In short: a primary academy with a nursery. Ofsted's April 2025 inspection gave no overall grade and found 5 areas Good. Recent results and attendance are below average.
Eduscope rank score
A score out of 100 against schools of the same phase, from Ofsted, results and attendance.
Ahead of about 46% of primary schools.
Ahead of about 19% of primary schools.
Ahead of about 27% of primary schools.
Ahead of about 8% of primary schools.
Ahead of about 18% of primary schools.
Ofsted rated the school Good in 2008. 4 years later it was Outstanding. Since then Ofsted has inspected it again and graded each area. Since September 2024 Ofsted no longer gives an overall grade.
Ofsted inspects every state school every few years. Choose a year to see what they found.
Good or better at both graded inspections since 2008.
Became an academy in November 2011. Earlier inspections are of Dearham Primary School.
Letters and checks that aren't inspections, such as academy conversions, complaints and desk assessments. They don't change the school's grade.
At the end of Year 6, children take national tests (called SATs) in reading, writing and maths. Latest results: summer 2025.
Expected standard means a child is ready for secondary school work in all three subjects. 2025 tests.
The higher standard means a child is working well beyond what's expected for their age.
There were no tests in 2020 and 2021. The black line is Cumberland.
33 pupils took these tests in 2025, so one child is about 3 percentage points.
Against 4,229 primary schools with a similar share of children on free school meals (12% to 22%), it's ahead of about 13% on the expected standard over recent years.
100 means the child met the standard. The highest possible is 120.
Grammar and spelling: 61% met the standard (England 73%).
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 33 | 31 | 36 | – | – | – | 35 | 36 |
| Met the expected standard | 58% | 45% | 47% | – | – | – | 77% | 78% |
| England | 62% | 61% | 60% | 65% | 64% | |||
| Higher standard | 0% | 3% | 0% | – | – | – | 11% | 14% |
| England | 8% | 8% | 8% | 11% | 10% | |||
| Reading score | 103 | 103 | 104 | – | – | – | 107 | 105 |
| England | 106 | 105 | 105 | 104 | 105 | |||
| Maths score | 103 | 102 | 101 | – | – | – | 105 | 103 |
| England | 105 | 104 | 104 | 105 | 104 | |||
| Grammar and spelling | 61% | 68% | 69% | – | – | – | 91% | 89% |
| England | 73% | 72% | 72% | 78% | 78% | |||
| Disadvantaged pupils | 10 | 5 | 6 | – | – | – | 6 | 5 |
| Disadvantaged, expected standard | 40% | – | 67% | – | – | – | 17% | – |
| England | 47% | 44% | 51% | |||||
| Other pupils, expected standard | 65% | – | 43% | – | – | – | 90% | – |
| England | 69% | 66% | 71% | |||||
| Reading progress | – | – | -1.1 | – | – | – | +2.1 | -1.4 |
| Writing progress | – | – | -5.3 | – | – | – | -0.8 | +0.5 |
| Maths progress | – | – | -2.6 | – | – | – | -0.9 | -2.4 |
The expected standard is the level the government expects at the end of Year 6, in reading, writing and maths together. The higher standard is well above it. Scores run from 80 to 120, and 100 meets the expected standard.
Disadvantaged pupils are those on free school meals in the last 6 years, or in care. Each group's England row is the same group across England. Small groups swing a lot from year to year, and a dash means DfE published no figure, often to protect small groups.
Progress compares children with others who started from the same point, and 0 is average. There are no scores after 2023, because the Year 2 tests they're measured from were cancelled in Covid.
Source: DfE, Find school and college performance data.
There were no national tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid. Tests came back in 2022, but DfE didn't publish school results for that year.
Each dot is one school, placed by the share of children meeting the expected standard.
In 2026 every family who put Dearham first got a place.
Families list several schools, so this counts every family who listed it, not only those who put it first. 14 families put it first, and all of them got a place.
Over the last 3 rounds, 52 of 52 families who put it first got a place (100%). Room for 271 suggests about 39 places a year. The exact number is in the school's admissions policy.
Applications each year. The black line is how many places were offered. Applications fell from 37 in 2025 to 23.
