Goodly Dale Primary School

About Goodly Dale Primary School

Goodly Dale Primary School's Key Stage 2 results stand out sharply against the Westmorland and Furness local authority average. While the LA average for pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined sits at 58%, Goodly Dale achieves 83% — a full 25 percentage points higher. This strong performance places the school 5th out of 121 primary schools in the authority, and in the top 10% nationally. The school's reading and maths scores are particularly impressive: 100% of pupils met the expected standard in both subjects, with an average reading score of 107 and an average maths score of 103. Writing is slightly lower but still strong at 83% reaching the expected standard. The school also ranks 3rd in the LA on the same combined metric, confirming its academic standing among the top handful of primaries in the area.

Ofsted inspectors visited in October 2024 and rated the school Good across all graded areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This is consistent with its previous Good rating from 2018, though the 2024 inspection was a graded inspection that did not judge overall effectiveness. Parent feedback from the most recent Parent View survey (22 responses) is broadly positive: 91% of parents would recommend the school, and 91% agree their child is happy there. However, the data also reveals some minority dissatisfaction — 14% of parents would not recommend the school, and 9% strongly disagreed with several statements including behaviour management and how concerns are handled. The school's SEND provisions cover Specific Learning Difficulty (Dyslexia), Moderate Learning Difficulty, Social Emotional & Mental Health, and Speech Language & Communication needs, though no parents responded to the SEND-specific question.

With only 78 pupils against a capacity of 98, Goodly Dale is a small primary school offering nursery provision for children from age 3. It was oversubscribed for 2025/26 reception places, receiving 17 applications for 5 places — an oversubscription ratio of 3.4, with all 5 first-preference applicants offered a place. Facilities include an ICT suite, sports hall, music rooms, outdoor playground, playing fields and a chapel. The school offers a range of clubs including coding, chess, science club, film club and eco club, plus sports such as dance, netball, rounders, cross country, athletics and swimming. This is a school that suits families who prioritise strong academic outcomes in a small, community-focused setting, but it's worth noting the oversubscription means securing a place is competitive. The minority of dissatisfied parents may also be worth investigating further if you have specific concerns about behaviour or communication.

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