.3 to -0.3

-2.5

Maths

LA -0.8

-3.9 to -1.1

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

44%

LA 64%

Reading68% LA 79%

Writing76% LA 79%

Maths59% LA 76%

Read SS

104

Maths SS

101

GPS SS

104

Progress (0 = national avg)

-2.1

Read

LA 0.4

-4 to -0.2

-1.4

Write

LA 0.5

-3.2 to 0.4

-3.7

Maths

LA -0.3

-5.4 to -2

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

17 January 2023

Inspection Report

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21 November 2017

Inspection Report

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25 September 2012

Inspection Report

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28 April 2010

Inspection Report

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14 May 2007

Inspection Report

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07 March 2006

Inspection Report

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13 November 2000

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2017-11-21

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2012-09-25

None Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.5%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.2%(1 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 424 pupils. During this period, there were 2 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.5%, which is below the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	424	2	0.5%	0.8%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	410	1	0.2%	0.9%
2023/24 (Summer term)	424	0	0.0%	0.8%
2023/24 (Spring term)	418	0	0.0%	0.7%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	411	0	0.0%	0.8%
2022/23 (Summer term)	431	1	0.2%	0.7%
2022/23 (Spring term)	431	0	0.0%	0.6%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	425	0	0.0%	0.6%
2021/22 (Summer term)	442	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Spring term)	437	6	1.4%	0.5%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	429	2	0.5%	0.5%
2020/21 (Summer term)	444	1	0.2%	0.4%
2020/21 (Spring term)	433	0	0.0%	0.1%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	426	2	0.5%	0.4%
2019/20 (Summer term)	422	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	422	0	0.0%	0.4%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	419	1	0.2%	0.6%
2018/19 (Summer term)	432	2	0.5%	0.4%
2018/19 (Spring term)	421	4	1.0%	0.5%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	416	0	0.0%	0.5%
2017/18 (Summer term)	417	0	0.0%	0.5%
2017/18 (Spring term)	421	0	0.0%	0.4%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	420	4	1.0%	0.5%
2016/17 (Summer term)	424	3	0.7%	0.4%
2016/17 (Spring term)	404	2	0.5%	0.4%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	397	0	0.0%	0.5%

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Moderate Learning Difficulty 51 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 23 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 14 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 7 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 1 pupils

Physical Disability 1 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

100.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

95.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

21.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree65%

agree28%

disagree5%

don't know2%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree70%

agree26%

disagree2%

strongly disagree2%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree49%

agree16%

strongly disagree5%

not applicable30%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree53%

agree30%

disagree9%

don't know7%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree77%

agree14%

disagree2%

don't know7%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree60%

agree33%

disagree2%

strongly disagree5%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree70%

agree23%

don't know7%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree72%

agree23%

disagree2%

don't know2%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree70%

agree26%

strongly disagree5%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes95%

no5%

Top Primary Schools in Cumberland

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Bookwell Primary School

Outstanding

location_on Egremont, CA22 2LT

emoji_events #1 in LA

St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Outstanding

location_on Whitehaven, CA28 9PG

emoji_events #2 in LA

St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Good

location_on Workington, CA14 5LN

emoji_events #3 in LA

Beckstone Primary School

Good

location_on Workington, CA14 5PX

emoji_events #4 in LA

St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School

Good

location_on Wigton, CA7 9HZ

emoji_events #5 in LA

Stoneraise School

Good

location_on Carlisle, CA5 7AT

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Cumberland arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in Cumberland

Bookwell Primary School

St Mary's Catholic Primary School

St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Beckstone Primary School

St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School

Stoneraise School