Arnside National CofE School, Carnforth
Arnside National CofE School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Carnforth, part of Arnside National Church of England School. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the highest of the 14 schools in Carnforth with published results, and 1st of 14,452 across England. It was 57% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Westmorland and Furness (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Arnside National CofE School in detail
Arnside National CofE School in its own words
In its own words: "Arnside National CE Primary School is an Academy School set within an area of 'Outstanding Natural Beauty' against the backdrop of Morecambe Bay. There are 125 children on roll currently taught in 5 classes. In addition, there are up to 26 part-time places for children in our thriving Nursery."
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 100% of Year 6 pupils at Arnside National CofE School reached the expected standard in reading and 100% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Westmorland and Furness and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 75% in reading and 90% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Arnside National CofE School
For September 2026 entry, 8 families put Arnside National CofE School as their first choice and 9 named it as one of their preferences, for 8 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Arnside National CofE School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Arnside National CofE School are Storth CofE School (1.4 miles, Good, 63% reading, 88% maths); Silverdale St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (2.1 miles, Good, 79% reading, 79% maths); Beetham CofE Primary School (2.5 miles, Good); and Lindale CofE Primary School (2.9 miles, Good, 44% reading, 33% maths).
Arnside National CofE School's 2025 results were higher than all 2 of them.
Storth CofE SchoolSilverdale St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolBeetham CofE Primary SchoolLindale CofE Primary School
The trust
Arnside National CofE School is run by its own single-school academy trust.
Who goes there
8.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 4.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (90%) and Mixed (5%).
In 2026, 10 pupils (10.5%) received SEN support and 5 (5.3%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a moderate learning difficulty.
Staffing
Arnside National CofE School had 9 teachers in 2026, one for every 11 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Station entrance, about 290 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Promenade (outside), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Arnside National CofE School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 2 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Westmorland and Furness (11).
Suspensions and exclusions
Arnside National CofE School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are proud of their small, friendly school. They know that their school holds a special place at the heart of their village community. Children in the early years enjoy exploring the exciting resources that adults provide indoors and outdoors. Older pupils relish spending time with their friends in the school's beautiful grounds. Strong relationships with staff help pupils to feel happy and secure at school.
Pupils try their best to live up to the school's high expectations for their achievement. They apply themselves well to their learning. For example, in the early years, children learn to listen carefully so that they know what to do. Older pupils complete their work with diligence. Pupils of all ages, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), typically achieve well.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Since the last inspection, the school has wasted no time in improving its curriculum. This swift and decisive action has been effective. Pupils benefit from an exciting, ambitious curriculum that spans a broad range of subjects. This curriculum contains the important knowledge that the school wants pupils to learn from the early years to Year 6. All pupils, including pupils with SEND, access this strong curriculum. This enables them to build a secure body of knowledge over time so that they achieve well.
In each subject, pupils learn knowledge in small, carefully ordered steps. This helps pupils to build new learning on firm foundations. In most subjects, the curriculum contains opportunities for pupils to connect new and earlier learning. This enables pupils to begin to understand the bigger concepts that underpin their growing knowledge. However, in a small number of subjects, these opportunities are less clearly defined. This makes it more difficult for staff to ensure that pupils make such important connections in their learning.
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
8.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 75% to 100% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 90% to 100% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 95% to 88% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
16.2
Avg class size
15.0
Infant (KS1)
20.0
KS2
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Arnside National CofE School
Term dates
Arnside National CofE School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Westmorland and Furness's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Arnside National CofE School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Arnside National CofE School is in Westmorland and Furness; for families living there:
- Westmorland and Furness's school travel policy: Home to School Transport Policy 2027 to 2028 (Reception to Year 11)
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Westmorland and Furness is 3 (the median across 161 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Arnside National CofE School
Will you get a place at Arnside National CofE School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Arnside National CofE School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Arnside National CofE School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Arnside National CofE School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Westmorland and Furness, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Arnside National CofE School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Westmorland and Furness got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
57%
Available places
95 pupils
168 places
73 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Carnforth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Carnforth
Across Westmorland and Furness council
Places available
2,590
Applications
1,692
Got 1st preference
96.1%
Got preferred school
99.4%
All primary applications across Westmorland and Furness council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
10
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
15.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
95
Total Pupils
43
Boys
52
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
10.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,527
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,213
Per pupil
£644k
Total funding
£14k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
2.9%
Overall absence
3.4%
Persistent absence
88
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Arnside National CofE School
What are SATs results like at Arnside National CofE School?
Of the pupils at Arnside National CofE School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 100% reached the expected standard in reading and 100% did so in maths.
What is Arnside National CofE School's Ofsted rating?
Arnside National CofE School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2020 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Arnside National CofE School?
No fixed boundary. When Arnside National CofE School is oversubscribed, Westmorland and Furness allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Arnside National CofE School?
Arnside National CofE School was not full in 2025: it ran at 57% of its 168 places.
How big are the classes at Arnside National CofE School?
Classes at Arnside National CofE School average 16.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Arnside National CofE School?
Arnside National CofE School has around 95 pupils on roll. 8% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Arnside National CofE School?
2.9% of sessions were missed at Arnside National CofE School in 2024/25. 3.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Arnside National CofE School?
Apply through Westmorland and Furness's coordinated admissions process, naming Arnside National CofE School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Arnside National CofE School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Westmorland and Furness is 3 (the median across 161 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Arnside National CofE School?
Arnside National CofE School is at Church Hill, Arnside, Carnforth, Lancashire, LA5 0DW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)