Ofsted: Needs attention trending_up Places Available emoji_events #3 in Westmorland and Furness public Top 18% UK

Cartmel Priory CofE School

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

person Sarah Beestone (Headteacher)

corporate_fareCARTMEL PRIORY CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOL ACADEMY TRUST

location_onGrange-over-Sands, LA11 7SA

language Visit Website phone 01539536202

verified

Ofsted

Needs attention

Inspected 2026

groups

Students

340

trending_up

Attainment 8

49.8

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GCSE Rank

#4 in Westmorland and Furness

#1,181 of 4,024 nationally

summarize

Cartmel Priory CofE School is a Academy converter secondary school in Grange-over-Sands, serving ages 11-16. Assessed as Needs Attention in curriculum and teaching on its latest Ofsted Report Card.

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School Summary

Cartmel Priory CofE School is an academy converter in Grange-over-Sands, Westmorland and Furness, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It is part of CARTMEL PRIORY CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOL ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 371 pupils on roll, of whom 14% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2026, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 49.8, placing the school #4 in Westmorland and Furness and #1,181 of 4,024 nationally. 46.40% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 18.6% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2026. The school's current overall rating is Needs attention. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Needs attention, behaviour and attitudes Strong standard, personal development Strong standard, and leadership and management Expected standard.

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

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 19.6:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 1.3 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)

2026

Attainment 8 Score

49.8

across 8 GCSE slots

Grade 5+ E&M

46.40%

Grade 4+ E&M

68.10%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)18.6%

5+ GCSEs (4+ incl. E&M)65.20%

Triple Science Entry37.70%

EBacc Slot Score14.7 / 30

2025

Attainment 8 Score

47.2

across 8 GCSE slots

Grade 5+ E&M

37.70%

Grade 4+ E&M

58.00%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)20.5%

Entering EBacc18.80%

EBacc APS3.96

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.08

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.4

Grade 5+ E&M

45.10%

Entering EBacc18.30%

EBacc APS3.86

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.29

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

52.0

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc13%

EBacc APS4.26

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.41

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

55.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc33%

EBacc APS4.59

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.5

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc25%

EBacc APS4.37

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.22

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

49.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc4%

EBacc APS3.51

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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.

2026

Stayed in Education / Employment

94.4%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)78.9%

Apprenticeships11.3%

Employment4.2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4.2%

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79%

Apprenticeships10%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79%

Apprenticeships11%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)88%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment8%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

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

Apprenticeships3%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

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Ranking History & Trajectory

National & Local Authority position based on DfE performance data · Methodology

Year	Secondary Overall (Nat)	LA Rank	GCSE Attainment	Progress 8 Rank
2026	#882 / 4,024	#3	#1,181	#1
2025	#1,237 / 3,948	#7	#1,559	#1
2024	#1,456 / 4,450	#11	#1,722	#1,754
2023	#818 / 4,321	#5	#886	#838
2022	#517 / 4,199	#3	#784	#616
2019	#430 / 2,711	#3	#309	#416
2018	#1,007 / 2,537	#7	#874	#822

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

19 May 2026

Inspection Report

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01 March 2022

Inspection Report

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28 March 2017

Inspection Report

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12 June 2013

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2026-05-19

S5 Inspection REIF Report Card

Report Card

info

Why no single overall grade?

From autumn 2024 / 2025, Ofsted replaced single-word headline grades (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate) with individual area judgements on a Report Card.

Curriculum & Teaching

Needs attention

Achievement

Expected standard

Attendance & Behaviour

Strong standard

Personal Development

Strong standard

Inclusion

Needs attention

Leadership & Governance

Expected standard

verified_user Safeguarding: Met

2017-03-28

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

2013-06-12

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Latest Ungraded: School remains Good

2010-04-15

None EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

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

0.6%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.3%(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: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 354 pupils. During this period, there were 2 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.6%, 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)	354	2	0.6%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	354	7	2.0%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	367	2	0.5%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	366	7	1.9%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	365	6	1.6%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	340	9	2.6%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	340	3	0.9%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	340	8	2.4%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	328	1	0.3%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	327	6	1.8%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	329	6	1.8%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	317	11	3.5%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	319	9	2.8%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	318	7	2.2%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	323	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	323	10	3.1%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	322	11	3.4%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	324	12	3.7%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	319	8	2.5%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	319	3	0.9%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	345	6	1.7%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	343	7	2.0%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	346	18	5.2%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	346	5	1.4%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	346	7	2.0%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	343	4	1.2%	3.1%	0

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

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psychology_alt

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.

Specific Learning Difficulty 18 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 13 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 11 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 10 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 5 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

Physical 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.

Overall, how do parents view this school?

76%Positive

My child is happy at this school.

80%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

91%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

When bullying took place, the school dealt with it quickly and effectively.

strongly agree20%

agree33%

disagree20%

strongly disagree13%

not applicable77%

Neither agree nor disagree13%

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree38%

agree40%

disagree6%

strongly disagree5%

Neither agree nor disagree11%

When the school makes decisions it has the child's best interests at heart.

strongly agree46%

agree26%

Neither agree nor disagree11%

disagree9%

strongly disagree6%

Don't know2%

The school gives my child the right support to enable them to learn well.

strongly agree37%

agree37%

Neither agree nor disagree5%

disagree17%

strongly disagree5%

The school communicates well with me about the things I need to know.

strongly agree40%

agree31%

disagree8%

strongly disagree11%

Neither agree nor disagree11%

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

strongly agree31%

agree23%

disagree12%

strongly disagree11%

not applicable15%

Neither agree nor disagree8%

Does your child have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND)?

yes28%

no72%

My child has SEND, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree50%

agree17%

strongly disagree28%

Neither agree nor disagree6%

Would you recommend this school to another parent?

yes80%

no20%

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School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Ranking History & Trajectory

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Church of England)

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)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Overall, how do parents view this school?

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

When bullying took place, the school dealt with it quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

When the school makes decisions it has the child's best interests at heart.

The school gives my child the right support to enable them to learn well.

The school communicates well with me about the things I need to know.

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 SEND, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

Would you recommend this school to another parent?

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Westmorland and Furness

Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith

Queen Elizabeth School

Ulverston Victoria High School

The Queen Katherine School

Kirkbie Kendal School

Kirkby Stephen Grammar School