St Thomas's CofE Primary School, Kendal
St Thomas's CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Kendal. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 11th-highest of the 13 schools in Kendal with published results, and 9,982nd of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Westmorland and Furness (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Thomas's CofE Primary School in detail
St Thomas's CofE Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "It is a real pleasure to welcome you to our school - a caring, vibrant place at the heart of our community, where every child is recognised as special and unique. At St Thomas’s CE Primary School our vision - Believe, Achieve, Succeed - underpins our commitment to nurturing every child’s potential."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils at St Thomas's CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 77% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Westmorland and Furness and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 91% in reading and 83% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Thomas's CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 23 families put St Thomas's CofE Primary School as their first choice and 48 named it as one of their preferences, for 23 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 Thomas's CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Thomas's CofE Primary School are Stramongate Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 75% reading, 90% maths); Ghyllside Primary School (1 mile, Good, 86% reading, 83% maths); St Oswald's CofE Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 88% reading, 56% maths); and Castle Park School (1.3 miles, Good, 81% reading, 72% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than St Thomas's CofE Primary School.
Stramongate Primary SchoolGhyllside Primary SchoolSt Oswald's CofE Primary SchoolCastle Park School
What parents say
53 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Thomas's CofE Primary School (as of September 2025): 94% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 69% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (69%).
Who goes there
11.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 52 pupils (21.8%) received SEN support and 8 (3.3%) 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
The nearest railway station is Station Entrance, about 1010 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Low Mead (opposite), 200 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 133 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 Westmorland and Furness (11), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Thomas's CofE Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Thomas's CofE Primary School are The Queen Katherine School (0.7 miles) and Kirkbie Kendal School (1.5 miles).
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 agoThis judgement is from April 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
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 enjoy attending this popular and friendly school. The school has high expectations for pupils' academic success. It fosters pupils' curiosity and concentration effectively from a young age. As a result, pupils generally achieve well in many subjects. Children in early years settle in right from the start. Staff ensure they are ready for learning in Year 1 and beyond.
Staff provide effective support for pupils' mental health and well-being. This helps pupils to become confident and successful learners. There is a strong sense of community where pupils feel that they belong. The school has a consistent approach to managing pupils' behaviour. Pupils know where the boundaries are. As a result, pupils are respectful and sensitive to each other's needs.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has designed an ambitious, high-quality curriculum, which is enhanced with rich, well-planned experiences. These enrichment opportunities ignite pupils' interests and broaden their aspirations and horizons. From the nursery provision through to Year 6, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, attain high standards.
Staff are well trained to support children in their learning. For example, in early years, staff use every interaction with children as a teaching opportunity. They plan activities carefully to develop children's speech and language effectively.
From Ofsted's September 2024 ungraded 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 April 2019 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
22.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
53 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 declined from 91% to 65% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 83% to 77% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 74% to 65% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.3
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
31.0
KS2
9
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Thomas's CofE Primary School
Before and after school care
St Thomas's CofE Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Westmorland and Furness
Term dates
St Thomas's CofE Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Westmorland and Furness's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Thomas's CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Thomas's CofE 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)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 6 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
4 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 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 St Thomas's CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at St Thomas's CofE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Thomas's CofE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Thomas's CofE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Thomas's CofE 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 St Thomas's CofE Primary School for 2014 to 2026 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
101%
Over capacity
211 pupils
210 places
1 pupil over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Kendal
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Kendal
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.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(13)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
52
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
25.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
239
Total Pupils
125
Boys
114
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
23.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,825
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,421
Per pupil
£1279k
Total funding
£71k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
9.8%
Persistent absence
184
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 Thomas's CofE Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Thomas's CofE Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Thomas's CofE Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Thomas's CofE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 65% reached the expected standard in reading and 77% did so in maths.
What is St Thomas's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Thomas's CofE Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Thomas's CofE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Thomas's CofE 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 St Thomas's CofE Primary School?
St Thomas's CofE Primary School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at St Thomas's CofE Primary School?
Classes at St Thomas's CofE Primary School average 27.3 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Thomas's CofE Primary School?
St Thomas's CofE Primary School has around 239 pupils on roll. 23% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Thomas's CofE Primary School?
4.8% of sessions were missed at St Thomas's CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 9.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Thomas's CofE Primary School?
Apply through Westmorland and Furness's coordinated admissions process, naming St Thomas'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 Thomas's CofE Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
St Thomas's CofE Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near St Thomas's CofE Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 6 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 4 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 Westmorland and Furness is 3 (the median across 161 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Thomas's CofE Primary School?
St Thomas's CofE Primary School is at Kendal Green, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 5PP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)