High Hesket CofE School, Carlisle
High Hesket CofE School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Carlisle. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 34th-highest of the 40 schools in Carlisle with published results, and 12,330th of 14,452 across England. It was 64% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- 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
High Hesket CofE School in detail
High Hesket CofE School in its own words
In its own words: "Our school family works together to enable everyone to be the best that they can be. We prepare them academically, personally and spiritually to find a meaningful place in today's world. Kindness runs like a golden thread through all that we do as we work to treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated (Luke 6:31)."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care, from £2.60 per session.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils at High Hesket CofE School reached the expected standard in reading and 61% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Westmorland and Furness and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 76% in reading and 81% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at High Hesket CofE School
For September 2026 entry, 10 families put High Hesket CofE School as their first choice and 34 named it as one of their preferences, for 12 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at High Hesket CofE School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to High Hesket CofE School are Armathwaite School (2.3 miles, Good, 80% reading, 100% maths); Calthwaite CofE School (2.5 miles, Good, 71% reading, 86% maths); Ivegill CofE School (3.4 miles, Good, 85% reading, 100% maths); and Wreay Church of England Primary School (3.9 miles, Good, 77% reading, 69% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than High Hesket CofE School.
Armathwaite SchoolCalthwaite CofE SchoolIvegill CofE SchoolWreay Church of England Primary School
What parents say
48 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about High Hesket CofE School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (67%).
Who goes there
2.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 17 pupils (12.5%) received SEN support and 2 (1.5%) 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.
Staffing
High Hesket CofE School had 10 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 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 2.2 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is A6 Layby (at), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 2 crimes within a mile of the school, most often criminal damage and arson and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Westmorland and Furness (11).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, High Hesket CofE School issued 5 suspensions, 3.5 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; 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from September 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
High Hesket is a warm, welcoming school where children thrive in a culture of kindness and mutual respect. Teachers deliver a rich, ambitious curriculum backed by excellent training and support, ensuring pupils achieve well and develop independence in reading. The school genuinely knows each child as an individual and provides outstanding opportunities for wider development through clubs, residentials, and leadership roles.
Key Strengths
- Exemplary pupil behaviour and outstanding attitudes to learning, with kindness running through the school culture
- Well-developed, ambitious curriculum with clear progression of knowledge, enriched by trips to museums, forests and local farms
- High-quality support for pupils with special educational needs through teacher training, careful adaptations and well-chosen resources
- Highly effective phonics teaching and reading support, with pupils learning to read quickly and confidently
- Excellent staff well-being and professional development, with staff feeling valued and proud to work at the school
Areas for Improvement
- Limited opportunities for pupils to revisit and recall previously taught knowledge across some subjects, causing some pupils to struggle with retention
- Insufficient teaching about different faiths and cultures beyond pupils' own experience, limiting their preparation for modern Britain
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with clear procedures in place that prioritise pupils' interests.
Extracurricular Activities
Residentials to nearby capital cities, sewing club, chess club, sporting activities, school council, library leadership, peer mentoring roles, outdoor reading shed
High Hesket CofE School is an incredibly happy and welcoming primary school where pupils are delightful, kind-natured, and demonstrate exemplary behaviour. The school has constructed an ambitious curriculum enriched through carefully designed trips and visits, with strong teaching supported by high-quality professional training.
At a Glance
2.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
48 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)
Reading has declined from 76% to 65% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 81% to 61% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 81% to 65% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
17.0
Avg class size
17.0
Infant (KS1)
17.0
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with High Hesket CofE School
Term dates
High Hesket CofE School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by Westmorland and Furness. 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
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to High Hesket CofE School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. High Hesket 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
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 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 High Hesket CofE School
Will you get a place at High Hesket CofE School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against High Hesket CofE School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for High Hesket CofE School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to High Hesket 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 High Hesket 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
64%
Available places
126 pupils
196 places
70 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Carlisle
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Carlisle
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(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
17
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
14.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
136
Total Pupils
66
Boys
70
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
13.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,338
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,518
Per pupil
£762k
Total funding
£6k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.2%
Overall absence
3.8%
Persistent absence
106
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about High Hesket CofE School
What are SATs results like at High Hesket CofE School?
Of the pupils at High Hesket CofE School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 65% reached the expected standard in reading and 61% did so in maths.
What is High Hesket CofE School's Ofsted rating?
High Hesket CofE School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for High Hesket CofE School?
No fixed boundary. When High Hesket 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 High Hesket CofE School?
High Hesket CofE School was not full in 2025: it ran at 64% of its 196 places.
How big are the classes at High Hesket CofE School?
Classes at High Hesket CofE School average 17 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to High Hesket CofE School?
High Hesket CofE School has around 136 pupils on roll. 3% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at High Hesket CofE School?
3.2% of sessions were missed at High Hesket CofE School in 2024/25. 3.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to High Hesket CofE School?
Apply through Westmorland and Furness's coordinated admissions process, naming High Hesket 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.
What are High Hesket CofE School's term dates?
High Hesket CofE School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by Westmorland and Furness. 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 High Hesket CofE School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 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 High Hesket CofE School?
High Hesket CofE School is at High Hesket, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA4 0HU.
Sources: Westmorland and Furness term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)