St Mark's CofE Primary School
Oxenholme Lane, Natland, Natland, Kendal, LA9 7QH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Louise Hinton
- Diocese
- Diocese of Carlisle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Westmorland and Lonsdale
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 184
- URN
- 112325
- Local authority
- Westmorland and Furness
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01539560719
About this school
St Mark's CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Natland, Kendal. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 184 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Mark's 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 16 February 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 29 | 30 | 19 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 62% | 50% | 79% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 0% | 16% |
| Expected standard in reading | 83% | 73% | 84% |
| Expected standard in maths | 69% | 83% | 95% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 72% | 80% | 95% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 105.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 105.0 | 110.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.90 | - | - |
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 St Mark's 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 | Westmorland and Furness average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 62% | 60.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 50% | 57% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 79% | 56.5% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 161 |
| 2023/24 | 170 |
| 2024/25 | 174 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mark's CofE Primary School compares
St Mark's CofE Primary School ranked 13th of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 86% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 79% | 4.1% | 6.9% | 184 | — |
| Heron Hill Primary School | 69% | 3.6% | 7.9% | 419 | 1.4 miles |
| Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal | 75% | 4.2% | 6.3% | 134 | 1.5 miles |
| Vicarage Park CofE Primary School | — | 5.8% | 16.5% | 109 | 1.5 miles |
| Crosscrake CofE Primary School | — | 4.3% | 8.9% | 55 | 1.5 miles |
| Ghyllside Primary School | 78% | 3.7% | 14.7% | 424 | 1.9 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)
- 6.9%
- English as an additional language
- 2.9%
- Overall absence
- 4.1%
- Persistent absence
- 11.04%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Heron Hill Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Kendal
-
Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal1.5 miles
Primary · Kendal
-
Vicarage Park CofE Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Kendal
-
Crosscrake CofE Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Kendal
-
Ghyllside Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Kendal
Common questions
- What ages does St Mark's CofE Primary School teach?
- St Mark's CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Natland, Kendal.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mark's CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Mark's CofE Primary School is Mrs Louise Hinton, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Mark's CofE Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mark's 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 St Mark's CofE Primary School?
- St Mark's CofE Primary School has 184 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Mark's CofE Primary School full?
- St Mark's CofE Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 184 on roll (88%), 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 Mark's CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Mark's CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Carlisle.
- Does St Mark's CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Mark's CofE Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have St Mark's CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 62% in 2022/23 and 79% 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 Mark's CofE Primary School compare with other schools in Westmorland and Furness?
- St Mark's CofE Primary School ranked 13th of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 86% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% 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 Mark's CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- St Mark's CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mark's CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mark's 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.