Progress Schools - Carlisle, Carlisle
Progress Schools - Carlisle is a special school for pupils aged 13 to 16 in Carlisle. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Progress Schools - Carlisle in detail
Who goes there
In 2026, 7 pupils (77.8%) received SEN support and 1 (11.1%) had an education, health and care plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Station Entrance, about 460 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
32 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bus Station (Ca) (bay 3), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Progress Schools - Carlisle stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 4th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 431 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cumberland (22), as is usual near a town centre.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school excels at welcoming pupils who have struggled in traditional education and helping them thrive. Staff create a calm, caring environment where pupils feel valued and supported to overcome past difficulties. The school offers a broad curriculum including practical life skills like cooking and woodwork, alongside strong careers guidance to prepare pupils for their future.
Key Strengths
- Strong, warm relationships between staff and pupils create a calm, respectful environment where pupils feel safe and happy
- Ambitious, well-designed curriculum with clear focus on important knowledge; pupils achieve well and gain a range of qualifications
- Effective identification and support of pupils with SEND, enabling them to learn successfully alongside peers
- Excellent reading support including phonics help; pupils read books that develop their understanding of the wider world
- Strong careers education and personal development programme that prepares pupils well for life after school and meaningful destinations
Areas for Improvement
- Some learning activities do not help pupils develop sufficient depth of knowledge, which limits achievement for some pupils
- Staff occasionally miss gaps and misconceptions in pupil knowledge, meaning some pupils move on to new topics before they are ready
- The school needs to be quicker at addressing misunderstandings so pupils build knowledge securely over time
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Cooking, woodwork, financial management, community activities at residential homes, clothes upcycling, food bank donations
Progress Schools - Carlisle is an independent special school for ages 13-16 that supports pupils who are disengaged from education, excluded, or at risk of exclusion. The school has made significant improvements since its previous inspection and is now judged as Good overall.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby school
Keep up with Progress Schools - Carlisle
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 70
- Fatal
- 2
- Serious
- 14
- Children hurt
- 13
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 70 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 14 serious and 54 slight.
13 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 10 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
18 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 Cumberland is 5 (the median across 179 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
23%
Available places
9 pupils
40 places
31 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Carlisle
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Carlisle
Across Cumberland council
Places available
3,164
Applications
2,751
Got 1st preference
95.3%
Got preferred school
98.9%
All secondary applications across Cumberland council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
7
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
88.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Progress Schools - Carlisle is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
9
Total Pupils
4
Boys
5
Girls
2026 academic year
Questions parents ask about Progress Schools - Carlisle
What are GCSE results like at Progress Schools - Carlisle?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Progress Schools - Carlisle can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Progress Schools - Carlisle's Ofsted rating?
Progress Schools - Carlisle was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2025.
Does Progress Schools - Carlisle meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in March 2025, Progress Schools - Carlisle met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Progress Schools - Carlisle?
Progress Schools - Carlisle has around 9 pupils on roll.
Does Progress Schools - Carlisle have specialist SEN provision?
Progress Schools - Carlisle is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Progress Schools - Carlisle?
Progress Schools - Carlisle is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Progress Schools - Carlisle?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 70 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 14 serious and 54 slight. 13 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 10 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 18 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 Cumberland is 5 (the median across 179 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Progress Schools - Carlisle?
Progress Schools - Carlisle is at 7 Victoria Place, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA1 1EJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)