Beaconside CofE Primary School
Hutton Hill, Penrith, CA11 8EN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Nick Page
- Diocese
- Diocese of Carlisle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- SEN provision
- Not Applicable
- Constituency
- Penrith and Solway
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 511
- Pupils on roll
- 445
- URN
- 112423
- Local authority
- Westmorland and Furness
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01768840868
About this school
Beaconside CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Penrith. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 445 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Beaconside 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 27 June 2024, 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 | 74 | 74 | 73 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 55% | 57% | 51% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 1% | 8% | 1% |
| Expected standard in reading | 69% | 68% | 62% |
| Expected standard in maths | 73% | 65% | 66% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 65% | 64% | 47% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 104.0 | 101.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 103.0 | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.40 | - | - |
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 Beaconside 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 | 55% | 60.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 57% | 57% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 51% | 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 | 5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 480 |
| 2023/24 | 467 |
| 2024/25 | 461 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Beaconside CofE Primary School compares
Beaconside CofE Primary School ranked 65th of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 51% | 4.7% | 19.5% | 445 | — |
| Brunswick School | — | 6.3% | 23.6% | 140 | 0.5 miles |
| St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith | 39% | 4.6% | 16.7% | 104 | 0.5 miles |
| North Lakes School | 39% | 6.4% | 32.6% | 161 | 0.8 miles |
| Yanwath Primary School | 100% | 3.4% | 9.7% | 166 | 2.0 miles |
| Clifton Primary School | 64% | 3.4% | 6.2% | 76 | 2.6 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)
- 19.53%
- English as an additional language
- 13.4%
- Overall absence
- 4.67%
- Persistent absence
- 8.86%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Brunswick School0.5 miles
Primary · Penrith
-
St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith0.5 miles
Primary · Penrith
-
North Lakes School0.8 miles
Primary · Penrith
-
Yanwath Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Penrith
-
Clifton Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Penrith
Other schools in Penrith
Beaconside CofE Primary School ranks 11th of the 18 ranked primary schools in Penrith.
- Brunswick School Primary
- Calthwaite CofE School Primary
- Clifton Primary School Primary
- Crosby Ravensworth CofE School Primary
- Culgaith CofE School Primary
- Greystoke Primary School Primary
- Kirkby Thore School Primary
- Kirkoswald CofE School Primary
- Langwathby CofE Primary School Primary
- Lazonby C of E Primary School Primary
- Lowther Endowed School Primary
- Milburn School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Beaconside CofE Primary School teach?
- Beaconside CofE Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Penrith.
- Who is the headteacher of Beaconside CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Beaconside CofE Primary School is Mr Nick Page, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Beaconside CofE Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Beaconside 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 Beaconside CofE Primary School?
- Beaconside CofE Primary School has 445 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Beaconside CofE Primary School full?
- Beaconside CofE Primary School has capacity for 511 pupils and 445 on roll (87%), 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 Beaconside CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Beaconside CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Carlisle.
- Does Beaconside CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Beaconside CofE Primary School as having nursery classes.
- What SEN provision does Beaconside CofE Primary School have?
- The schools register lists Beaconside CofE Primary School's special educational needs provision as: Not Applicable. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Beaconside CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 55% in 2022/23 and 51% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Beaconside CofE Primary School compare with other schools in Westmorland and Furness?
- Beaconside CofE Primary School ranked 65th of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Beaconside CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Beaconside CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Beaconside CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Beaconside 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.