Ellenborough Academy

About Ellenborough Academy

Ellenborough Academy is a small state primary school in Cumberland, serving children from age 2 to 7, and sits within a local authority that includes 144 primary schools in total. Of those, only five currently hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted, placing Ellenborough’s Good grade in a competitive local context. Among its closest ranked peers in the area are Jericho Primary School, Irthington Village School, and Shankhill CofE Primary School, all of which score higher on the local ranking metric. With just 52 pupils on roll against a capacity of 69, the school is notably undersubscribed in terms of space, yet it received 16 applications for 12 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, making it oversubscribed by a ratio of 1.33. All 12 first-preference applicants were offered a place, suggesting strong local demand from families who value its early-years focus and nursery provision.

Academically, the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024 confirmed it remains Good overall, with leadership and management also rated Good. The early years provision, however, was judged Outstanding, a notable strength for a school that starts at age 2. The previous graded inspection in 2014 also awarded Good overall, with early years provision then rated as Requires Improvement, so the improvement in that area is significant. The school does not publish Key Stage 2 results because its age range ends at 7, so there is no Progress 8 or SATs data to compare against the Cumberland LA average of 54. This means parents considering the school for the full primary journey will need to look at feeder options for Years 3 to 6. The Ofsted report highlights consistent quality in behaviour and attitudes, though specific breakdowns for those categories are not provided in the data.

The school offers a broad range of facilities for its size, including a sports hall, gymnasium, library, music rooms, art studios, and even a chapel. Sports on offer include athletics, dance, football, cricket, cross country, and netball, while clubs extend to coding, book club, science club, gardening, and eco club. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions covering moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, visual impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. With nursery provision on site and a 2–7 age range, Ellenborough Academy is particularly suited to families looking for a strong early-years start in a small, community-focused setting within Cumberland. The oversubscription rate suggests it is a popular choice locally, despite its modest size.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Ellenborough Academy

Helpful Guides for Parents