St Michael's CofE Primary School, Carlisle
St Michael's CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Carlisle. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 31st-highest of the 40 schools in Carlisle with published results, and 12,028th of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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 Michael's CofE Primary School in detail
St Michael's CofE Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I would like to extend to you a very warm welcome to St. Michael's Church of England Primary School. We are a happy, lively school with a nurturing and caring ethos and a strong, dedicated staff team. St. Michael's boasts strong connections with our local church and wider community."
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am and after-school care, from £4.50 per session.
Coming up: an open evening on Monday 9 November 2026 at 5.30pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Cumberland
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 74% of Year 6 pupils at St Michael's CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 55% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 70% in Cumberland and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (61% in reading, 68% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Michael's CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 25 families put St Michael's CofE Primary School as their first choice and 48 named it as one of their preferences, for 25 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 Michael's CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Michael's CofE Primary School are Stoneraise School (2 miles, Good, 90% reading, 95% maths); Cummersdale School (2.2 miles, Good, 73% reading, 87% maths); Thursby Primary School (2.6 miles, Good, 79% reading, 79% maths); and Newlaithes Infant School (2.8 miles, Good).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than St Michael's CofE Primary School.
Stoneraise SchoolCummersdale SchoolThursby Primary SchoolNewlaithes Infant School
What parents say
13 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Michael's CofE Primary School (as of September 2025): 92% would recommend the school, 92% say their child is happy there and 63% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (63%).
Who goes there
11.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 17 pupils (9.1%) received SEN support and 9 (4.8%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Station Entrance, about 490 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Michael's School (outside), 20 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 12 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, burglary and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Cumberland (22).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Michael's CofE Primary School issued 9 suspensions, 4.7 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; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are happy, polite, caring and friendly. They greet staff and each other with a wave and a smile. Pupils appreciate the positive relationships that they have with staff. As soon as children join the school in the early years, they benefit from a high level of care. Children settle in quickly and make a positive start to their education.
Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), respond well to the high aspirations that the school has for their achievement and for their conduct. They achieve well. Pupils show positive behaviour during lessons and around school. They treat each other with kindness.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Governors have worked successfully with the school to address the areas for improvement that were identified at the previous inspection. Pupils, parents and carers alike have welcomed these positive changes. Pupils now benefit from a high-quality education. The school has an accurate picture of its performance. Governors provide an appropriate level of support and challenge to the school. Together, they have established a school where everyone is valued.
The school has designed an ambitious curriculum. It has thought carefully about the important information that pupils should learn, from the beginning of the early years. Pupils' knowledge builds securely over time. They achieve well across a broad range of subjects. In the Reception Year, children learn all that they should to be well prepared for the demands of key stage 1.
From Ofsted's July 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 July 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
11.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
13 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 61% to 74% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 68% to 55% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 71% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.6
Avg class size
25.3
Infant (KS1)
27.5
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Michael's CofE Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Michael's CofE Primary School.
- Craigdene730m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Michael's CofE Primary School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by Cumberland. 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
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Michael's CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Michael's CofE Primary 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
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 1 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
1 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 Michael's CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at St Michael's CofE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Michael's CofE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Michael's CofE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Michael's CofE Primary 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 Michael's CofE Primary 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
89%
Available places
187 pupils
210 places
23 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Carlisle
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Carlisle
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(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
17
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
14.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
186
Total Pupils
86
Boys
100
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
16.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,393
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,345
Per pupil
£1118k
Total funding
£33k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
10.3%
Persistent absence
175
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 Michael's CofE Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Michael's CofE Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Michael's CofE Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Michael's CofE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 74% reached the expected standard in reading and 55% did so in maths.
What is St Michael's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Michael's CofE Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2020 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for St Michael's CofE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Michael's CofE Primary 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 Michael's CofE Primary School?
St Michael's CofE Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St Michael's CofE Primary School?
Classes at St Michael's CofE Primary School average 26.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Michael's CofE Primary School?
St Michael's CofE Primary School has around 186 pupils on roll. 11% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Michael's CofE Primary School?
4.8% of sessions were missed at St Michael's CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 10.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Michael's CofE Primary School?
Apply through Cumberland's coordinated admissions process, naming St Michael's CofE 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.
Does St Michael's CofE Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of St Michael's CofE Primary School: Craigdene (730m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are St Michael's CofE Primary School's term dates?
St Michael's CofE Primary School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by Cumberland. 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 St Michael's CofE Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 1 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 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 Michael's CofE Primary School?
St Michael's CofE Primary School is at Dalston, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA5 7LN.
Sources: Cumberland term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)