Thursby Primary School
Thursby, Carlisle, CA5 6PN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Carl Barnes
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Penrith and Solway
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 140
- Pupils on roll
- 110
- URN
- 112123
- Local authority
- Cumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01228711180
About this school
Thursby Primary School is a community primary school in Carlisle. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 110 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 6 December 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 20 | 19 | 19 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 75% | 58% | 74% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 15% | 5% | 16% |
| Expected standard in reading | 95% | 79% | 79% |
| Expected standard in maths | 85% | 63% | 79% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 90% | 74% | 84% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 105.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 101.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.70 | - | - |
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 Thursby Primary 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 | Cumberland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 75% | 53% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 58% | 52.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 74% | 54.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 116 |
| 2023/24 | 112 |
| 2024/25 | 107 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Thursby Primary School compares
Thursby Primary School ranked 21st of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 76% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 74% | 4.5% | 19.8% | 110 | — |
| Rosley CofE School | 67% | 2.6% | 4.9% | 66 | 1.7 miles |
| Great Orton Primary School | — | 8.9% | 42.4% | 35 | 2.4 miles |
| St Michael's CofE Primary School | 45% | 4.8% | 11.6% | 186 | 2.6 miles |
| Wiggonby CofE School | 75% | 5.7% | 3.9% | 61 | 2.7 miles |
| Kirkbampton CofE School | 63% | 2.9% | 10.3% | 94 | 4.2 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)
- 19.79%
- English as an additional language
- 2.8%
- Overall absence
- 4.45%
- Persistent absence
- 6.9%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Rosley CofE School1.7 miles
Primary · Wigton
-
Great Orton Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Carlisle
-
St Michael's CofE Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Carlisle
-
Wiggonby CofE School2.7 miles
Primary · Wigton
-
Kirkbampton CofE School4.2 miles
Primary · Carlisle
Other schools in Carlisle
Thursby Primary School ranks 9th of the 40 ranked primary schools in Carlisle.
- Armathwaite School Primary
- Belle Vue Primary School Primary
- Bewcastle School Primary
- Blackford CofE Primary School Primary
- Brook Street Primary School Primary
- Burgh by Sands School Primary
- Caldew Lea School Primary
- Crosby-on-Eden CofE School Primary
- Cummersdale School Primary
- Cumwhinton School Primary
- Great Corby School and Nursery Primary
- Great Orton Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Thursby Primary School teach?
- Thursby Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Carlisle.
- Who is the headteacher of Thursby Primary School?
- The headteacher of Thursby Primary School is Mr Carl Barnes, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Thursby Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Thursby Primary 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 Thursby Primary School?
- Thursby Primary School has 110 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Thursby Primary School full?
- Thursby Primary School has capacity for 140 pupils and 110 on roll (79%), 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 Thursby Primary School a faith school?
- No. Thursby Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Thursby Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Thursby Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Thursby Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 75% in 2022/23 and 74% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Thursby Primary School rank locally?
- Thursby Primary School ranked 21st of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 76% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Thursby Primary School's absence rate?
- Thursby Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Thursby Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Thursby Primary 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.