Ghyllside Primary School, Kendal
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Ghyllside Primary School excels at developing well-rounded children through enriching experiences like annual residential trips, outdoor activities, and community involvement. The school has strong relationships with pupils, who behave well and feel valued, with particularly excellent reading provision through its phonics programme. The school is also ambitious for its pupils and has worked hard to design a comprehensive curriculum that sets high expectations.
Key Strengths
- Strong emphasis on reading with well-delivered phonics programme and quick identification of struggling readers
- Broad and ambitious curriculum design with clear knowledge progression from Nursery to Year 6
- Excellent personal development opportunities including residential trips, outdoor experiences, and community engagement activities
- Good behaviour and attendance rates with pupils feeling valued and listened to
- Effective early years provision with consistent curriculum delivery and strong assessment practices
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent curriculum delivery across key stages 1 and 2 leading to gaps in pupils' knowledge and insecure learning
- Underdeveloped assessment systems that don't consistently identify when pupils need further explanation or are ready to move on
- Variable effectiveness of support for pupils with SEND due to lack of clear targets and guidance for staff
- Weak oversight by leaders and trustees of curriculum quality and consistency
- Teachers introducing too much new information too quickly, impacting secure learning
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong systems in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Annual residential trips including camping and hill walking, expedition club, pond dipping, sports, musical instrument lessons, knitting club, gardening club, lacrosse, comic club
Ghyllside Primary School is an ambitious school with positive relationships between staff and pupils, where behaviour is good and early years provision is strong. However, the quality of education requires improvement due to variability in how the new curriculum is delivered across key stages 1 and 2.
At a Glance
13.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
184 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 77% to 86%. Maths has improved from 79% to 83%. Writing has remained stable at around 83%.
Class Sizes
30.7
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
29.6
KS2
13
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
92%
Near capacity
424 pupils
459 capacity
35 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Kendal
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Kendal
Admissions Demand - Westmorland and Furness
Places available
2,627
Applications
1,698
Got 1st preference
97.9%
Got preferred school
99.4%
Primary admissions across Westmorland and Furness (2025/26)
Inspection History(4)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.6968%
Overall absence
5.26316%
Persistent absence
361
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Ghyllside Primary School
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