ApplicationsPlaces offered
When there are more children than places, most schools give places in an order like this. Check the school's own policy.
Good to know: a place in the nursery doesn't guarantee a Reception place. You still need to apply.
How close do you need to live? Ask the council for Cumberland for the last distance offered. Many councils publish it each year, but there's no national file, so we don't hold it.
If you don't get a place: you can appeal. In Cumberland, 3 of the 7 appeals heard for places from September 2025 succeeded. Across England, 15% did.
These dates are for the next round. The figures above are for children who started in September 2026.
Now
Open days run in the autumn. Ask the school for dates.
15 Jan 2027
Deadline to apply to the council for Cumberland.
16 Apr 2027
Offers day. You'll hear from the council.
Sep 2027
Your child starts Reception.
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applications | 23 | 37 | 23 | 41 | 27 | 34 | 40 | 30 | 36 | 40 | 27 | 27 | 52 |
| First choices | 14 | 23 | 15 | 31 | 25 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 21 | 23 | 42 |
| Offers made | 14 | 24 | 15 | 31 | 25 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 21 | 23 | 42 |
| Offers to first choices | 14 | 23 | 15 | 31 | 25 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 21 | 23 | 42 |
| First choices who got a place | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| England | 92% | 93% | 93% | 93% | 92% | 92% | 90% | 91% | 91% | 90% | 88% | 88% | 88% |
Each year is the September children started. A first choice is a family who put the school first on their form. Offers are those made on national offer day, so later moves aren't counted. They can differ from the school's full number of places, which is in its admissions policy.
Source: DfE, Applications and offers.
That's 5.6% of the school year, for any reason including illness. And 1 in 6 children (16%) missed at least 1 day in 10, which counts as persistently absent. Cumberland: 10%. England, primary schools: about 13%.
In schoolMissed
4 suspensions in all, 1.8 for every 100 pupils. Across England, similar schools: 1.1%. No permanent exclusions.
Nursery classFrom age 3. 21 children this year.
Before and after schoolWe don't hold club times. Ask the school.
A shrinking school: 313 pupils in 2018, 202 now.
Ethnic background
97% White British · 1% White & Asian · 1% African · 1% White Other
Children from lower-income families. The school gets extra money to support them.
Cumberland20%
Children who speak another language at home. It says nothing about how well they speak English.
Cumberland7.2%
Children with special educational needs, with or without an EHC plan.
Main needs recorded (pupils)
Cumberland18.8%
Children with a legal plan for more complex needs (an Education, Health and Care plan).
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 202 | 223 | 224 | 240 | 260 | 283 | – | 307 | 313 | – | – | – | – |
| Days missed | – | 5.6% | 5.8% | 6.5% | 6.7% | 2.4% | – | 3.8% | 4% | 3.7% | 4.5% | 4.1% | 3.8% |
| England | 5.2% | 5.5% | 5.9% | 6.3% | 3.7% | 4% | 4.2% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 3.9% | ||
| Often absent | – | 16.1% | 16.1% | 23.2% | 18.4% | 2.2% | – | 4.1% | 6.5% | 4.4% | 7.1% | 5.9% | 6.7% |
| England | 13% | 14.5% | 16.2% | 17.7% | 8.8% | 8.2% | 8.7% | 8.3% | 8.2% | 8.4% | 8% |
Each year is the school year ending that summer, so 2025 means 2024-25. Days missed is the share of school sessions missed for any reason. Often absent is the share of pupils missing at least 1 day in 10.
Source: DfE, school census and pupil absence.
Attendance for 2026 isn't published yet.
2021 attendance was shaped by Covid, so read it with care.
There are no 2020 figures: Covid stopped the attendance count, and we don't hold that year's pupil numbers.
Our pupil numbers start in 2018.
Based on what the data says about Dearham. Take this list with you.
Popular schools fill up, so it's wise to list more than one. Here's how Dearham compares with its neighbours.
Ofsted: Good in every areaYou're hereCA15 7HR · Academy Converter · 202 pupils
Ofsted: GoodCA15 6RX · State · Primary · Ages 3–11
Ofsted: Good
Ofsted: GoodWe'll email you when there's a new Ofsted report, new results or new admissions figures. Nothing else.
