Lowca Community School
Lowca, Whitehaven, CA28 6QS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jennifer Walker
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Whitehaven and Workington
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 55
- Pupils on roll
- 51
- URN
- 112158
- Local authority
- Cumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01946372656
About this school
Lowca Community School is a community primary school in Whitehaven. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 51 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 | 6 | 8 | 8 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | 13% | 50% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 67% | 50% | 50% |
| Expected standard in maths | 67% | 25% | 50% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 33% | 75% | 50% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 100.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 100.0 | 99.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -4.80 | - | - |
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 Lowca Community 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 | 67% | 53% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 13% | 52.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 50% | 54.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 55 |
| 2023/24 | 62 |
| 2024/25 | 59 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Lowca Community School compares
Lowca Community School ranked 72nd of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 21% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 50% | 4.1% | 34% | 51 | — |
| St Bridget's CofE School | 36% | 4.8% | 29.4% | 66 | 1.0 miles |
| Distington Community School | 9% | 4.7% | 36.2% | 114 | 1.6 miles |
| Moresby Primary School | 80% | 2.8% | 8.7% | 122 | 1.7 miles |
| Bransty Primary School | 44% | 5.2% | 22.3% | 205 | 1.7 miles |
| Beckstone Primary School | 65% | 5% | 14.7% | 375 | 2.2 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.
Inspection history
- 21 May 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report14 July 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 33.96%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 4.14%
- Persistent absence
- 10%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Bridget's CofE School1.0 miles
Primary · Whitehaven
-
Distington Community School1.6 miles
Primary · Workington
-
Moresby Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Whitehaven
-
Bransty Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Whitehaven
-
Beckstone Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Workington
Other schools in Whitehaven
Lowca Community School ranks 6th of the 11 ranked primary schools in Whitehaven.
- Bransty Primary School Primary
- Hensingham Primary School Primary
- Jericho Primary School Primary
- Kells Infant School Primary
- Monkwray Junior School Primary
- Moresby Primary School Primary
- St Begh's Catholic Junior School Primary
- St Bridget's CofE School Primary
- St Gregory and St Patrick's Catholic Infant School Primary
- St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School Primary
- St James' CofE Junior School Primary
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Lowca Community School teach?
- Lowca Community School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Whitehaven.
- Who is the headteacher of Lowca Community School?
- The headteacher of Lowca Community School is Mrs Jennifer Walker, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Lowca Community School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Lowca Community 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 Lowca Community School?
- Lowca Community School has 51 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Lowca Community School full?
- Lowca Community School has capacity for 55 pupils and 51 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 Lowca Community School a faith school?
- No. Lowca Community School has no designated religious character.
- Does Lowca Community School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Lowca Community School as having nursery classes.
- How have Lowca Community School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 67% in 2022/23 and 50% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Lowca Community School rank locally?
- Lowca Community School ranked 72nd of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 21% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Lowca Community School's absence rate?
- Lowca Community School's overall absence rate is 4.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Lowca Community School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Lowca Community 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.