Official inspection reports and grades
Inspected 14 July 2026
Compared with the local authority and England
The share of pupils reaching the standard expected for their age, and the share going beyond it.
| Measure | School | Westmorland and Furness | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading, writing & maths — expected | 77% | 58% | 63% |
| Reading, writing & maths — higher | 12% | 6% | 8% |
| Grammar, punctuation & spelling — expected | 81% | 71% | 73% |
| Grammar, punctuation & spelling — higher | 54% | 23% | 30% |
A score of 100 is the expected standard; 110 or more is a higher standard.
| Subject | School | Westmorland and Furness | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 107 | 105 | 106 |
| Maths | 109 | 104 | 105 |
| Grammar, punctuation & spelling | 109 | 105 | 105 |
School workforce census, 2025/26.
Ofsted inspected Kirkby Stephen Primary School on 14 July 2026 using a report card, which grades each area separately and gives no overall grade. The school met Ofsted's safeguarding standards. It was graded Strong standard for achievement, for curriculum and teaching, for inclusion, for leadership and governance, for personal development and wellbeing, for attendance and behaviour and for early years.
Apply through the council where you live by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference, and offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day. A place in its nursery class does not carry on into Reception, so you still need to apply.
No. Distance only counts when Kirkby Stephen Primary School has more applicants than places. Then its admission criteria, set by the local authority, Westmorland and Furness, decide who is offered a place first. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or a catchment area. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
Kirkby Stephen Primary School had 196 pupils aged 3 to 11 at the latest school census. Its official capacity is 256. It is a mixed school.