Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #5 in Cumberland public Top 26% UK

Caldew School

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

personMs Victoria Jackson

corporate_fareCALDEW SCHOOL

location_onCarlisle, CA5 7NN

language Visit Website phone 1228710044

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2022

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Students

961

trending_up

Attainment 8

44.3

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GCSE Rank

#6 in Cumberland

#1,867 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Caldew School is a Academy converter secondary school in Carlisle, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.2×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Caldew School is an academy converter in Carlisle, Cumberland, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of CALDEW SCHOOL. The school has approximately 989 pupils on roll, of whom 20% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 44.3, placing the school #6 in Cumberland and #1,867 of 3,216 nationally. 38.70% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 14.1% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 15 A-level subjects. 30.4% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 7.8% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.15 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2022. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.2× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 5.8 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

44.3

Grade 5+ E&M

38.70%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)14.1%

Entering EBacc40.50%

EBacc APS3.99

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.19

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc28.30%

EBacc APS3.72

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.10

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc41%

EBacc APS4.03

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.19

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc32%

EBacc APS4.06

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc55%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.21

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc56%

EBacc APS4

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.01

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

47.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc48%

EBacc APS4.17

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)81%

Apprenticeships9%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships8%

Employment8%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)73%

Apprenticeships10%

Employment10%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)80%

Apprenticeships13%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.15

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*5.2%

Achieving A*–A7.8%

Achieving A*–B30.4%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate86.0%

A-level subjects offered15

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.25

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate84.10%

2023

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate88.60%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate95.1%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

21 June 2022

Inspection Report

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06 October 2020

Inspection Report

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06 June 2018

Inspection Report

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17 April 2013

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2022-06-21

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2018-06-06

S5 Inspection Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2013-04-17

None Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

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

Suspension Rate

4.1%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.9%(29 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: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 989 pupils. During this period, there were 41 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 4.1%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	989	41	4.1%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,000	75	7.5%	7.8%	1
2023/24 (Summer term)	966	82	8.5%	7.4%	2
2023/24 (Spring term)	977	75	7.7%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	984	97	9.9%	8.2%	2
2022/23 (Summer term)	961	48	5.0%	6.6%	2
2022/23 (Spring term)	961	28	2.9%	6.4%	3
2022/23 (Autumn term)	964	41	4.3%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	953	26	2.7%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	960	51	5.3%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	963	29	3.0%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	941	31	3.3%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	938	6	0.6%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	942	28	3.0%	3.9%	1
2019/20 (Summer term)	949	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	949	15	1.6%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	956	29	3.0%	4.2%	4
2018/19 (Summer term)	976	20	2.0%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	983	27	2.7%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	988	34	3.4%	3.8%	2
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,007	32	3.2%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,018	16	1.6%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,024	18	1.8%	3.7%	2
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,037	21	2.0%	3.0%	2
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,046	42	4.0%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,055	28	2.7%	3.1%	1

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.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 42 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 42 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 32 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 25 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 21 pupils

Physical Disability 10 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 5 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

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Caldew School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary 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)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Cumberland

Keswick School

Cockermouth School

The Nelson Thomlinson School

William Howard School

Millom School

Richard Rose Morton Academy