School Chooser

Thomlinson Junior School

Primary · ages 7-11MixedCouncil227 pupilsWigtonCumberland
School Chooser Score
33
Below
similar schools
Likely range 19 to 52, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 27% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, March 2025
Reached the expected level at 1146%England 63%
Attendance96.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families15%Far fewer than most schools
Places13 spare227 pupils, 240 places
Pupils per teacher19.5School workforce census

Thomlinson Junior School is a council school in Wigton for boys and girls aged 7 to 11. It has 227 pupils and room for 240. About 15 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 33 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 27% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.

The Goose Market, High Street, Wigton, CA7 9PG01697 342432thomlinson.cumbria.sch.ukMrs Dawn Maxwell headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 11 March 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

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
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes
Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
5 December 2019UngradedSchool remains Good

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

59 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1146%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level3%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score101.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 55%55%20172018: 65%65%20182019: 68%68%20192023: 36%36%20232024: 57%57%20242025: 46%46%2025
Since 2017: -9%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017CumberlandEngland
Pupils tested596156624953
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths46%57%36%68%65%55%56%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths3%5%0%13%8%8%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0104.0101.0106.0107.0104.0104.7105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score101.0102.0100.0104.0103.0104.0103.0104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score101.0104.0100.0106.0106.0104.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard63%77%54%81%90%70%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard58%69%54%76%71%64%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)68%75%64%81%82%74%
Reading progressReading progress score-1.5+1.7+0.9-2.2
Maths progressMaths progress score-2.2-1.0-2.2-1.3
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged50%20%42%38%50%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged45%39%74%75%56%

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.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
50%45%
Gap 5 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
36%55%
Gap 19 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%3%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Nearly full239 pupils for 240 places, 2024/25
100% 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 roll227Census January 2026
Places24095% full
Pupils from low-income families15%15% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English3%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support15%34 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan8%18 pupils with a plan
Average class size28.48 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils25%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)16%£57,350 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls114 / 113
White British pupils95%

Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school), for profound and multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Cumberland with profound and multiple learning difficulties provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (24), emotional and mental health (19), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), Hearing impairment (2), Specific learning difficulty (2), Other difficulty or disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll227238241235235229
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals15%15%11%13%13%11%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language3%3%3%2%1%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support13%9%12%7%5%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans7%6%5%3%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school5.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.7%4.7%5.3%6.9%3.0%4.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.8%3.5%4.2%5.6%2.6%2.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.9%1.2%1.2%1.3%0.4%1.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence5.8%8.6%13.4%22.0%5.0%7.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.40.91.72.2
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers11.6full-time equivalent, 13 people
Pupils per teacher19.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants7.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£53,861
Teachers who left in the year9%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher7.32024/25

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£6,733England £7,738. Total £1.6m
Income per pupil£6,846England £7,697. Total £1.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,545England £3,480
Money in reserve5%Not much put by: £75k, £314 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£27kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,733spent 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 m19012 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate62 per 1,000 people32% 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
Wigton Nursery and Infant SchoolCouncil340 m165Good 202355Compare
St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy690 m136Good 202080Compare
Boltons CofE SchoolChurch of England2.6 miles86No overall grade 202547Compare
Rosley CofE SchoolChurch of England3.8 miles66Good 202373Compare
Wiggonby CofE SchoolChurch of England3.9 miles61Good 202362Compare
Thursby Primary SchoolCouncil4.7 miles110Good 202258Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Thomlinson Junior School with the 49 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 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats27%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 33 is 22 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 54 · highest 98100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 33 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 33% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 19 to 52. 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
-0.17
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 59 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 1.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.09
DfE progress measure; 59 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.09
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.10
2024/25; 242 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.15
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 59 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 Thomlinson Junior School a good school?

The figures are weak. Thomlinson Junior School scores 33 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 27% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 19 to 52, 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 Thomlinson Junior School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Thomlinson Junior School not judged at its last full inspection on 11 March 2025.

How good are Thomlinson Junior School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 46% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 3% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Thomlinson Junior School have?

227 pupils aged 7 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 240 places, so it is 95% full.

Is Thomlinson Junior 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 Thomlinson Junior School?

Pupils were in school 96.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 6% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Thomlinson Junior School?

The average class had 28.4 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 25% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does Thomlinson Junior School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for profound and multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

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

Contact and details

Address
The Goose Market, High Street, Wigton, CA7 9PG
Telephone
01697 342432
Website
www.thomlinson.cumbria.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Dawn Maxwell
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 7-11
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Cumberland
Ward
Wigton
Constituency
Penrith and Solway
Setting
Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
112125 · LAESTAB 9422069 · UKPRN 10077134

Where these figures come from