Bowness-on-Solway Primary School, Wigton
Bowness-on-Solway Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Wigton. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 14 schools in Wigton with published results, and 2,234th of 14,452 across England. It was 48% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Cumberland (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Bowness-on-Solway Primary School in detail
Bowness-on-Solway Primary School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 88% of Year 6 pupils at Bowness-on-Solway Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 88% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 70% in Cumberland and 77% and 75% across England.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Bowness-on-Solway Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 4 families put Bowness-on-Solway Primary School as their first choice, for 4 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 Bowness-on-Solway Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Bowness-on-Solway Primary School are Elmvale School (2.8 miles), Hecklegirth School (2.8 miles), Eastriggs School (2.8 miles) and St Columba's RC School (2.8 miles).
Elmvale SchoolHecklegirth SchoolEastriggs SchoolSt Columba's RC School
What parents say
11 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Bowness-on-Solway Primary School (as of September 2025): 64% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 60% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (91%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (60%).
Who goes there
0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
Bowness-on-Solway Primary School had 7 teachers in 2026, one for every 6 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Annan Rail Station, about 2.8 miles away in a straight line.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Kings Arms (near), 290 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 0 crimes within a mile of the school. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Cumberland (22).
Suspensions and exclusions
Bowness-on-Solway Primary 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; Ofsted Parent View; 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
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from May 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school creates a warm, family-like environment where each child's individual needs are understood and supported. Learning comes alive through outdoor exploration and visits to places like museums and the aquarium, helping pupils develop a real love of learning. By the time children leave in Year 6, they are well-prepared for their next school with strong knowledge and skills.
Key Strengths
- Strong supportive relationships between staff and pupils, creating a warm and inclusive environment
- Effective use of outdoor learning through the school's forest area and access to the seashore to bring learning to life
- Well-designed curriculum in many subjects with good teacher subject knowledge and effective questioning to address learning gaps
- High attendance rates with effective measures to support pupils who struggle to attend
- Strong provision for pupils with SEND, with timely identification and personalised support
Areas for Improvement
- Some pupils do not achieve as well as they should in reading and writing by the end of key stage 1 due to insufficient focus on key vocabulary and limited opportunities to apply phonics to writing
- Safeguarding procedures for recording and sharing information are not sufficiently robust, limiting oversight of safeguarding concerns
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, but the school does not record some actions well enough, which impedes oversight of safeguarding concerns.
Extracurricular Activities
Cross-country, mindfulness club, podcasting, gymnastics team, swimming team, museum visits, aquarium visits, breakfast club, after-school club
Bowness-on-Solway Primary School is a small, happy rural school where pupils are welcomed warmly and their well-being is a priority. The school has maintained good standards and continues to be ambitious for all pupils, though there are areas for improvement in early reading and writing instruction and safeguarding record-keeping.
At a Glance
17.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
11 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
2024/25 academic year
Class Sizes
13.3
Avg class size
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Bowness-on-Solway Primary School
From Bowness-on-Solway Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Bowness-on-Solway Primary School
Term dates
Bowness-on-Solway Primary School is a foundation school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Cumberland's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Bowness-on-Solway Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Bowness-on-Solway Primary 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)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
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
Your chances of a place at Bowness-on-Solway Primary School
Will you get a place at Bowness-on-Solway Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Bowness-on-Solway Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Bowness-on-Solway Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Bowness-on-Solway Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Cumberland, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Bowness-on-Solway Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Cumberland 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
48%
Available places
40 pupils
84 places
44 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wigton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wigton
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.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
5
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
17.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
40
Total Pupils
25
Boys
15
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
5.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,968
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£9,312
Per pupil
£424k
Total funding
£5k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
2.9%
Overall absence
5.0%
Persistent absence
40
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Bowness-on-Solway Primary School
What are SATs results like at Bowness-on-Solway Primary School?
Of the pupils at Bowness-on-Solway Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 88% reached the expected standard in reading and 88% did so in maths.
What is Bowness-on-Solway Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Bowness-on-Solway Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Bowness-on-Solway Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Bowness-on-Solway Primary 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 Bowness-on-Solway Primary School?
Bowness-on-Solway Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 48% of its 84 places.
How big are the classes at Bowness-on-Solway Primary School?
Classes at Bowness-on-Solway Primary School average 13.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Bowness-on-Solway Primary School?
Bowness-on-Solway Primary School has around 40 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Bowness-on-Solway Primary School?
2.9% of sessions were missed at Bowness-on-Solway Primary School in 2024/25. 5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Bowness-on-Solway Primary School?
Apply through Cumberland's coordinated admissions process, naming Bowness-on-Solway 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 Bowness-on-Solway Primary School?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Cumberland is 5 (the median across 179 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Bowness-on-Solway Primary School?
Bowness-on-Solway Primary School is at Bowness-on-Solway, Wigton, Cumbria, CA7 5AF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)