Children per teacher across the whole school, not class size. Cumberland: 18.9. England, primary schools: 20.7. Counting teaching assistants and other support staff, there's 1 adult for every 9 children.
Average class: 22 children.
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per teacher | 20.1 | 22.8 | 22 | 21.5 | 20.3 | 19.7 | 23.6 | 23 | 20.1 | 17.5 | 19 | 22.3 | 19.3 | 16.4 |
| England | 20.7 | 20.8 | 20.8 | 20.7 | 20.6 | 20.6 | 20.9 | 20.9 | 20.9 | 20.6 | 20.5 | 20.4 | 20.5 | 20.5 |
| Teachers (full-time) | 9.9 | 9.8 | 10.2 | 11.2 | 12.8 | 14.2 | 12 | 13 | 15.1 | 16.1 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 14.2 |
| Teaching assistants | 12.6 | 15.9 | 13.7 | 15.8 | 8.7 | 9 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Qualified teachers | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 93% | 92% | 92% | 93% | 94% | 93% | 91% | 92% | 93% |
Each year is the November staff count of that school year, so 2025 means 2024-25. Pupils per teacher covers the whole school, not class size. Full-time counts two half-time teachers as one. Qualified means holding qualified teacher status.
Source: DfE, School workforce in England.
2023 to 2024. Up from £5,245 in 2017. Cumberland: £7,042. England, primary schools, 2023-24: £6,588.
These are the school's own accounts, not the whole of Changing Lives Learning Trust. They leave out what the trust spends centrally, so compare with other schools with care. In 2023-24 it spent £37,000 more than it took in (£165 per pupil), which comes out of its reserves.
The school was £171,000 in deficit (£763 per pupil) in 2024: it had spent more than its reserves. Worth asking how it plans to recover.
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spending | £6,710 | £8,692 | £5,869 | £5,789 | £5,954 | – | £4,178 | £5,245 |
| England | £6,588 | £6,167 | £5,758 | £5,397 | £5,306 | £5,058 | £5,066 | |
| Income | £6,545 | £6,424 | £5,568 | £5,077 | £6,794 | – | £4,791 | £4,504 |
| Staff costs | £5,219 | £5,121 | £4,358 | £4,716 | £4,169 | – | £2,537 | £3,702 |
| Buildings and grounds | £259 | £2,161 | £335 | £283 | £363 | – | £0 | £518 |
| Reserves | £-763 | £-357 | £146 | £376 | £-289 | – | £-659 | £53 |
Each year is the financial year ending in that year. Per pupil means the year's total divided by the number of pupils. These are day-to-day figures: big building projects aren't counted.
Source: DfE, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool.
Ofsted's April 2025 inspection gave no overall grade and found 5 areas Good. In 2025, 58% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 56% in Cumberland and 62% across England. Visit, and read the latest inspection report.
Ofsted's April 2025 inspection gave no overall grade and found 5 areas Good. The full report on Ofsted's website explains what it does well and what it needs to improve.
In 2025, 58% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 56% in Cumberland and 62% across England. 0% reached the higher standard, against 5% in Cumberland and 8% across England. Its average scaled scores were 103 in reading and 103 in maths, where 100 is the expected standard.
58% of its pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2025. That puts it joint 52nd of 112 mainstream state primary schools in Cumberland with published results that year.
In 2026, 23 families applied and 14 were offered Reception places, and 14 families put it as their first choice. Every family who put it first got a place that year.
Yes, it has a nursery class. A nursery place doesn't guarantee a Reception place, so you still need to apply.
No, it doesn't have a religious character.
16% of children missed at least 1 day in 10, which counts as persistently absent. Absence went up across England after Covid. Ask the school what it's doing about it.
We compare the school with others of the same phase across England on its latest Ofsted inspection, results and attendance, and turn that into a score out of 100. The weights are on our methodology page. Admissions, staff and money aren't part of it.
Sources: Department for Education school performance tables, school census and workforce, academy accounts, admissions statistics, Ofsted and ISI. Photos are stand-ins. School details and inspections checked against official records on 5 November 2026.
