Fairfield Primary School
Gallowbarrow, Cockermouth, CA13 0DX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- LEARNING FOR LIFE TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Chris Steele
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Penrith and Solway
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 455
- URN
- 142196
- Local authority
- Cumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01900821133
About this school
Fairfield Primary School is a primary academy in Cockermouth. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 455 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Fairfield 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 28 September 2023, 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 | 59 | 60 | 53 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 69% | 67% | 83% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 12% | 18% | 23% |
| Expected standard in reading | 83% | 78% | 85% |
| Expected standard in maths | 80% | 80% | 92% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 80% | 73% | 91% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 106.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 105.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.80 | - | - |
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 Fairfield 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 | 69% | 53% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 67% | 52.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 83% | 54.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 438 |
| 2023/24 | 445 |
| 2024/25 | 447 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Fairfield Primary School compares
Fairfield Primary School ranked 7th of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 91% 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 | 83% | 3% | 7% | 455 | — |
| All Saints' CofE School | — | — | — | — | 0.7 miles |
| Eaglesfield Paddle CofE Primary Academy | 74% | 2.9% | 4.7% | 193 | 1.7 miles |
| Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School | 87% | 2.5% | 0.8% | 146 | 2.0 miles |
| St Bridget's CofE School | 47% | 3.8% | 13.8% | 82 | 2.5 miles |
| Broughton Primary School | 72% | 3.2% | 10.9% | 146 | 2.9 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)
- 6.97%
- English as an additional language
- 4.3%
- Overall absence
- 3.04%
- Persistent absence
- 4%
Location
Nearby schools
-
All Saints' CofE School0.7 miles
Primary · Cockermouth
-
Eaglesfield Paddle CofE Primary Academy1.7 miles
Primary · Cockermouth
-
Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Cockermouth
-
St Bridget's CofE School2.5 miles
Primary · Cockermouth
-
Broughton Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Cockermouth
Other schools in Cockermouth
Fairfield Primary School ranks 2nd of the 6 ranked primary schools in Cockermouth.
- All Saints' CofE School Primary
- Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School Primary
- Broughton Primary School Primary
- Eaglesfield Paddle CofE Primary Academy Primary
- Lorton School Primary
- St Bridget's CofE School Primary
- Cockermouth School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Fairfield Primary School teach?
- Fairfield Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Cockermouth.
- Who is the headteacher of Fairfield Primary School?
- The headteacher of Fairfield Primary School is Mr Chris Steele, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Fairfield Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Fairfield 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 Fairfield Primary School?
- Fairfield Primary School has 455 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Fairfield Primary School full?
- Fairfield Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 455 on roll (108%), so it is at or above 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 Fairfield Primary School a faith school?
- No. Fairfield Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Fairfield Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Fairfield Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Fairfield Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Fairfield Primary School is part of LEARNING FOR LIFE TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Fairfield Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 69% in 2022/23 and 83% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Fairfield Primary School compare with other schools in Cumberland?
- Fairfield Primary School ranked 7th of 111 primary schools in Cumberland for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 91% 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 Fairfield Primary School's absence rate?
- Fairfield Primary School's overall absence rate is 3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Fairfield Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Fairfield 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 2 July 2026.