Blackford CofE Primary School
Blackford, Carlisle, CA6 4ES
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lindsey Slater
- Diocese
- Diocese of Carlisle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Carlisle
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 56
- Pupils on roll
- 60
- URN
- 112300
- Local authority
- Cumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01228674614
About this school
Blackford CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Carlisle. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 60 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Blackford CofE Primary 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 | 6 | 3 | 8 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | - | 13% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 17% | - | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 83% | - | 50% |
| Expected standard in maths | 67% | - | 38% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | - | 38% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | - | 99.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | - | 98.0 |
Trends over time
How Blackford 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 | 67% | 53% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | — | 52.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 13% | 54.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 51 |
| 2023/24 | 48 |
| 2024/25 | 54 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Blackford CofE Primary School compares
Blackford CofE Primary School ranked 108th of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 5% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 43% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 13% | 5.8% | 16% | 60 | — |
| Houghton CofE School | 68% | 5.7% | 6.6% | 179 | 2.2 miles |
| Rockcliffe CofE School | 58% | 4.6% | 9.2% | 115 | 2.3 miles |
| Kingmoor Junior School | 60% | 4.6% | 17% | 316 | 2.4 miles |
| Kingmoor Nursery and Infant School | — | 4.7% | 8.9% | 312 | 2.5 miles |
| Stanwix School | 55% | 4.7% | 9.8% | 367 | 3.3 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)
- 16%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 5.76%
- Persistent absence
- 20.93%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Houghton CofE School2.2 miles
Primary · Carlisle
-
Rockcliffe CofE School2.3 miles
Primary · Carlisle
-
Kingmoor Junior School2.4 miles
Primary · Carlisle
-
Kingmoor Nursery and Infant School2.5 miles
Primary · Carlisle
-
Stanwix School3.3 miles
Primary · Carlisle
Other schools in Carlisle
Blackford CofE Primary School ranks 40th of the 40 ranked primary schools in Carlisle.
- Armathwaite School Primary
- Belle Vue Primary School Primary
- Bewcastle 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
- High Hesket CofE School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Blackford CofE Primary School teach?
- Blackford CofE Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Carlisle.
- Who is the headteacher of Blackford CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Blackford CofE Primary School is Mrs Lindsey Slater, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Blackford CofE Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Blackford 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 many pupils are at Blackford CofE Primary School?
- Blackford CofE Primary School has 60 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Blackford CofE Primary School full?
- Blackford CofE Primary School has capacity for 56 pupils and 60 on roll (107%), 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 Blackford CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Blackford CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Carlisle.
- Does Blackford CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Blackford CofE Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Blackford CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 67% in 2022/23 and 13% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Blackford CofE Primary School compare with other schools in Cumberland?
- Blackford CofE Primary School ranked 108th of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 5% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 43% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Blackford CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Blackford CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Blackford CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Blackford 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.