Beaconside CofE Primary School, Penrith
Beaconside CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Penrith. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2016. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 12th-highest of the 18 schools in Penrith with published results, and 12,107th of 14,452 across England. It was 85% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2016)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Beaconside CofE Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils at Beaconside CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 66% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Westmorland and Furness and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (68% in reading, 65% in maths).
Getting a place at Beaconside CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 49 families put Beaconside CofE Primary School as their first choice and 73 named it as one of their preferences, for 49 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 Beaconside CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Beaconside CofE Primary School are Brunswick School (0.5 miles, Good); St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith (0.5 miles, 44% reading, 50% maths); North Lakes School (0.9 miles, Good, 72% reading, 56% maths); and Yanwath Primary School (2 miles, Good, 100% reading, 100% maths).
Beaconside CofE Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Brunswick SchoolSt Catherine's Catholic Primary School, PenrithNorth Lakes SchoolYanwath Primary School
Who goes there
13.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 42 pupils (9.4%) received SEN support and 18 (4%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Beaconside CofE Primary School has a resourced provision: 10 places, 5 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Station Entrance, about 1150 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Coldsprings Park (at), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 112 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Westmorland and Furness (11), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Beaconside CofE Primary School issued 9 suspensions, 2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Beaconside CofE Primary School are Ullswater Community College (0.6 miles) and Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith (0.8 miles).
Ullswater Community CollegeQueen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith
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; 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 agoThis judgement is from March 2016, 10 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils, including children in the early years, arrive at school happy and ready to learn. They are greeted each morning with a warm smile from staff. Pupils look forward to their interesting lessons, particularly when they work outside in the school grounds.
The school has high aspirations for what pupils will learn. Typically, pupils achieve well across the curriculum. They want to do their best and they work hard to live up to the school's expectations.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has prioritised the teaching of early reading. In the Nursery class, children are surrounded by books and they quickly learn a range of songs and rhymes. Skilled staff ensure that children are ready to start learning to read from the beginning of the Reception Year. Pupils practise reading with books that are well matched to the sounds that they have learned. The school ensures that any pupils who struggle with reading get the extra support that they need to succeed. Most pupils read fluently by the time that they start key stage 2.
The school has developed a well-thought-out curriculum. The curriculum is ambitious and meets the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), effectively. The school has identified the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils will learn from the early years to Year 6. However, the links between learning in the early years and key stage 1 are not clearly laid out. As a result, pupils are less able to build on their prior learning when they move into Year 1.
From Ofsted's June 2024 ungraded 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 March 2016 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
13.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 68% to 62% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 66% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 77% to 62% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.2
Avg class size
25.0
Infant (KS1)
28.3
KS2
17
Total classes
4 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Beaconside CofE Primary School
Term dates
Beaconside CofE Primary School is a voluntary aided school, 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
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Beaconside CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Beaconside CofE Primary 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
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
1 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 Beaconside CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at Beaconside CofE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Beaconside CofE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Beaconside CofE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Beaconside CofE Primary 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 Beaconside CofE Primary 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
85%
Available places
433 pupils
511 places
78 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Penrith
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Penrith
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(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
42
SEN Support
18
EHC Plans
13.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Beaconside CofE Primary School has a resourced provision: 10 places, 5 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
445
Total Pupils
226
Boys
219
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
26
Teachers
17.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,162
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,081
Per pupil
£2394k
Total funding
£112k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
8.9%
Persistent absence
395
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Beaconside CofE Primary School
Questions parents ask about Beaconside CofE Primary School
What are SATs results like at Beaconside CofE Primary School?
Of the pupils at Beaconside CofE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 62% reached the expected standard in reading and 66% did so in maths.
What is Beaconside CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Beaconside CofE Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2016, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Beaconside CofE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Beaconside CofE Primary 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 Beaconside CofE Primary School?
Beaconside CofE Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 85% of its 511 places.
How big are the classes at Beaconside CofE Primary School?
Classes at Beaconside CofE Primary School average 26.2 pupils (2025/26). 4 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Beaconside CofE Primary School?
Beaconside CofE Primary School has around 445 pupils on roll. 14% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Beaconside CofE Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
Beaconside CofE Primary School has a resourced provision: 10 places, 5 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Beaconside CofE Primary School?
4.7% of sessions were missed at Beaconside CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 8.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Beaconside CofE Primary School?
Apply through Westmorland and Furness's coordinated admissions process, naming Beaconside CofE Primary 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 Beaconside CofE Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 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 Beaconside CofE Primary School?
Beaconside CofE Primary School is at Hutton Hill, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 8EN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)