North Lakes School

About North Lakes School

North Lakes School is a state primary for pupils aged 7 to 11, located in the Westmorland and Furness local authority. It currently has 178 pupils on roll against a total capacity of 228, meaning it is operating below its maximum intake. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 32 per cent, which is notably higher than the national average for primary schools and suggests the school serves a community with above-average levels of economic disadvantage. Despite this, the school appears to be in reasonable demand: its most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in October 2023, rated it Good overall, and it has held a Good rating consistently across its two most recent inspections, the previous one dating back to December 2013. The school has no religious character and is not a boarding or nursery provider, so it functions purely as a junior school for the upper primary years.

Academically, North Lakes School’s outcomes are mixed when compared with local and national benchmarks. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, just 29 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well below the Westmorland and Furness local authority average of 58 per cent. This places the school 95th out of 99 primary schools in the LA, and in the bottom 50 nationally by this metric. Breaking it down, 64 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in reading, 49 per cent in writing and 49 per cent in maths. At the higher standard, only 2 per cent achieved the combined threshold, with individual subject higher scores ranging from 5 per cent in reading and writing to 15 per cent in maths. Average scaled scores were 102 in reading and 101 in maths, both below the national average. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is unclear how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, art studios, a forest school, dining hall, playing fields, sports hall and chapel. Sports provision covers football, cricket, netball, swimming and dance, while clubs include choir, chess, drama, eco club and art club. For pupils with additional needs, North Lakes has a resourced provision and supports a wide spectrum of SEND categories, including specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, multi-sensory impairment and physical disability. This breadth of support, combined with the school’s below-capacity roll, may appeal to families whose children require a more tailored educational setting. However, the below-average KS2 outcomes mean parents prioritising academic attainment at the expected or higher level may want to consider higher-performing local alternatives such as Yarlside Academy or St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Ulverston.

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