St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School
Trinity Way, Keswick, CA12 4HZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Head Teacher
- Mr Michael Craig
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Carlisle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Penrith and Solway
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 305
- Pupils on roll
- 266
- URN
- 134789
- Local authority
- Cumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01768773017
About this school
St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Keswick. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 266 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 48 | 46 | 37 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 48% | 57% | 54% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 17% | 8% |
| Expected standard in reading | 81% | 72% | 78% |
| Expected standard in maths | 73% | 63% | 70% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 77% | 61% | 73% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -3.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.50 | - | - |
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 Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery 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 | 48% | 53% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 57% | 52.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 54% | 54.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 286 |
| 2023/24 | 281 |
| 2024/25 | 258 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School compares
St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School ranked 61st of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 28% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 97% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 54% | 3.3% | 6.8% | 266 | — |
| Braithwaite CofE Primary School | 36% | 6% | 14.6% | 40 | 2.6 miles |
| Threlkeld CofE Primary School | 33% | 7.4% | 14.3% | 41 | 3.0 miles |
| Bassenthwaite Primary School | — | 3% | 15% | 24 | 5.8 miles |
| Borrowdale CofE Primary School | — | 4.9% | 24% | 31 | 6.0 miles |
| Lorton School | 67% | 4.5% | 4.4% | 45 | 7.3 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)
- 6.84%
- English as an additional language
- 3.1%
- Overall absence
- 3.25%
- Persistent absence
- 3.79%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Braithwaite CofE Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Keswick
-
Threlkeld CofE Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Keswick
-
Bassenthwaite Primary School5.8 miles
Primary · Keswick
-
Borrowdale CofE Primary School6.0 miles
Primary · Keswick
-
Lorton School7.3 miles
Primary · Cockermouth
Other schools in Keswick
- Bassenthwaite Primary School Primary
- Borrowdale CofE Primary School Primary
- Braithwaite CofE Primary School Primary
- Threlkeld CofE Primary School Primary
- Keswick School Secondary
- Old Windebrowe Special schools
Common questions
- What year groups does St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School teach?
- St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Keswick.
- Who is the head teacher of St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School?
- The head teacher of St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School is Mr Michael Craig, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery 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 Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School?
- St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School has 266 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School full?
- St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School has capacity for 305 pupils and 266 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 St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School a faith school?
- Yes. St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Carlisle.
- Is St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School a selective school?
- No. St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School as having nursery classes.
- How have St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 48% in 2022/23 and 54% 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 Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School rank locally?
- St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School ranked 61st of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 28% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 97% 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 Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School's absence rate?
- St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School's overall absence rate is 3.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery 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 1 July 2026.