St Columba's School

About St Columba's School

St Columba's School in Westmorland and Furness is a Roman Catholic primary that clearly appeals to local families. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 27 applications for 18 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.5, and all 18 first-preference applicants were offered a spot. That kind of demand suggests parents who get a place tend to be happy with what they find. The school itself is a state-funded mixed primary for ages 3 to 11, with a nursery on site, and currently has 216 pupils against a capacity of 240. Just 9.3% of pupils qualify for free school meals, which is below the national average and hints at a relatively advantaged intake. The headteacher is Claire O'Donnell, and the school's most recent graded Ofsted inspection in 2012 rated it Good overall, with leadership and management also judged Good. A subsequent ungraded inspection in November 2022 confirmed the school remains Good.

Academically, St Columba's performs well above the local authority average. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 70% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Westmorland and Furness average of 58%. That puts the school 26th out of 99 primaries in the LA, comfortably in the top 50 nationally by this measure. Looking at individual subjects, 80% met expectations in reading and maths, and 70% in writing. At the higher standard, 50% of pupils achieved above the expected level in reading, 25% in maths and 10% in writing, while 5% hit the higher bar across all three subjects. Average scaled scores were 108 in reading and 105 in maths, both above the national benchmark of 100. The school's previous Ofsted inspection in 2008 rated it Outstanding overall, so the current Good grade represents a slight dip, but the ungraded visit in 2022 found no cause to change the rating.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, ICT suite, chapel, outdoor playground and playing fields. Sports provision covers rounders, cricket, tennis and football, while clubs include chess, choir, drama and coding. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists support for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication difficulties. The oversubscription ratio of 1.5 means competition for places is moderate but not fierce, and with all first-preference applicants offered a place in the most recent round, it is not a high-stakes gamble for local Catholic families. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Victoria Academy, three kilometres away, so St Columba's is a strong alternative for those who want a Good-rated school with above-average results and a clear faith character.

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