School Chooser

Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School, Dalton-In-Furness

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic101 pupilsNurseryDalton-in-FurnessWestmorland and Furness
School Chooser Score
61
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 26 to 86, so it could be “above”
Out of 100. Better than 77% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedAs expected teachingOfsted report card, April 2026
Reached the expected level at 1178%England 63%
Attendance95.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families18%A bit fewer than most schools
Places4 spare101 pupils, 105 places
Pupils per teacher20.4School workforce census

Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School, Dalton-In-Furness is a converter academy in Dalton-in-Furness for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 101 pupils and room for 105. About 18 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 61 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 77% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in April 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Crooklands Brow, Dalton-in-Furness, LA15 8LB01229 467987ourlady.cumbria.sch.ukMrs Bernadette Charnley headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 14 April 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
As expected
Achievement
As expected
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
Strong
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
Strong
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
Strong
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
As expected
Early years
Strong
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

9 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 1178%
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 score108.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score107.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 92%92%20172018: 100%100%20182019: 94%94%20192023: 62%62%20232024: 53%53%20242025: 78%78%2025
Since 2017: -14%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232019†2018†2017†Westmorland and FurnessEngland
Pupils tested91513161513
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths78%53%62%94%100%92%58%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%8%13%0%23%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score108.0104.0108.0108.0109.0112.0105.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score107.0104.0106.0109.0106.0108.0104.1104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score109.0102.0103.0106.0107.0108.0104.5105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard78%73%92%100%100%100%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard78%73%77%100%100%92%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)78%67%69%94%100%92%
Reading progressReading progress score-1.5+2.5+4.2+7.8
Maths progressMaths progress score-2.5+3.6+1.7+3.5

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 Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced in January 2023. 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. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places79 pupils for 105 places, 2024/25
75% full

26 places were empty (25% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.

How places were given out for September 2026.

EntryApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary3015LA

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 roll101Census January 2026
Places10596% full
Pupils from low-income families18%18% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support9%9 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan11%11 pupils with a plan
Average class size22.03 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)24%£29,450 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls53 / 48
White British pupils91%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 14.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 26.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (6), language and communications needs (5), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Specific learning difficulty (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (1), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census2026202520242023
Pupils on roll10110210091
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals18%20%20%17%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%3%3%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support10%13%10%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans11%7%7%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school11.5%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.7%4.6%7.0%7.1%2.1%5.5%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.3%3.6%5.8%5.6%1.8%5.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.4%1.0%1.2%1.5%0.3%0.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence11.5%6.9%32.9%15.2%2.5%13.8%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions000

† These attendance figures are for Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced in January 2023. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff and money

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

Teachers4.9full-time equivalent, 6 people
Pupils per teacher20.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants5.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,584
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.32024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£7,495England £7,128. Total £742k
Income per pupil£8,182England £7,587. Total £810k
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,778England £3,405
Money in reserve19%A healthy amount put by: £150k, £1,515 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£68kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,495spent 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 m14912 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate47 per 1,000 people48% 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
Chapel Street Infants and Nursery SchoolCouncil550 m81Good 202318Compare
George Romney Junior SchoolCouncil650 m75Outstanding 202487Compare
Dalton St Mary's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England0.7 miles211Good 202341Compare
Lindal and Marton Primary SchoolAcademy1.4 miles78Report card 20261Compare
Newton Village AcademyAcademy1.9 miles79Not inspected10Compare
Low Furness CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England1.9 miles127Not inspected63Compare
Ireleth St Peter's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England2.2 miles76Good 202325Compare
Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and NurseryCouncil2.2 miles267Good 201946Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School, Dalton-In-Furness 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.

Beats77%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 61 is 21 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 40 · highest 93100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 61 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 61% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 26 to 86. 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%in line
-0.05
2024 and 2023 results; 15 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.03
Ofsted report card, 0.4 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.17
DfE progress measure; 15 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well above
+0.31
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.03
2024/25; 78 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
-0.03
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 15 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 Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School, Dalton-In-Furness a good school?

It is about average. Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School, Dalton-In-Furness scores 61 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 77% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 26 to 86, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

What is Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School, Dalton-In-Furness's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 14 April 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as strong, leadership as as expected.

How good are Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School, Dalton-In-Furness's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 78% 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 Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School, Dalton-In-Furness have?

101 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 105 places, so it is 96% full.

Is Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School, Dalton-In-Furness oversubscribed?

Probably not. 26 places were empty in 2024/25 (25% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School, Dalton-In-Furness?

Pupils were in school 95.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 12% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School, Dalton-In-Furness?

The average class had 22.0 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
Crooklands Brow, Dalton-in-Furness, LA15 8LB
Telephone
01229 467987
Website
www.ourlady.cumbria.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Bernadette Charnley
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of Lancaster
Multi-academy trust
Mater Christi Multi-Academy Trust (16 schools)
Local authority
Westmorland and Furness
Ward
Dalton North
Constituency
Barrow and Furness
Setting
Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 January 2023 (academy converter)
URN
149513 · LAESTAB 9433551 · UKPRN 10091613
Formerly
Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School

Where these figures come from