Pennington CofE School
Pennington, Ulverston, LA12 0RR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Helen Storey
- Diocese
- Diocese of Carlisle
- Constituency
- Barrow and Furness
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 211
- URN
- 112284
- Local authority
- Westmorland and Furness
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01229587253
About this school
Pennington CofE School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Ulverston. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 211 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
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 25 | 21 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 72% | 71% | 65% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 5% | 6% |
| Expected standard in reading | 80% | 76% | 94% |
| Expected standard in maths | 92% | 86% | 87% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 92% | 76% | 81% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 106.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.20 | - | - |
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 Pennington 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 | 72% | 60.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 71% | 57% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 65% | 56.5% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 196 |
| 2023/24 | 198 |
| 2024/25 | 202 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Pennington CofE School compares
Pennington CofE School ranked 40th of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 53% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 65% | 3.8% | 9.4% | 211 | — |
| Lindal and Marton Primary School | 27% | 4.3% | 0% | 78 | 1.2 miles |
| Croftlands Infant School | — | 5.4% | 5.2% | 119 | 1.3 miles |
| Croftlands Junior School | 50% | 6.4% | 15.5% | 152 | 1.3 miles |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ulverston | 65% | 3.2% | 7.2% | 155 | 1.3 miles |
| Sir John Barrow School | 72% | 4.4% | 18.2% | 235 | 1.6 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.
Inspection history
-
Ungraded inspection report30 April 2025
- 10 March 2020
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 9.41%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 3.83%
- Persistent absence
- 5.91%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Lindal and Marton Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Ulverston
-
Croftlands Infant School1.3 miles
Primary · Ulverston
-
Croftlands Junior School1.3 miles
Primary · Ulverston
-
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ulverston1.3 miles
Primary · Ulverston
-
Sir John Barrow School1.6 miles
Primary · Ulverston
Other schools in Ulverston
Pennington CofE School ranks 4th of the 9 ranked primary schools in Ulverston.
- Church Walk CofE Primary School Primary
- Croftlands Infant School Primary
- Croftlands Junior School Primary
- Leven Valley CofE Primary School Primary
- Lindal and Marton Primary School Primary
- Low Furness CofE Primary School Primary
- Penny Bridge CofE School Primary
- Sir John Barrow School Primary
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ulverston Primary
- Ulverston Victoria High School Secondary
- Sandside Lodge School Special schools
Common questions
- What year groups does Pennington CofE School teach?
- Pennington CofE School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Ulverston.
- Who is the headteacher of Pennington CofE School?
- The headteacher of Pennington CofE School is Mrs Helen Storey, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Pennington CofE School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Pennington 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 big is Pennington CofE School?
- Pennington CofE School has 211 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Pennington CofE School full?
- Pennington CofE School has capacity for 210 pupils and 211 on roll (100%), so it is at or above 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 Pennington CofE School a faith school?
- Yes. Pennington CofE School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Carlisle.
- Does Pennington CofE School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Pennington CofE School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Pennington CofE School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 72% in 2022/23 and 65% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Pennington CofE School rank locally?
- Pennington CofE School ranked 40th of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 53% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Pennington CofE School's absence rate?
- Pennington CofE School's overall absence rate is 3.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Pennington CofE School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Pennington 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.