Black Combe Junior School, Millom
Black Combe Junior School is a primary school for pupils aged 7 to 11 in Millom. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the highest of the 5 schools in Millom with published results, and 4,096th of 14,452 across England. It was 71% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- Capacity
- 71% full
- Attendance
- Below England average
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Black Combe Junior School in detail
Black Combe Junior School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "On behalf of all the children, staff, parents and governors I would like to welcome you to our school. As the Head Teacher, I am incredibly proud of our school, the excellent education and opportunities we provide within our fantastic setting. Every day is a learning day and every day counts."
The school runs after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils at Black Combe Junior School reached the expected standard in reading and 89% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 70% in Cumberland and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 65% in reading and 74% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Black Combe Junior School
Across Cumberland, 98% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 100% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Cumberland lodged 13 appeals against primary school offers; 7 reached a hearing and 3 succeeded (42.9% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Black Combe Junior School are Millom Infant School (0.5 miles); Millom Infant School (0.5 miles, Inadequate); St James' Catholic Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 75% reading, 79% maths); and Haverigg Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 80% reading, 85% maths).
Black Combe Junior School's 2025 results were higher than all 2 of them.
Millom Infant SchoolMillom Infant SchoolSt James' Catholic Primary SchoolHaverigg Primary School
Who goes there
34.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 14 pupils (15.7%) received SEN support and 6 (6.7%) 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 specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Staffing
Black Combe Junior School had 6 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 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 490 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Black Combe School (outside), 30 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Black Combe Junior School issued 1 suspension, 1.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils enjoy coming to this school. Staff greet them warmly each morning. Pupils are keen to share their school values and show respect to one another. They listen carefully to each other and make sure everyone gets to have their turn.
The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement. Pupils strive to live up to these aspirations. They try their best during lessons. Pupils behave equally well during social times. They enjoy receiving certificates in assemblies to celebrate their hard work and kind behaviour.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The curriculum has been reviewed. It is ambitious and meets the needs of learners, including those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In most subjects, the school has made clear what it wants pupils to know. However, in some subjects the school has not identified the knowledge that pupils will learn clearly enough. This makes it difficult for teachers to know what should be taught. As a result, some pupils do not progress as well as they should in these curriculum subjects.
During lessons, teachers carefully check pupils' understanding. They ensure that misconceptions are addressed quickly. The school has introduced a range of assessment strategies which are generally used appropriately to find out how well pupils are remembering the curriculum in the longer-term. However, teachers are at different stages of delivering the refreshed curriculums consistently well. This hinders' pupils from learning all that they should. It leads to their variable achievement across different subjects. The school has not checked the delivery of the curriculum sufficiently well. This prevents them from supporting teachers to improve their practice.
From Ofsted's July 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 Requires Improvement at its July 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
34.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 65% to 78% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 74% to 89% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 50% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.3
Avg class size
22.3
KS2
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Black Combe Junior School
From Black Combe Junior School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Black Combe Junior School
Before and after school care
Black Combe Junior School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Cumberland
Term dates
Black Combe Junior School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Cumberland. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Tuesday 5 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Friday 16 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Monday 6 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Wednesday 5 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Thursday 20 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Black Combe Junior School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Black Combe Junior School is in Cumberland; for families living there:
- Cumberland's school travel policy: Step by step guide of the Home to School Travel Assistance Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 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 Cumberland is 5 (the median across 179 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
71%
Available places
85 pupils
120 places
35 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Millom
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Millom
Across Cumberland council
Places available
3,537
Applications
2,352
Got 1st preference
98.2%
Got preferred school
99.7%
All primary applications across Cumberland council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
14
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
22.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
89
Total Pupils
47
Boys
42
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
6
Teachers
14.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,191
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,868
Per pupil
£674k
Total funding
£42k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.9%
Overall absence
18.0%
Persistent absence
89
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
Black Combe Junior School
Questions parents ask about Black Combe Junior School
What are SATs results like at Black Combe Junior School?
Of the pupils at Black Combe Junior School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 78% reached the expected standard in reading and 89% did so in maths.
What is Black Combe Junior School's Ofsted rating?
Black Combe Junior School was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2019 it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Black Combe Junior School?
No fixed boundary. When Black Combe Junior School is oversubscribed, Cumberland allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Black Combe Junior School?
Black Combe Junior School was not full in 2025: it ran at 71% of its 120 places.
How big are the classes at Black Combe Junior School?
Classes at Black Combe Junior School average 22.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Black Combe Junior School?
Black Combe Junior School has around 89 pupils on roll. 35% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Black Combe Junior School?
6.9% of sessions were missed at Black Combe Junior School in 2024/25. 18% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Black Combe Junior School?
Apply through Cumberland's coordinated admissions process, naming Black Combe Junior School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does Black Combe Junior School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Black Combe Junior School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
What are Black Combe Junior School's term dates?
Black Combe Junior School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Cumberland. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Tuesday 5 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Friday 16 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Monday 6 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Wednesday 5 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Thursday 20 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Black Combe Junior School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 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 Cumberland is 5 (the median across 179 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Black Combe Junior School?
Black Combe Junior School is at Moor Road, Millom, Cumbria, LA18 5DT.
Sources: Cumberland term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)