Langdale CofE School, Ambleside

Ofsted's report card from its 3 March 2026 inspection grades Langdale CofE School on 7 areas: 2 expected standard, 4 needs attention and 1 urgent improvement. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders have high expectations for all pupils, regardless of their background or needs."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Pupils develop a clear sense of right and wrong."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Some pupils are not as well prepared for their next stage of education as they should be."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Some pupils do not meet leaders' expectations for their behaviour."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Teachers do not design activities that help pupils connect new knowledge to prior learning."

Early years - Needs attention. "Some children are not supported to be as ready for Year 1 as they should be."

Leadership and governance - Urgent improvement. "Governors have overseen a decline in the quality of education offered by the school."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Those responsible for governance should ensure that they fulfil their statutory duty to support leaders' wellbeing and workload while holding leaders to account so that the school has the capacity to bring about sustained improvement"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers design activities that help pupils to connect new knowledge to what they have learned previously, so that pupils build a secure body of knowledge across subjects over time that helps them to achieve well"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers identify and rectify the gaps and errors in pupils' handwriting, spelling, grammar and number knowledge"; "Leaders should refine the early years curriculum so that staff are clear on what children should learn in order to prepare them well for Year 1 and beyond"; "Leaders should ensure that staff apply the behaviour policy consistently well so that pupils meet the school's expectations for behaviour across all aspects of school life".

For September 2026 entry, 3 families put Langdale CofE School as their first choice and 5 named it as one of their preferences, for 3 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Langdale CofE School are Grasmere CofE Primary School (1.7 miles, Good, 90% reading, 90% maths); Ambleside CofE Primary School (3.4 miles, Requires improvement, 75% reading, 88% maths); Coniston CofE Primary School (4.8 miles, Good, 64% reading, 73% maths); and Hawkshead Esthwaite Primary School (5 miles, Good, 83% reading, 83% maths).

12 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Langdale CofE School (as of April 2026): 92% would recommend the school and 92% say their child is happy there.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (83%).

16.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 6.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

Langdale CofE School had 5 teachers in 2026, one for every 5 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Langdale CofE School.

2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Langdale C of E Primary School (outside), 50 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 0 crimes within a mile of the school. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Westmorland and Furness (11).

In 2024/25, Langdale CofE School issued 2 suspensions, 6.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.