Nenthead Primary School, Alston
Nenthead Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Alston. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024. It was 29% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Capacity
- 29% full
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Nenthead Primary School in detail
Getting a place at Nenthead Primary School
Across Westmorland and Furness, 96% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
Admissions history and your chances at Nenthead Primary School
Who goes there
5.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 5.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (82%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 2 pupils (11.8%) received SEN support and 2 (11.8%) 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 autism.
Staffing
Nenthead Primary School had 1 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 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 Nenthead Primary School.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Wright Bros Garage (outside), 240 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 7 crimes within a mile of the school, most often public order offences, criminal damage and arson and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Westmorland and Furness (11).
Suspensions and exclusions
Nenthead Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are happy and proud to attend this small school, which is at the heart of the local community. They value the positive relationships that they have with other pupils and with staff. Pupils told the inspector that everybody is treated equally at their school, which they described as 'like a family'.
The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement, including for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Typically, pupils meet these expectations. They achieve well across a range of subjects. Pupils appreciate receiving the school's TED awards for demonstrating 'technique, effort, desire' in their work.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has designed a broad and balanced curriculum, which includes many references to the local area. It has identified the knowledge that pupils should learn and when this should be taught. In organising its curriculum, the school has carefully considered the mixed-age classes and the small number of pupils in each cohort.
Staff typically deliver subject curriculums well. They provide clear explanations and use subject-specific vocabulary during lessons. Staff choose suitable learning activities that enable pupils to understand new curriculum content. In many subjects, staff use assessment information to check how well pupils are learning, and where future learning should focus. However, in a small number of subjects, staff do not determine well enough how secure pupils' prior learning is. As a result, pupils have some gaps in their knowledge, which hinders them from learning as well as they should.
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
5.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
2.7
Avg class size
2.0
Infant (KS1)
3.0
KS2
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 2 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Nenthead Primary School
Term dates
Nenthead Primary School is a community 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 Nenthead Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Nenthead Primary 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 Nenthead Primary School
Will you get a place at Nenthead Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Nenthead Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Nenthead Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Nenthead Primary 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 Nenthead Primary School for 2014 to 2025 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
29%
Available places
16 pupils
56 places
40 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Alston
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Alston
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.
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
2
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
23.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
17
Total Pupils
10
Boys
7
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
1
Teachers
17.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
2026 data
School Funding
£19,352
Per pupil
£293k
Total funding
£2k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.1%
Overall absence
20.0%
Persistent absence
15
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Nenthead Primary School
What is Nenthead Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Nenthead Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024.
What is the catchment area for Nenthead Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Nenthead Primary 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 Nenthead Primary School?
Nenthead Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 29% of its 56 places.
How big are the classes at Nenthead Primary School?
Classes at Nenthead Primary School average 2.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Nenthead Primary School?
Nenthead Primary School has around 17 pupils on roll. 6% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Nenthead Primary School?
5.1% of sessions were missed at Nenthead Primary School in 2024/25. 20% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Nenthead Primary School?
Apply through Westmorland and Furness's coordinated admissions process, naming Nenthead 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.
What are Nenthead Primary School's term dates?
Nenthead Primary School is a community 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 Nenthead 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 Westmorland and Furness is 3 (the median across 161 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Nenthead Primary School?
Nenthead Primary School is at Nenthead, Alston, Cumbria, CA9 3LS.
Sources: Westmorland and Furness term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)