Caton Primary School
Broadacre, Caton, Lancaster, LA2 9NH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Ms Gail Bowskill
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Morecambe and Lunesdale
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 85
- Pupils on roll
- 81
- URN
- 119322
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01524770104
About this school
Caton Primary School is a community primary school in Lancaster. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 81 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Caton 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 4 February 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 | 18 | 8 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 50% | 72% | 63% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 17% | 11% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 50% | 83% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 50% | 83% | 88% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 50% | 83% | 88% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 108.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 106.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +3.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.70 | - | - |
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 Caton 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 | Lancashire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 50% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 72% | 58.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 63% | 58.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 73 |
| 2023/24 | 83 |
| 2024/25 | 74 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Caton Primary School compares
Caton Primary School ranked 231st of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 54% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 63% | 5.2% | 18.9% | 81 | — |
| Caton St Paul's Church of England Primary School | 73% | 3.5% | 3.7% | 171 | 0.7 miles |
| St Wilfrid's Cof E Primary School | 64% | 3.9% | 12.3% | 225 | 1.8 miles |
| Quernmore Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 69% | 3.1% | 12.6% | 97 | 2.5 miles |
| Nether Kellet Community Primary School | 69% | 3.6% | 8.6% | 104 | 3.0 miles |
| Lancaster Christ Church Church of England Primary School | 64% | 4.3% | 16.6% | 201 | 3.0 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)
- 18.92%
- English as an additional language
- 6.8%
- Overall absence
- 5.2%
- Persistent absence
- 13.85%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Caton St Paul's Church of England Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Lancaster
-
St Wilfrid's Cof E Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Lancaster
-
Quernmore Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Lancaster
-
Nether Kellet Community Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Carnforth
-
Lancaster Christ Church Church of England Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Lancaster
Other schools in Lancaster
Caton Primary School ranks 16th of the 24 ranked primary schools in Lancaster.
- Austwick Church of England VA Primary School Primary
- Bentham Community Primary School Primary
- Bowerham Primary & Nursery School Primary
- Castle View Primary Academy Primary
- Caton St Paul's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Cawthorne's Endowed School Primary
- Dolphinholme Church of England Primary School Primary
- Ellel St John the Evangelist Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hornby St Margaret's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Lancaster Christ Church Church of England Primary School Primary
- Lancaster Dallas Road Community Primary School Primary
- Lancaster Ryelands Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Caton Primary School teach?
- Caton Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Lancaster.
- Who is the headteacher of Caton Primary School?
- The headteacher of Caton Primary School is Ms Gail Bowskill, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Caton Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Caton 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 Caton Primary School?
- Caton Primary School has 81 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Caton Primary School full?
- Caton Primary School has capacity for 85 pupils and 81 on roll (95%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Caton Primary School a faith school?
- No. Caton Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Caton Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Caton Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Caton Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 50% in 2022/23 and 63% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Caton Primary School compare with other schools in Lancashire?
- Caton Primary School ranked 231st of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 54% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Caton Primary School's absence rate?
- Caton Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Caton Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Caton 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 30 June 2026.