St Michael's CofE Primary School
Dalston, Carlisle, CA5 7LN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs L Smith
- Diocese
- Diocese of Carlisle
- Constituency
- Penrith and Solway
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 220
- Pupils on roll
- 186
- URN
- 112246
- Local authority
- Cumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01228711544
About this school
St Michael's CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Carlisle. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 186 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
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 | 30 | 31 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 53% | 42% | 45% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 67% | 61% | 74% |
| Expected standard in maths | 63% | 68% | 55% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 73% | 58% | 61% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 101.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.20 | - | - |
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 St Michael's CofE 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 | 53% | 53% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 42% | 52.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 45% | 54.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 202 |
| 2023/24 | 203 |
| 2024/25 | 190 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Michael's CofE Primary School compares
St Michael's CofE Primary School ranked 86th of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 16% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 45% | 4.8% | 11.6% | 186 | — |
| Stoneraise School | 90% | 3.9% | 14.1% | 169 | 2.0 miles |
| Cummersdale School | 73% | 2.7% | 11.4% | 97 | 2.2 miles |
| Thursby Primary School | 74% | 4.5% | 19.8% | 110 | 2.6 miles |
| Newlaithes Infant School | — | 4.5% | 12.4% | 196 | 2.8 miles |
| Newlaithes Junior School | 50% | 4.8% | 18.6% | 236 | 2.8 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)
- 11.58%
- English as an additional language
- 0.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.76%
- Persistent absence
- 10.29%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Stoneraise School2.0 miles
Primary · Carlisle
-
Cummersdale School2.2 miles
Primary · Carlisle
-
Thursby Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Carlisle
-
Newlaithes Infant School2.8 miles
Primary · Carlisle
-
Newlaithes Junior School2.8 miles
Primary · Carlisle
Other schools in Carlisle
St Michael's CofE Primary School ranks 35th 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 St Michael's CofE Primary School teach?
- St Michael's CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Carlisle.
- Who is the headteacher of St Michael's CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Michael's CofE Primary School is Mrs L Smith, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Michael's CofE Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Michael's CofE 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 St Michael's CofE Primary School?
- St Michael's CofE Primary School has 186 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Michael's CofE Primary School full?
- St Michael's CofE Primary School has capacity for 220 pupils and 186 on roll (85%), 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 St Michael's CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Michael's CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Carlisle.
- Does St Michael's CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Michael's CofE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Michael's CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 53% in 2022/23 and 45% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Michael's CofE Primary School rank locally?
- St Michael's CofE Primary School ranked 86th of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 16% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Michael's CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- St Michael's CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Michael's CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Michael's CofE 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.