Cononley Primary School

About Cononley Primary School

Cononley Primary School’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in 2024, rated it Good across every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. That’s a solid, consistent result, but it’s worth noting that the school sits in a local authority where only 16 out of 292 primary schools have achieved Outstanding. The nearest Outstanding-rated alternative is Lothersdale Primary School, about 3.9 km away. Cononley itself has held a Good rating since at least its previous inspection in 2012, so there’s a long track record of stability. With 138 pupils against a capacity of 151, the school is not yet full, but it is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 24 applications for 10 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.4. That level of demand suggests local families see it as a strong option, even if it doesn’t carry the Outstanding badge.

Academically, the school’s headline metrics are not directly available in the data, but the local authority average for Key Stage 2 attainment is 60. Without Cononley’s own KS2 scores, it’s impossible to say whether it beats or trails that benchmark. What we do know is that the school’s Ofsted report from 2024 rated the quality of education as Good, and the same rating applied to early years provision and personal development. The previous inspection in 2012 also rated overall effectiveness as Good, with leadership and management at the same level. The school serves a relatively low proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals — 7.3% — which is below the national average and may reflect the local demographic. For parents comparing options, the lack of published Progress 8 or SATs data means you’d need to look at the full Ofsted report or ask the school directly for its most recent results.

The school offers a practical range of facilities for a primary of its size: an outdoor playground, playing fields, a gymnasium, a library, a sensory room, and even a chapel. Sports include athletics, cricket, netball, cross country and rounders, and there are clubs for chess, choir, drama, book club and eco club. SEND provisions are listed for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties — so the school is set up to support a range of additional needs. Admission for 2025/26 is tight: 12 first-preference applications for 10 places, and 24 total applications, meaning oversubscription is real. This is a small, Good-rated village primary that local families clearly value, but if you’re outside the immediate catchment, you’ll need to check the admission criteria carefully.

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