School Chooser

Kirkland Church of England Academy

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademyChurch of England42 pupilsNurseryFrizingtonCumberland
School Chooser Score
27
Below
similar schools
Likely range 10 to 60, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 50% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, May 2024
Attendance93.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families20%A bit fewer than most schools
Places14 spare42 pupils, 56 places
Pupils per teacher20.8School workforce census
Pupils on roll42Census January 2026

Kirkland Church of England Academy is a sponsored academy in Frizington for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 42 pupils and room for 56. About 20 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 27 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 50% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Kirkland, Frizington, CA26 3XU01946 861386kirkland.cumbria.sch.ukMrs Katie Robinson headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 8 May 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

4 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 11Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected levelOfficial name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242017†2016†CumberlandEngland
Pupils tested4274
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths29%56%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0104.7105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score101.0103.0104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score103.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard71%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard43%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)57%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.2
Maths progressMaths progress score-2.8

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

† These results are for Lamplugh CofE School, the school this one replaced in February 2021. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Getting a place

Open to all. There is no entrance test. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places34 pupils for 70 places, 2024/25
49% full

36 places were empty (51% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 79% since 2021/22.

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 Cumberland council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll42Census January 2026
Places5675% full
Pupils from low-income families19%20% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English0%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support21%9 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan7%3 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)22%£12,400 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls17 / 25
White British pupils91%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (4), emotional and mental health (3), Physical disability (2), Autistic spectrum disorder (1), Other difficulty or disability (1), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census20262025202420232022
Pupils on roll4241343132
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals19%15%6%7%3%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support17%15%7%3%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans10%3%3%6%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school14.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212016/17†England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.1%4.6%4.9%7.4%1.8%4.2%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.4%4.3%3.6%4.6%1.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.7%0.3%1.3%2.7%0.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence14.8%0.0%14.3%23.5%0.0%10.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions0000

† These attendance figures are for Lamplugh CofE School, the school this one replaced in February 2021. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025.

Teachers2.0full-time equivalent, 2 people
Pupils per teacher20.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants3.3full-time equivalent
Teachers who left in the year31%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m212 months to June 2026, mostly burglary
Local crime rate68 per 1,000 people25% 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 primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Arlecdon Primary SchoolAcademy1.1 miles46Good 202355Compare
Ennerdale and Kinniside CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England1.4 miles36Good 202259Compare
Frizington Community Primary SchoolCouncil1.8 miles109Good 202376Compare
St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic1.9 miles55Not inspectedCompare
Montreal CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England3.3 miles107Not inspected5Compare
St Patrick's Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic3.5 miles271Good 201956Compare
Moresby Primary SchoolCouncil4.5 miles122Good 202381Compare
Moor Row Community Primary SchoolCouncil4.5 miles72Good 202421Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Kirkland Church of England Academy with the 44 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 44 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats50%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 27 is 4 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 31 · highest 97100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 27 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 27% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 10 to 60. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 2.3 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.29
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.03
2024/25; 27 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Kirkland Church of England Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. Kirkland Church of England Academy scores 27 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 50% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 10 to 60, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Kirkland Church of England Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Kirkland Church of England Academy good at its last full inspection on 8 May 2024.

How many pupils does Kirkland Church of England Academy have?

42 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 56 places, so it is 75% full.

Is Kirkland Church of England Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 36 places were empty in 2024/25 (51% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Kirkland Church of England Academy?

Pupils were in school 93.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 15% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

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

Contact and details

Address
Kirkland, Frizington, CA26 3XU
Telephone
01946 861386
Website
www.kirkland.cumbria.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Katie Robinson
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Carlisle
Multi-academy trust
The Good Shepherd Multi Academy Trust (13 schools)
Local authority
Cumberland
Ward
Cleator Moor East and Frizington
Constituency
Whitehaven and Workington
Setting
Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 February 2021 (new provision)
URN
148336 · LAESTAB 9422030 · UKPRN 10087286
Formerly
Lamplugh CofE School

Where these figures come from