St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School, Keswick
St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Keswick. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 49th-highest of the 112 schools in Cumberland with published results, and 8,749th of 14,452 across England. It was 78% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- 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 Cumberland (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School in detail
St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School in its own words
In its own words: "Find out more about us by clicking the links on the left."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care until 4:50pm, from £4.50 per session.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils at St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School reached the expected standard in reading and 70% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 70% in Cumberland and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 72% in reading and 63% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School
For September 2026 entry, 34 families put St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School as their first choice and 40 named it as one of their preferences, for 34 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School are Braithwaite CofE Primary School (2.6 miles, Good, 73% reading, 73% maths); and Threlkeld CofE Primary School (3 miles, 67% reading, 50% maths).
St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School's 2025 results were higher than all 2 of them.
Braithwaite CofE Primary SchoolThrelkeld CofE Primary School
Who goes there
4.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 7.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 18 pupils (6.8%) received SEN support and 10 (3.8%) 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 a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Twa Dogs Inn (outside), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 42 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cumberland (22), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School issued 5 suspensions, 1.9 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; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; 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 · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
4.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 72% to 78% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 63% to 70% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 62% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.3
Avg class size
26.7
Infant (KS1)
30.0
KS2
9
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 4 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School
Term dates
St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Cumberland's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School is in Cumberland; for families living there:
- Cumberland's school travel policy: Step by step guide of the Home to School Travel Assistance Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
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 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
Your chances of a place at St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School
Will you get a place at St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Cumberland, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Cumberland 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
78%
Available places
234 pupils
301 places
67 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Keswick
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Keswick
Across Cumberland council
Places available
3,537
Applications
2,352
Got 1st preference
98.2%
Got preferred school
99.7%
All primary applications across Cumberland council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
18
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
10.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
266
Total Pupils
129
Boys
137
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
20.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,214
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,004
Per pupil
£1278k
Total funding
£20k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.3%
Overall absence
3.8%
Persistent absence
211
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School
Questions parents ask about St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School
What are SATs results like at St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School?
Of the pupils at St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 78% reached the expected standard in reading and 70% did so in maths.
What is St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2024.
What is the catchment area for St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School is oversubscribed, Cumberland allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School?
St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School was not full in 2025: it ran at 78% of its 301 places.
How big are the classes at St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School?
Classes at St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School average 28.3 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School?
St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School has around 266 pupils on roll. 5% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School?
3.3% of sessions were missed at St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School in 2024/25. 3.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School?
Apply through Cumberland's coordinated admissions process, naming St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery 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 St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 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 Cumberland is 5 (the median across 179 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School?
St Herbert's CofE (VA) Primary and Nursery School is at Trinity Way, Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 4HZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)