St Columba's School
Church Lane, Walney Island, Barrow-in-Furness, LA14 3AD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mrs Claire O'Donnell
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lancaster
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Barrow and Furness
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 240
- Pupils on roll
- 212
- URN
- 112364
- Local authority
- Westmorland and Furness
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01229471522
About this school
St Columba's School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided primary school in Barrow-in-Furness. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 212 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 16 November 2022, 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 | 20 | 20 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 75% | 70% | 30% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 5% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 85% | 80% | 60% |
| Expected standard in maths | 85% | 80% | 37% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 80% | 75% | 63% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 108.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 105.0 | 98.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.00 | - | - |
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 Columba's 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 | 75% | 60.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 70% | 57% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 30% | 56.5% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 204 |
| 2023/24 | 219 |
| 2024/25 | 216 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Columba's School compares
St Columba's School ranked 91st of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 7% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 30% | 4.8% | 11.8% | 212 | — |
| South Walney Infant and Nursery School | — | 3.9% | 15% | 134 | 0.2 miles |
| South Walney Junior School | 66% | 4.8% | 24.6% | 209 | 0.3 miles |
| Vickerstown School | 15% | 6.8% | 21.7% | 156 | 0.5 miles |
| Barrow Island Community Primary School | 54% | 5.8% | 29.8% | 162 | 0.9 miles |
| Brisbane Park Infant School | — | 6% | 41.2% | 95 | 1.0 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)
- 11.79%
- English as an additional language
- 1.4%
- Overall absence
- 4.78%
- Persistent absence
- 10.18%
Location
Nearby schools
-
South Walney Infant and Nursery School0.2 miles
Primary · Barrow-in-Furness
-
South Walney Junior School0.3 miles
Primary · Barrow-in-Furness
-
Vickerstown School0.5 miles
Primary · Barrow-in-Furness
-
Barrow Island Community Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Barrow-in-Furness
-
Brisbane Park Infant School1.0 miles
Primary · Barrow-in-Furness
Other schools in Barrow-in-Furness
St Columba's School ranks 18th of the 20 ranked primary schools in Barrow-in-Furness.
- Barrow Island Community Primary School Primary
- Brisbane Park Infant School Primary
- Cambridge Primary School Primary
- Greengate Junior School Primary
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Primary
- Newbarns Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Newton Village Academy Primary
- Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School Primary
- Parkside Academy Primary
- Ramsden Infant School Primary
- Roose School Primary
- Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Barrow Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Columba's School teach?
- St Columba's School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Barrow-in-Furness.
- Who is the headteacher of St Columba's School?
- The headteacher of St Columba's School is Mrs Claire O'Donnell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Columba's School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Columba's 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 St Columba's School?
- St Columba's School has 212 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Columba's School full?
- St Columba's School has capacity for 240 pupils and 212 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 Columba's School a faith school?
- Yes. St Columba's School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Lancaster.
- Does St Columba's School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Columba's School as having nursery classes.
- How have St Columba's School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 75% in 2022/23 and 30% 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 Columba's School rank locally?
- St Columba's School ranked 91st of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 7% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% 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 Columba's School's absence rate?
- St Columba's School's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Columba's School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Columba's 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.