St Bridget's CofE School

About St Bridget's CofE School

St Bridget's CofE School is a small Church of England primary in Cumberland, and its headline results stand well above the local authority average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 75% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Cumberland average of just 54% for primary schools. That puts the school in the top 25% nationally and 12th out of 111 primaries in the LA, placing it comfortably among the better-performing state primaries in the area. The school is also oversubscribed: for 2025/26 it received 11 applications for 6 places, with all first-preference families offered a spot, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.83. With only 77 pupils on roll against a capacity of 99, it feels genuinely small, and the 24.7% of pupils eligible for free school meals suggests a mixed intake that doesn't hold back its academic performance.

Digging into the detail, the school's strongest subject at Key Stage 2 is reading, where pupils achieved an average scaled score of 104 and 88% met the expected standard. Maths was similarly strong, with an average score of 101 and the same 88% expected rate. Writing was a little lower, with 75% reaching the expected level, though 13% achieved the higher standard in writing — a figure worth noting given the national focus on greater depth. The school has no pupils reaching the higher standard in reading or maths, so stretch for the most able is an area to watch. Ofsted last inspected in March 2022 and rated the school Good across all five categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — a consistent improvement from its previous Good rating in 2015, which had weaker early years provision.

The school offers a solid range of facilities for its size, including a sports hall, playing fields, a library, an ICT suite, music rooms, art studios, a sensory room and a chapel. Sports on offer include football, cricket, swimming and rounders, and there are clubs for gardening, book club, science, art, coding and film club. SEND provision covers specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. With nursery provision from age 3, it suits families looking for a through-school from early years to Year 6 in a rural or semi-rural Cumbrian setting. The school's strong results and oversubscription suggest it's a popular choice locally, but the small intake means places are limited — worth registering interest early.

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