Appleby Primary School
General Information
- Address: Station Road, Appleby-in-Westmorland, CA16 6TX – View on map
- Phone: 01768351431
- Website: Visit school website
- Headteacher: David Spruce
- Age range: 3-11 years
- Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 16 families put it first for 16 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
- Sixth form: No
- Intake: Mixed
- Religious character: None
- Nursery provision: Yes
Who goes here
- Pupils eligible for free school meals: 28
- % eligible for free school meals: 17.2%
- Pupil mix: 1 in 10 (less mixed than the Westmorland and Furness average)
- English as an additional language: 2% (England 22%)
Staff
Teachers leaving each year
- Teacher turnover: 17.9% a year (Westmorland and Furness 12.8%, typical in England 13.9%)
- Where they went: about 38% moved to another school, 62% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
- Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)
Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.
Behaviour
Awaiting Data
Across Westmorland and Furness: suspensions by reason
- Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 1 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
- Suspensions for bullying: 3 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 0 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
- Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)
These are figures for all state primary schools in Westmorland and Furness, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.
Attendance
- Overall absence: 4.8%
- Persistently absent pupils: 12.9%
- Data year: 2024/25
SEN
- SEN unit for AutismSpeech, language and communicationSocial, emotional and mental healthModerate learning difficultiesSevere learning difficultiesProfound and multiple learning difficultiesSpecific learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia)Hearing impairmentVisual impairmentMulti-sensory impairmentPhysical disabilityOther needs 9 places · 9 pupils at the last count
- Resourced provision for AutismSpeech, language and communicationSocial, emotional and mental healthModerate learning difficultiesSevere learning difficultiesProfound and multiple learning difficultiesSpecific learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia)Hearing impairmentVisual impairmentMulti-sensory impairmentPhysical disabilityOther needs 9 places · 9 pupils at the last count
Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.
- Pupils on SEN Support: 13.5%
- Pupils with an EHC Plan: 6.7%
- Data year: 2025/26
Most common needs - SEN Support
- Moderate learning difficulty: 9 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health: 4 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 4 pupils
- Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils
- Hearing impairment: 2 pupils
Most common needs - EHC Plan
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 5 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
- Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil
- Severe learning difficulty: 1 pupil
- Physical disability: 1 pupil
These figures show the makeup of the school.
Educational Attainment
Good 2024 report
Year 6 SATs results
- Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 50% (England 62%)
- Reached the higher standard: 13% (England 8%)
- Compared with the area: 8 percentage points below the Westmorland and Furness average (58%)
- Compared with schools with similar pupils: Below (3-year average 52% against an expected 63%)
- 3-year average (expected standard): 52%
- Expected standard by subject: Reading 67% · Writing 73% · Maths 67% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 53%
- Average test scores: reading 105, maths 103
- Based on: 30 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25
View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.
SATs results over time
Year 6 SATs: joint 66th of 98 junior and primary schools in the area
- =63High Hesket CofE School52%
- #65Beaconside CofE Primary School51%
- =66Appleby Primary School50%
- =66Croftlands Junior School50%
- =66Ireleth St Peter's CofE Primary School50%
Click to see the full ranking
View full Ofsted inspection report
4th of 82 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for Ofsted rating
- #2Sir John Barrow SchoolOutstanding
- #3Allithwaite CofE Primary SchoolGood
- #4Appleby Primary SchoolGood
- #5Armathwaite SchoolGood
- #6Arnside National CofE SchoolGood
Click to see the full ranking
Financials
Spending per pupil: £7,572 (2024-25)
65th of 101 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for spending per pupil
- #63Dalton St Mary's CofE Primary School£7,629
- #64Plumpton School£7,582
- #65Appleby Primary School£7,572
- #66Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School, Dalton-In-Furness£7,533
- #67Holme Primary School£7,468
Click to see the full ranking
View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)