Penruddock Primary School

About Penruddock Primary School

Penruddock Primary School is a small state primary in Westmorland and Furness that parents clearly want to get into. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed, with 16 applications for just 9 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.78. Eight of those applications were first-preference choices, and eight first-preference offers were made, meaning every family who put it first got a spot. That level of demand suggests a strong local reputation, even though the school doesn't publish a formal parent-view survey. With just 60 pupils on roll against a capacity of 56, the school is running slightly over its official number, which is common for popular village primaries. Headteacher Carol Sharp leads a mixed, non-religious school that also offers nursery provision for children from age three, making it a natural choice for local families looking for a single-site journey from early years through to Year 6.

Academically, Penruddock's most recent Key Stage 2 results paint a mixed picture. In the 2023/24 assessments, 50% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the Westmorland and Furness local authority average of 58%. However, reading was a real strength: every single pupil (100%) met the expected standard in reading, and 17% reached the higher standard. Maths was more variable, with 67% at expected and 17% at the higher level, while writing saw 67% at expected but no pupils at the higher level. The school's average scaled scores were 109 in reading and 105 in maths, both above the national baseline of 100. In the local authority rankings, Penruddock sits at 72nd out of 99 primary schools, placing it in the bottom half nationally. Its most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2023 rated overall effectiveness as Requires Improvement, with leadership and management and quality of education both requiring improvement, while behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years provision were all rated Good.

The school offers a solid range of facilities for its size, including a Forest School, sensory room, ICT suite, library and art studios, plus playing fields. Sports provision covers cricket, rounders, football, swimming, dance and gymnastics, and there are clubs for chess, coding, choir and book club. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists support for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Penruddock is a good fit for families who value a small, community-focused village school where reading is a clear priority and where the headteacher is accessible. The oversubscription means it pays to apply early, but the fact that all first-preference families got a place suggests it is not impossibly competitive. Parents should weigh the Requires Improvement rating against the strong behaviour and early years grades, and the fact that the school is clearly well-regarded enough locally to fill its places comfortably.

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