Kirkby Stephen Primary School

About Kirkby Stephen Primary School

Kirkby Stephen Primary School is a mixed state primary for children aged 3 to 11, located in the Westmorland and Furness local authority. In the most recent local rankings, it placed 24th out of 99 primary schools in the area, putting it in the top 25% of its peers. For context, the top three ranked schools in the same authority are Yarlside Academy, St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Ulverston, and Staveley CofE School. The school is led by headteacher Alison Capstick and has 196 pupils against a capacity of 256, meaning there is some room for growth. Its religious character is listed as not applicable, and it does not have a sixth form or boarding provision, but it does offer nursery provision for younger children. The school was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022, with leadership and management also judged to be Good. This represents an improvement from its previous inspection in 2011, when the overall effectiveness was Requires Improvement.

Academically, the school's Key Stage 2 results from the 2023/24 academic year show a mixed picture. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined was 71%, which is notably higher than the local authority average of 58%. In individual subjects, 92% met the expected standard in maths, 83% in reading, and 77% in writing. However, the percentage achieving the higher standard across all three subjects was just 2%, which is low. Maths saw 31% of pupils reach the higher standard, while reading and writing were 19% and 6% respectively. Average scaled scores were 107 in maths and 105 in reading. The school's ranking score of 71 places it in the top 50 nationally for its Key Stage 2 expected standard metric, and it ranks 535th out of 2,065 primary schools in the North West region.

The school offers a range of facilities including a sports hall, playing fields, a gymnasium, an outdoor playground, and a chapel. Sports on offer include athletics, football, cross country, dance, gymnastics, and cricket, while clubs extend to gardening, choir, book club, and chess. For pupils with additional needs, the school provides support for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, as well as speech, language and communication needs. Admission data for the 2025/26 academic year shows the school was oversubscribed, with 28 applications for 24 places, and all 24 first-preference applicants receiving an offer. This suggests it is a popular choice locally, particularly for families who value a strong academic baseline in a rural setting. With its nursery provision and Good Ofsted rating, it suits families seeking a solid primary education within the Westmorland and Furness area.

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