St Matthew's CofE School
Westnewton, Wigton, CA7 3NT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Miss Helen Harrison
- Diocese
- Diocese of Carlisle
- Constituency
- Penrith and Solway
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 56
- Pupils on roll
- 51
- URN
- 112308
- Local authority
- Cumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01697320545
About this school
St Matthew's CofE School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Wigton. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 51 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Matthew's 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
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
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 44% | 75% | 57% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 78% | 88% | 86% |
| Expected standard in maths | 78% | 100% | 71% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 56% | 88% | 71% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 113.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.20 | - | - |
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 St Matthew's 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 | Cumberland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 44% | 53% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 75% | 52.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 57% | 54.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 56 |
| 2023/24 | 52 |
| 2024/25 | 45 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Matthew's CofE School compares
St Matthew's CofE School ranked 55th of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 34% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 98% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 57% | 3% | 4.4% | 51 | — |
| Richmond Hill School | 59% | 4.9% | 38% | 205 | 1.6 miles |
| Oughterside Primary School | — | 5.9% | 41.2% | 69 | 2.4 miles |
| Holme St Cuthbert School | — | 5.6% | 23.1% | 21 | 2.6 miles |
| Blennerhasset School | 29% | 4.9% | 9.3% | 60 | 3.1 miles |
| Plumbland CofE School | 67% | 4.3% | 11.3% | 53 | 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.
Inspection history
- 28 November 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report25 January 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 4.44%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 2.96%
- Persistent absence
- 9.3%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Richmond Hill School1.6 miles
Primary · Wigton
-
Oughterside Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Wigton
-
Holme St Cuthbert School2.6 miles
Primary · Maryport
-
Blennerhasset School3.1 miles
Primary · Wigton
-
Plumbland CofE School3.3 miles
Primary · Wigton
Other schools in Wigton
St Matthew's CofE School ranks 7th of the 14 ranked primary schools in Wigton.
- Blennerhasset School Primary
- Boltons CofE School Primary
- Bowness-on-Solway Primary School Primary
- Fellview Primary School Primary
- Holm Cultram Abbey CofE Primary School Primary
- Ireby CofE School Primary
- Kirkbride Primary School Primary
- Oughterside Primary School Primary
- Plumbland CofE School Primary
- Richmond Hill School Primary
- Rosley CofE School Primary
- Silloth Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Matthew's CofE School teach?
- St Matthew's CofE School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Wigton.
- Who is the headteacher of St Matthew's CofE School?
- The headteacher of St Matthew's CofE School is Miss Helen Harrison, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Matthew's CofE School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Matthew's 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 St Matthew's CofE School?
- St Matthew's CofE School has 51 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Matthew's CofE School full?
- St Matthew's CofE School has capacity for 56 pupils and 51 on roll (91%), 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 St Matthew's CofE School a faith school?
- Yes. St Matthew's CofE School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Carlisle.
- Does St Matthew's CofE School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Matthew's CofE School as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Matthew's CofE School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 44% in 2022/23 and 57% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Matthew's CofE School compare with other schools in Cumberland?
- St Matthew's CofE School ranked 55th of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 34% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 98% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Matthew's CofE School's absence rate?
- St Matthew's CofE School's overall absence rate is 3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Matthew's CofE School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Matthew's 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.