School profile

Valley Primary School and Nursery

Primary · Community school · Whitehaven, CA28 8DA

Good

Map showing Valley Primary School and Nursery

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#14,264 of 15,057

Worse than 94% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Valley Primary School and Nursery Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 3 Mar 2015

Ofsted rating
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years
Good

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeCommunity school
Ages3 to 11
Pupils286
GenderMixed
Head teacherMrs Sarah Jardine
Local authorityCumberland
Opened01 Sept 2004
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 134214.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolCumberlandEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths36%, worse than England, worse than Cumberland56%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.0%, worse than England, worse than Cumberland5%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.98, worse than England, worse than Cumberland105106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.99, worse than England, worse than Cumberland103105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.99, worse than England, worse than Cumberland104105
Expected standard in reading39%, worse than England, worse than Cumberland72%76%
Expected standard in writing73%, similar to England, better than Cumberland68%73%
Expected standard in maths55%, worse than England, worse than Cumberland69%75%
Pupils taking tests33--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils286
Girls159
Boys127
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.38.1%
First language not English7.3%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.294
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.239
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.18.7%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.91
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.14
Average class size26

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
85.7%
Indian
3.8%
African
3.8%
Other ethnic group
2.1%
White and Black Caribbean
0.7%
Other mixed
0.7%
Irish
0%
Traveller of Irish heritage
0%
Other White
0%
Gypsy/Roma
0%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher19.1
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.8.1
Teachers (FTE)15
Teaching assistants (FTE)20.04
Support staff (FTE)28.05
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2515
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2515
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/250

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.27
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.32
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.24
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.24
Applications from another local authority (Reception)0

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolCumberlandEngland
Overall absence6.5%, worse than England, worse than Cumberland4.8%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.18.2%, worse than England, worse than Cumberland11.6%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.4%, similar to England, worse than Cumberland0.6%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate0%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Valley Primary School and Nursery
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.7 miPrimarySt Gregory and St Patrick's Catholic Infant SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
0.8 miPrimaryHensingham Primary SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Good
1.0 miPrimaryMonkwray Junior SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.1 miPrimaryJericho Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.1 miSecondaryThe Whitehaven AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
1.1 miPrimarySt Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
1.1 miPrimaryKells Infant SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.2 miPrimarySt Begh's Catholic Junior SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
1.2 miSecondarySt Benedict's Catholic High SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
1.6 miPrimaryMoor Row Community Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Valley Primary School and Nursery

What is Valley Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

Valley Primary School and Nursery is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 3 Mar 2015.

How does Valley Primary School and Nursery rank in England?

Valley Primary School and Nursery ranks 14,264 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (worse than 94% of schools).

What are Valley Primary School and Nursery's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 36% of pupils at Valley Primary School and Nursery met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Valley Primary School and Nursery?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Valley Primary School and Nursery made 27 offers from 32 applications (1.2 per offer), and 24 of 24 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Valley Primary School and Nursery?

Valley Primary School and Nursery has 286 pupils aged 3 to 11.

What is the capacity of Valley Primary School and Nursery?

Valley Primary School and Nursery had 294 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Valley Primary School and Nursery?

At Valley Primary School and Nursery, the average class had 26 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 19.1 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Valley Primary School and Nursery?

In 2025/26, pupils at Valley Primary School and Nursery missed 6.5% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 18.2% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.