School Chooser

Newlaithes Infant School

Primary · ages 3-7MixedCouncil196 pupilsNurseryCarlisleCumberland
School Chooser Score
36
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 16 to 65
Out of 100. Better than 21% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, December 2022
Attendance95.5%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families14%Far fewer than most schools
PlacesFull196 pupils, 180 places
Pupils per teacher20.4School workforce census
Pupils on roll196Census January 2026

Newlaithes Infant School is a council school in Carlisle for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. It has 196 pupils, 16 more than it has places for. About 14 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 36 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 21% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Langrigg Road, Newlaithes Nursery & Infant School, Carlisle, CA2 6DX01228 525756newinf.cumbria.sch.ukMr Simon Wilkinson headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 13 December 2022, 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”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Nearly full178 pupils for 180 places, 2024/25
99% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same 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 roll196Census January 2026
Places180109% full
Pupils from low-income families14%14% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English8%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support15%29 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%7 pupils with a plan
Average class size28.45 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)15%£37,200 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls94 / 102
White British pupils89%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (18), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (5), emotional and mental health (4), Hearing impairment (3), Moderate learning difficulty (2), Autistic spectrum disorder (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll196207211215213218
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals14%12%12%13%12%8%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language8%5%5%4%1%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support13%11%13%6%1%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%2%2%1%1%

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 school7.4%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.5%5.7%7.9%4.3%1.9%4.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.3%4.5%7.3%3.6%1.6%3.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%1.2%0.6%0.7%0.3%0.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence7.4%16.1%27.6%7.5%2.5%9.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers9.6full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher20.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants7.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£46,913
Teachers who left in the year12%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.62024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,261England £7,738. Total £1.3m
Income per pupil£6,259England £7,697. Total £1.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,537England £3,480
Money in reserve3%Very little put by: £36k, £176 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£273it spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£6,261spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m34712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate109 per 1,000 people20% higher 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
Newlaithes Junior SchoolCouncil100 m236Good 202017Compare
St Bede's Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic920 m213No overall grade 202520Compare
Newtown Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles131No overall grade 202536Compare
Caldew Lea SchoolAcademy0.9 miles273Good 202435Compare
Yewdale SchoolAcademy0.9 miles266Good 202332Compare
Cummersdale SchoolCouncil0.9 miles97Report card 202664Compare
Robert Ferguson Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles409Good 202320Compare
Belle Vue Primary SchoolCouncil1.0 miles426No overall grade 202546Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Newlaithes Infant 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.

Beats21%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 36 is 22 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 15 · middle 59 · highest 98100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 36 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 36% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 16 to 65. 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 inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.02
Ofsted grade, 3.8 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.35
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.16
2024/25; 121 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 Newlaithes Infant School a good school?

It is about average. Newlaithes Infant School scores 36 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 21% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 16 to 65, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Newlaithes Infant School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Newlaithes Infant School good at its last full inspection on 13 December 2022.

How many pupils does Newlaithes Infant School have?

196 pupils aged 3 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 180 places, so it is 109% full.

Is Newlaithes Infant School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at Newlaithes Infant School?

Pupils were in school 95.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 7% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Newlaithes Infant School?

The average class had 28.4 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
Langrigg Road, Newlaithes Nursery & Infant School, Carlisle, CA2 6DX
Telephone
01228 525756
Website
www.newinf.cumbria.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr Simon Wilkinson
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-7, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Cumberland
Ward
Morton
Constituency
Carlisle
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
112226 · LAESTAB 9422620 · UKPRN 10076525

Where these figures come from