Kirkoswald CofE School
Kirkoswald, Penrith, CA10 1EN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Headteacher Leigh Andrews
- Diocese
- Diocese of Carlisle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Penrith and Solway
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 90
- Pupils on roll
- 48
- URN
- 112253
- Local authority
- Westmorland and Furness
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01768898461
About this school
Kirkoswald CofE School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Penrith. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 48 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Kirkoswald 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
- 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 | 12 | 12 | 9 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 75% | 75% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 25% | 0% | 22% |
| Expected standard in reading | 100% | 100% | 78% |
| Expected standard in maths | 100% | 83% | 78% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 100% | 92% | 78% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 114.0 | 109.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +8.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.00 | - | - |
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 Kirkoswald 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 | 75% | 60.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 75% | 57% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 56.5% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 2.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 63 |
| 2023/24 | 57 |
| 2024/25 | 50 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Kirkoswald CofE School compares
Kirkoswald CofE School ranked 32nd of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 99% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67% | 2.9% | 53.2% | 48 | — |
| Lazonby C of E Primary School | 0% | 3.7% | 8% | 112 | 1.0 miles |
| Plumpton School | 45% | 3.7% | 6.7% | 102 | 4.4 miles |
| Armathwaite School | 80% | 2.9% | 14.3% | 64 | 4.5 miles |
| Langwathby CofE Primary School | 63% | 3.4% | 6.8% | 169 | 4.6 miles |
| High Hesket CofE School | 52% | 3.2% | 4% | 136 | 5.2 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
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 53.19%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 2.87%
- Persistent absence
- 2.33%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Lazonby C of E Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Penrith
-
Plumpton School4.4 miles
Primary · Penrith
-
Armathwaite School4.5 miles
Primary · Carlisle
-
Langwathby CofE Primary School4.6 miles
Primary · Penrith
-
High Hesket CofE School5.2 miles
Primary · Carlisle
Other schools in Penrith
Kirkoswald CofE School ranks 5th 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
- Langwathby CofE Primary School Primary
- Lazonby C of E Primary School Primary
- Lowther Endowed School Primary
- Milburn School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Kirkoswald CofE School teach?
- Kirkoswald CofE School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Penrith.
- Who is the headteacher of Kirkoswald CofE School?
- The headteacher of Kirkoswald CofE School is Headteacher Leigh Andrews, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Kirkoswald CofE School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Kirkoswald 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 Kirkoswald CofE School?
- Kirkoswald CofE School has 48 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Kirkoswald CofE School full?
- Kirkoswald CofE School has capacity for 90 pupils and 48 on roll (53%), 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 Kirkoswald CofE School a faith school?
- Yes. Kirkoswald CofE School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Carlisle.
- Does Kirkoswald CofE School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Kirkoswald CofE School as having nursery classes.
- How have Kirkoswald CofE 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 67% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Kirkoswald CofE School compare with other schools in Westmorland and Furness?
- Kirkoswald CofE School ranked 32nd of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 99% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Kirkoswald CofE School's absence rate?
- Kirkoswald CofE School's overall absence rate is 2.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Kirkoswald CofE School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Kirkoswald 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.