Kirkby Thore School, Penrith
Kirkby Thore School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Penrith, part of Changing Lives Learning Trust. It was 44% full in 2025.
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Westmorland and Furness (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Kirkby Thore School in detail
Kirkby Thore School in its own words
In its own words: "We aim for our children to become confident , secure and caring individuals who achieve personal success and develop a love of learning - ” Aim High” is our motto. We have a whole school system for rewards and our pupils are placed in houses - Dufton, Murton and Knock."
Coming up: an open day on Friday 13 November 2026 at 4.30pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Westmorland and Furness
Vision and values (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Kirkby Thore School
For September 2026 entry, 4 families put Kirkby Thore School as their first choice and 5 named it as one of their preferences, 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.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Kirkby Thore School are Temple Sowerby CofE Primary School (1.6 miles, Good, 75% reading, 75% maths); Bolton Primary School (1.9 miles, Good, 78% reading, 89% maths); Long Marton School (2 miles, Good, 46% reading, 46% maths); and Milburn School (2.4 miles, Good).
Temple Sowerby CofE Primary SchoolBolton Primary SchoolLong Marton SchoolMilburn School
The trust
Kirkby Thore School is one of 9 schools run by Changing Lives Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
9.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 6.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 3 pupils (9.1%) received SEN support and 0 (0%) 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
Kirkby Thore School had 3 teachers in 2026, one for every 10 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Kirkby Thore School.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Kirkby Thore School issued 1 suspension, 2.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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
Kirkby Thore School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in April 2024. Before that, as Kirkby Thore School (URN 112181), it was rated Inadequate in March 2023.
At a Glance
9.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
16.5
Avg class size
18.0
KS2
2
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Kirkby Thore School
Newsletter 25.09.2026
25 Sep 2026
Newsletter 18th September 2026
18 Sep 2026
Newsletter 11th September 2026
11 Sep 2026
Newsletter 16th July 2026
20 Jul 2026
Newsletter 3rd July 2026
6 Jul 2026
Newsletter 26th June 2026
29 Jun 2026
From Kirkby Thore School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Kirkby Thore School
Term dates
Kirkby Thore School is an academy, 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 Kirkby Thore School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Kirkby Thore 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)
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 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 Kirkby Thore School
Will you get a place at Kirkby Thore School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Kirkby Thore School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Kirkby Thore School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Kirkby Thore 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 Kirkby Thore School for 2025 and 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
44%
Available places
31 pupils
70 places
39 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
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
3
SEN Support
0
EHC Plans
9.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
33
Total Pupils
18
Boys
15
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
3
Teachers
11.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,809
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£11,354
Per pupil
£386k
Total funding
£8k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.8%
Overall absence
7.1%
Persistent absence
28
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Kirkby Thore School
What is Kirkby Thore School's Ofsted rating?
Kirkby Thore School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in April 2024. Before that, as Kirkby Thore School (URN 112181), it was rated Inadequate in March 2023.
What is the catchment area for Kirkby Thore School?
No fixed boundary. When Kirkby Thore 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 Kirkby Thore School?
Kirkby Thore School was not full in 2025: it ran at 44% of its 70 places.
How big are the classes at Kirkby Thore School?
Classes at Kirkby Thore School average 16.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Kirkby Thore School?
Kirkby Thore School has around 33 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Kirkby Thore School?
6.8% of sessions were missed at Kirkby Thore School in 2024/25. 7.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Kirkby Thore School?
Apply through Westmorland and Furness's coordinated admissions process, naming Kirkby Thore 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 Kirkby Thore 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 Westmorland and Furness is 3 (the median across 161 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Kirkby Thore School?
Kirkby Thore School is at Kirkby Thore, Penrith, Cumbria, CA10 1UU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)