Beaconside CofE Primary School

About Beaconside CofE Primary School

Beaconside CofE Primary School is a mixed Church of England primary for children aged 3 to 11, located in the Westmorland and Furness local authority. With 461 pupils on roll against a capacity of 511, the school is operating at around 90% capacity, leaving some headroom for growth. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 18.2%, which is notably higher than the national primary average of roughly 23%, suggesting the school serves a community with above-average economic disadvantage. Demand for places is strong: for the 2025/26 academic year, the school received 72 total applications for 40 places, with exactly 40 first-preference applications and 40 first-preference offers made. That oversubscription ratio of 1.8 means nearly two families compete for every available spot, a clear signal that local parents view the school favourably despite its relatively modest academic ranking within the authority.

Academically, Beaconside sits in the bottom half of primary schools in Westmorland and Furness, ranked 50th out of 99 schools on the key stage 2 reading, writing and maths expected standard metric. In the 2023/24 KS2 assessments, 57% of pupils reached the expected standard in all three subjects, just one point below the local authority average of 58%. The school’s strongest individual subject was writing, where 77% met expectations, compared with 68% in reading and 65% in maths. Higher-standard attainment was more modest: 8% achieved the higher standard across all three subjects, with 27% reaching that level in reading, 18% in maths and 14% in writing. Average scaled scores were 104 in reading and 103 in maths, both close to the national benchmark of 100. In its most recent graded Ofsted inspection in 2016, the school was rated Good overall, with Good marks for leadership, management and early years provision. A subsequent ungraded inspection in June 2024 confirmed the school remains Good.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a gymnasium, playing fields, an ICT suite, art studios and a chapel, plus an outdoor playground. Sports provision covers cross country, tennis, athletics and dance, while extracurricular clubs extend to drama, gardening, choir, coding and chess. For families with children who have additional needs, Beaconside provides support for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties or disabilities, with a resourced provision on site. Nursery provision is available for children from age three. Given its oversubscribed status and strong local demand, this school is best suited to families living within the catchment area who prioritise a Church of England ethos and a supportive SEND framework, and who are comfortable with academic results that sit around the local average rather than at the top of the league table.

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