School Chooser

Cairn Education CIC

Special · ages 11-25MixedIndependent10 pupilsCumbriaWestmorland and Furness
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Parents would recommend100%12 Parent View responses
PlacesFull10 pupils, 10 places
Pupils on roll10Census January 2024

Cairn Education CIC is an independent special school in Cumbria for boys and girls aged 11 to 25. It has 10 pupils and every place is taken.

The Tavern, 63 Main Street, Staveley, Cumbria, LA8 9LN01539 822304cairneducation.co.ukMiss Rachael Thompson headteacherAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

1 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

The government hasn't published this school's headline results. Fewer than eleven pupils sat the exams, so the figures could identify individual children.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Westmorland and Furness council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

What parents say

Would recommend the school100%England 84%
My child is happy here100%agree or strongly agree
My child feels safe100%
Positive overall100%
My child is happy at this school
100%England 85%
My child feels safe at this school
100%England 86%
Pupils are well behavedThe school makes sure its pupils are well behaved
92%England 79%
Has your child been bullied here?Parents answering yes
0% yesEngland 20%
My child gets the right support to learn well
100%England 81%
Does your child have SEND?Parents answering yes
100% yesEngland 32%
The school gives them the support they needOnly parents of children with SEND
100%England 68%
The school communicates well with me
100%England 78%
My concerns have been dealt with properlyWhen I have raised concerns
75%England 66%
Decisions put the child's best interests first
100%England 78%
I would recommend this school
100%England 84%
Overall view of the school is positive
100%England 79%
Strongly agreeAgreeDon't knowDisagreeStrongly disagreeEngland, agree or yes

From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 12 parents answered in the year to 6 April 2026. Parents choose whether to fill it in, and many only do so when an inspection is coming, so don't read too much into small differences. The England figures are the average for all schools with enough answers to publish.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll10Census January 2024
Places10100% full
Pupils from low-income familiesGet free school meals
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%10 pupils with a plan
Boys and girls5 / 5
How the mix of pupils has changed
Census20262025202420232022
Pupils on roll1010960
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m3512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate82 per 1,000 people10% lower than the England average

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Staveley CofE SchoolChurch of England450 m79No overall grade 202468Compare
St Oswald's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England2.7 miles88Good 202216Compare
Cambian Whinfell SchoolIndependent (grammar)3.7 miles16Not inspectedCompare
St Martin & St Mary Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England3.7 miles336Good 202423Compare
St Thomas's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England3.7 miles239No overall grade 202444Compare
St Cuthberts Catholic Primary School, WindermereAcademy3.8 miles40Requires improvement 20232Compare
Goodly Dale Primary SchoolCouncil4.0 miles77No overall grade 202434Compare
Kendal Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school4.1 miles118Not inspectedCompare

Questions parents ask

Is Cairn Education CIC a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Cairn Education CIC yet.

How many pupils does Cairn Education CIC have?

10 pupils aged 11 to 25 were on the roll in January 2024. It has 10 places, so it is 100% full.

What do parents say about Cairn Education CIC?

100% of the 12 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 100% say their child is happy there. Across England, 84% of parents would recommend their child's school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
The Tavern, 63 Main Street, Staveley, Cumbria, LA8 9LN
Telephone
01539 822304
Website
www.cairneducation.co.uk
Headteacher
Miss Rachael Thompson
Type of school
Independent special school (Other independent special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 11-25
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Westmorland and Furness
Ward
Upper Kent
Constituency
Westmorland and Lonsdale
Setting
Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
7 January 2022 (new provision)
URN
148796 · LAESTAB 9436033

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from