Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School
Dovenby, Cumbria, Cockermouth, CA13 0PG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Julia Fish
- Diocese
- Diocese of Carlisle
- Constituency
- Penrith and Solway
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 150
- Pupils on roll
- 146
- URN
- 112270
- Local authority
- Cumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01900829889
About this school
Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Cockermouth. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 146 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
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
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Early years
- Outstanding
- 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 | 27 | 23 | 15 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 89% | 78% | 87% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 19% | 26% | 20% |
| Expected standard in reading | 89% | 100% | 93% |
| Expected standard in maths | 93% | 87% | 87% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 89% | 87% | 87% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 111.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 108.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.90 | - | - |
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 Bridekirk Dovenby 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 | 89% | 53% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 78% | 52.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 87% | 54.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 2.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 141 |
| 2023/24 | 135 |
| 2024/25 | 132 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School compares
Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School ranked 6th of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 100% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 87% | 2.5% | 0.8% | 146 | — |
| Fairfield Primary School | 83% | 3% | 7% | 455 | 2.0 miles |
| All Saints' CofE School | — | — | — | — | 2.3 miles |
| Broughton Primary School | 72% | 3.2% | 10.9% | 146 | 2.3 miles |
| St Bridget's CofE School | 47% | 3.8% | 13.8% | 82 | 2.5 miles |
| Dearham Primary School | 58% | 5.6% | 20.2% | 202 | 2.7 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)
- 0.76%
- English as an additional language
- 0.8%
- Overall absence
- 2.54%
- Persistent absence
- 1.6%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Fairfield Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Cockermouth
-
All Saints' CofE School2.3 miles
Primary · Cockermouth
-
Broughton Primary School2.3 miles
Primary · Cockermouth
-
St Bridget's CofE School2.5 miles
Primary · Cockermouth
-
Dearham Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Maryport
Other schools in Cockermouth
Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School ranks 1st of the 6 ranked primary schools in Cockermouth.
- All Saints' CofE School Primary
- Broughton Primary School Primary
- Eaglesfield Paddle CofE Primary Academy Primary
- Fairfield Primary School Primary
- Lorton School Primary
- St Bridget's CofE School Primary
- Cockermouth School Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School teach?
- Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Cockermouth.
- Who is the headteacher of Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School is Mrs Julia Fish, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bridekirk Dovenby 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 Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School?
- Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School has 146 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School full?
- Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School has capacity for 150 pupils and 146 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Carlisle.
- Does Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 89% in 2022/23 and 87% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School rank locally?
- Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School ranked 6th of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 100% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 2.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bridekirk Dovenby 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.