School Chooser

Lorton School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademy45 pupilsCockermouthCumberland
School Chooser Score
13
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 3 to 56, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 14% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
Reached the expected level at 1167%England 63%
Attendance95.5%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families4%Far fewer than most schools
Places25 spare45 pupils, 70 places
Pupils per teacher11.4School workforce census
Pupils on roll45Census January 2026

Lorton School is a converter academy in Cockermouth for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 45 pupils and room for 70. About 4 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 13 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 14% of the 50 schools most like it.

High Lorton, Cockermouth, CA13 9UL0190085919lorton.cumbria.sch.ukMrs Joanne Laker headteacherAll details

Ofsted

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

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

12 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 1167%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score99.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 73%73%20172018: 63%63%20182019: 69%69%20192023: 50%50%20232024: 33%33%20242025: 67%67%2025
Since 2017: -6%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017†CumberlandEngland
Pupils tested126613811
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths67%33%50%69%63%73%56%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%17%15%0%9%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0100.0108.0111.0108.0106.0104.7105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score99.0101.0111.0108.0104.0106.0103.0104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score105.0102.0105.0109.0106.0106.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard67%50%83%85%88%91%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard67%67%83%85%88%91%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)67%33%50%69%63%82%
Reading progressReading progress score+2.1+4.4+2.7+0.2
Maths progressMaths progress score+5.0+1.4+0.4+1.3
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged63%73%

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 Lorton School, the school this one replaced in March 2017. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places45 pupils for 70 places, 2024/25
64% full

25 places were empty (36% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 10% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

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 roll45Census January 2026
Places7064% full
Pupils from low-income families4%4% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English7%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support20%9 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan0%0 pupils with a plan
Average class size15.03 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)4%£3,100 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls23 / 22
White British pupils73%

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

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll454546485055
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals4%4%7%2%4%4%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language7%7%9%4%4%4%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support29%15%15%18%13%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans0%0%2%0%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.5%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school10.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.5%6.3%4.9%6.8%1.6%5.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.7%4.4%3.8%4.9%1.0%3.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.8%2.0%1.0%1.9%0.6%1.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence10.0%15.9%13.3%23.4%0.0%18.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.06.34.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff

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

Teachers3.9full-time equivalent, 7 people
Pupils per teacher11.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants1.8full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,696
Teachers who left in the year41%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.22024/25

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m412 months to June 2026, mostly criminal damage and arson
Local crime rate37 per 1,000 people59% 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
Eaglesfield Paddle CofE Primary AcademyAcademy3.5 miles193Good 202388Compare
All Saints' CofE SchoolAcademy3.7 milesNo overall grade 2025Compare
Fairfield Primary SchoolAcademy3.9 miles455Good 202386Compare
Braithwaite CofE Primary SchoolAcademy4.7 miles40Good 202410Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Lorton School 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.

Beats14%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 13 is 33 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 46 · highest 98100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 13 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 13% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 3 to 56. 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 years25%below
-0.14
2025 results; 12 pupils
Ofsted inspection0%no data
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.24
Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 12 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.15
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.06
2024/25; 40 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.12
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 12 pupils
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 Lorton School a good school?

The figures are weak. Lorton School scores 13 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 14% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 3 to 56, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

How good are Lorton School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 67% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Lorton School have?

45 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 70 places, so it is 64% full.

Is Lorton School oversubscribed?

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

What is attendance like at Lorton School?

Pupils were in school 95.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 10% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Lorton School?

The average class had 15.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

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

Contact and details

Address
High Lorton, Cockermouth, CA13 9UL
Telephone
0190085919
Website
www.lorton.cumbria.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Joanne Laker
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
The Good Shepherd Multi Academy Trust (13 schools)
Local authority
Cumberland
Ward
Bothel and Wharrels
Constituency
Penrith and Solway
Setting
Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 March 2017 (academy converter)
URN
143781 · LAESTAB 9422123 · UKPRN 10061980
Formerly
Lorton School

Where these figures come from