High Hesket CofE School
High Hesket, Carlisle, CA4 0HU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Amy Harvey
- Diocese
- Diocese of Carlisle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Penrith and Solway
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 200
- Pupils on roll
- 136
- URN
- 112248
- Local authority
- Westmorland and Furness
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01697473386
About this school
High Hesket CofE School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Carlisle. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 136 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected High Hesket CofE School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- 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 | 31 | 21 | 23 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 77% | 76% | 52% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 6% | 10% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 90% | 76% | 65% |
| Expected standard in maths | 81% | 81% | 61% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 84% | 81% | 70% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 108.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 107.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.60 | - | - |
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 High Hesket CofE 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 | 77% | 60.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 76% | 57% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 52% | 56.5% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 158 |
| 2023/24 | 146 |
| 2024/25 | 141 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How High Hesket CofE School compares
High Hesket CofE School ranked 63rd of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 97% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 52% | 3.2% | 4% | 136 | — |
| Armathwaite School | 80% | 2.9% | 14.3% | 64 | 2.3 miles |
| Calthwaite CofE School | 57% | 3.1% | 9.5% | 69 | 2.5 miles |
| Ivegill CofE School | 77% | 2.8% | 13.6% | 75 | 3.4 miles |
| Wreay Church of England Primary School | 54% | 4.1% | 12% | 75 | 3.9 miles |
| Plumpton School | 45% | 3.7% | 6.7% | 102 | 4.6 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)
- 3.97%
- English as an additional language
- 2.8%
- Overall absence
- 3.2%
- Persistent absence
- 3.77%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Armathwaite School2.3 miles
Primary · Carlisle
-
Calthwaite CofE School2.5 miles
Primary · Penrith
-
Ivegill CofE School3.4 miles
Primary · Carlisle
-
Wreay Church of England Primary School3.9 miles
Primary · Carlisle
-
Plumpton School4.6 miles
Primary · Penrith
Other schools in Carlisle
High Hesket CofE School ranks 28th 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 ages does High Hesket CofE School teach?
- High Hesket CofE School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Carlisle.
- Who is the headteacher of High Hesket CofE School?
- The headteacher of High Hesket CofE School is Mrs Amy Harvey, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has High Hesket CofE School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected High Hesket CofE 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 many pupils are at High Hesket CofE School?
- High Hesket CofE School has 136 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is High Hesket CofE School full?
- High Hesket CofE School has capacity for 200 pupils and 136 on roll (68%), 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 High Hesket CofE School a faith school?
- Yes. High Hesket CofE School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Carlisle.
- Does High Hesket CofE School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records High Hesket CofE School as having nursery classes.
- How have High Hesket CofE School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 77% in 2022/23 and 52% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does High Hesket CofE School compare with other schools in Westmorland and Furness?
- High Hesket CofE School ranked 63rd of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 97% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is High Hesket CofE School's absence rate?
- High Hesket CofE School's overall absence rate is 3.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are High Hesket CofE School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, High Hesket CofE 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.