Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal
Hawesmead Avenue, Kendal, LA9 5HB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- MATER CHRISTI MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Clare Ritchie
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lancaster
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Mater Christi Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Westmorland and Lonsdale
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 134
- URN
- 148697
- Local authority
- Westmorland and Furness
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01539723363
About this school
Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Kendal. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 134 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal, 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 6 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 | 21 | 21 | 32 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 71% | 76% | 75% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 10% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 95% | 90% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 90% | 86% | 81% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 90% | 90% | 88% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 110.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 109.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.90 | - | - |
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 Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal 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 | 71% | 60.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 76% | 57% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 75% | 56.5% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 173 |
| 2023/24 | 164 |
| 2024/25 | 155 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal compares
Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal ranked 21st of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness 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 81% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 75% | 4.2% | 6.3% | 134 | — |
| Vicarage Park CofE Primary School | — | 5.8% | 16.5% | 109 | 0.1 miles |
| Ghyllside Primary School | 78% | 3.7% | 14.7% | 424 | 0.4 miles |
| Heron Hill Primary School | 69% | 3.6% | 7.9% | 419 | 0.6 miles |
| Stramongate Primary School | 73% | 4.7% | 23.4% | 237 | 0.9 miles |
| Castle Park School | 66% | 4.8% | 8.7% | 326 | 1.3 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)
- 6.34%
- English as an additional language
- 13.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.15%
- Persistent absence
- 3.94%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Vicarage Park CofE Primary School0.1 miles
Primary · Kendal
-
Ghyllside Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Kendal
-
Heron Hill Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Kendal
-
Stramongate Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Kendal
-
Castle Park School1.3 miles
Primary · Kendal
Other schools in Kendal
Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal ranks 3rd of the 13 ranked primary schools in Kendal.
- Castle Park School Primary
- Crosscrake CofE Primary School Primary
- Crosthwaite CofE School Primary
- Ghyllside Primary School Primary
- Grayrigg CofE School Primary
- Heron Hill Primary School Primary
- Levens CofE School Primary
- Old Hutton CofE School Primary
- Selside Endowed CofE Primary School Primary
- St Oswald's CofE Primary School Primary
- St Patrick's CofE School Primary
- St Thomas's CofE Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal teach?
- Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Kendal.
- Who is the headteacher of Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal?
- The headteacher of Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal is Mrs Clare Ritchie, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal, 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 Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal?
- Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal has 134 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal full?
- Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal has capacity for 210 pupils and 134 on roll (64%), 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 Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal a faith school?
- Yes. Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Lancaster.
- Does Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal as having nursery classes.
- Is Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal part of an academy trust?
- Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal is part of MATER CHRISTI MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 71% 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 Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal compare with other schools in Westmorland and Furness?
- Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal ranked 21st of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness 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 81% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal's absence rate?
- Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal's overall absence rate is 4.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal'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 10 July 2026.