Skelton School
Skelton, Penrith, CA11 9SE
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Helen Newton
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Penrith and Solway
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 94
- Pupils on roll
- 87
- URN
- 112121
- Local authority
- Westmorland and Furness
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01768484367
About this school
Skelton School is a community primary school in Penrith. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 87 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 9 | 12 | 9 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 89% | 75% | 89% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 44% | 25% | 33% |
| Expected standard in reading | 100% | 92% | 100% |
| Expected standard in maths | 100% | 83% | 100% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 100% | 92% | 100% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 113.0 | 109.0 | 112.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 109.0 | 109.0 | 110.0 |
| Reading progress | +4.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.90 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Skelton School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Westmorland and Furness average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 89% | 60.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 75% | 57% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 89% | 56.5% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 82 |
| 2023/24 | 88 |
| 2024/25 | 89 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Skelton School compares
Skelton School ranked 4th of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 97% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 98% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 89% | 3% | 7.2% | 87 | — |
| Greystoke Primary School | — | 2.7% | 2.2% | 51 | 2.9 miles |
| Calthwaite CofE School | 57% | 3.1% | 9.5% | 69 | 3.6 miles |
| Plumpton School | 45% | 3.7% | 6.7% | 102 | 4.0 miles |
| Penruddock Primary School | 38% | 3.3% | 5.9% | 48 | 4.8 miles |
| Ivegill CofE School | 77% | 2.8% | 13.6% | 75 | 5.1 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 7.23%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 2.98%
- Persistent absence
- 4.17%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Greystoke Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Penrith
-
Calthwaite CofE School3.6 miles
Primary · Penrith
-
Plumpton School4.0 miles
Primary · Penrith
-
Penruddock Primary School4.8 miles
Primary · Penrith
-
Ivegill CofE School5.1 miles
Primary · Carlisle
Other schools in Penrith
Skelton School ranks 3rd of the 18 ranked primary schools in Penrith.
- Beaconside CofE Primary School Primary
- Brunswick School Primary
- Calthwaite CofE School Primary
- Clifton Primary School Primary
- Crosby Ravensworth CofE School Primary
- Culgaith CofE School Primary
- Greystoke Primary School Primary
- Kirkby Thore School Primary
- Kirkoswald CofE School Primary
- Langwathby CofE Primary School Primary
- Lazonby C of E Primary School Primary
- Lowther Endowed School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Skelton School teach?
- Skelton School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Penrith.
- Who is the headteacher of Skelton School?
- The headteacher of Skelton School is Mrs Helen Newton, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Skelton School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Skelton School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Skelton School?
- Skelton School has 87 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Skelton School full?
- Skelton School has capacity for 94 pupils and 87 on roll (93%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Skelton School a faith school?
- No. Skelton School has no designated religious character.
- Does Skelton School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Skelton School as having nursery classes.
- How have Skelton School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 89% in 2022/23 and 89% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Skelton School rank locally?
- Skelton School ranked 4th of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 97% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 98% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Skelton School's absence rate?
- Skelton School's overall absence rate is 3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Skelton School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Skelton School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.