Bowness-on-Solway Primary School
Bowness-on-Solway, Wigton, CA7 5AF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Foundation school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Headteacher
- Mr Robert Lakin
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Penrith and Solway
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 40
- URN
- 112414
- Local authority
- Cumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01697351384
About this school
Bowness-on-Solway Primary School is a foundation primary school in Wigton. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 40 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Bowness-on-Solway 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 1 May 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 100% | - | 75% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | - | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 100% | - | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 100% | - | 88% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 100% | - | 100% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | - | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | - | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +4.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.90 | - | - |
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 Bowness-on-Solway 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 | 100% | 53% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | — | 52.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 75% | 54.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 2.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 2.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 47 |
| 2023/24 | 43 |
| 2024/25 | 43 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bowness-on-Solway Primary School compares
Bowness-on-Solway Primary School ranked 19th of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 78% 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 | 75% | 2.9% | 22.5% | 40 | — |
| Elmvale School | — | — | — | — | 2.8 miles |
| Hecklegirth School | — | — | — | — | 2.8 miles |
| Eastriggs School | — | — | — | — | 2.8 miles |
| St Columba's RC School | — | — | — | — | 2.8 miles |
| Newington School | — | — | — | — | 3.1 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)
- 22.5%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 2.91%
- Persistent absence
- 5%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Elmvale School2.8 miles
Primary
-
Hecklegirth School2.8 miles
Primary
-
Eastriggs School2.8 miles
Primary
-
St Columba's RC School2.8 miles
Primary
-
Newington School3.1 miles
Primary
Other schools in Wigton
Bowness-on-Solway Primary School ranks 3rd of the 14 ranked primary schools in Wigton.
- Blennerhasset School Primary
- Boltons CofE 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
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Bowness-on-Solway Primary School teach?
- Bowness-on-Solway Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Wigton.
- Who is the headteacher of Bowness-on-Solway Primary School?
- The headteacher of Bowness-on-Solway Primary School is Mr Robert Lakin, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Bowness-on-Solway Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bowness-on-Solway 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 Bowness-on-Solway Primary School?
- Bowness-on-Solway Primary School has 40 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Bowness-on-Solway Primary School full?
- Bowness-on-Solway Primary School has capacity for 105 pupils and 40 on roll (38%), 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 Bowness-on-Solway Primary School a faith school?
- No. Bowness-on-Solway Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Bowness-on-Solway Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Bowness-on-Solway Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Bowness-on-Solway Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 100% in 2022/23 and 75% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bowness-on-Solway Primary School compare with other schools in Cumberland?
- Bowness-on-Solway Primary School ranked 19th of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 78% 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 Bowness-on-Solway Primary School's absence rate?
- Bowness-on-Solway Primary School's overall absence rate is 2.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bowness-on-Solway Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bowness-on-Solway 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.