The FMS Inspection Score is FindMySchool's proprietary analysis based on official Ofsted and ISI inspection reports. It converts ratings into a standardised 1–10 scale for fair comparison across all schools in England.
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Early years is the defining feature here, the age range runs from nursery to the end of Year 2, so the school’s job is to get children confident with routines, language, early reading, and learning habits before the move to junior school. Wendy Figes is named as headteacher in official records and introduces herself as headteacher on the school website.
The most recent inspection profile reflects that early stage mission. The 8 and 9 October 2024 inspection graded early years provision Outstanding and personal development Outstanding, with Good judgements for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management.
Admissions are competitive in the local context. For the latest recorded Reception entry route, 52 applications resulted in 34 offers, so there were roughly one and a half applications per place. That is enough demand to make criteria and timing matter.
This is a school that leans into “small child” realities, routines, clear expectations, and lots of intentional language work. The 2024 inspection describes a friendly place where pupils show they like being at school, staff are attentive, and children settle into nursery with enthusiasm for the day. It also describes orderly movement around school and good manners at lunchtime, which is often a reliable indicator that behaviour systems are simple and consistently applied, rather than complex.
A second strand of the school’s identity is local rootedness. The school’s published vision frames Whitehaven and the surrounding area as central to curriculum choices, it references local seafaring history and nearby coastal and rural assets, and it positions pupils as learning how to value and look after the place they live. That kind of framing tends to show up in topic choices, visitors, and trips, especially in History and Geography and in whole school events.
For families, the practical implication is that the “feel” is more about reassurance and readiness than acceleration. You should expect lots of adults modelling talk, supporting play, and building attention, rather than a culture geared to tests at the end of primary.
Because the school ends at Year 2, the typical parent questions are about early reading, phonics, and whether children leave ready for the junior phase. The school publishes early years and phonics information on its website, which provides the most directly relevant signals for this age group.
For phonics, the school reports that in 2023 to 2024, 14 of 15 Year 1 pupils met the phonics screening standard, shown as 93%, alongside a national comparator of 79% for 2023. It also reports a Year 2 phonics re sit pass rate of 75% (6 of 8 pupils).
For early years, the same page reports Early Learning Goals secured for 18 of 28 pupils, shown as 64%, alongside a national comparator of 67.2% for 2023.
Separately, the 2024 inspection report frames reading as central, and highlights phonics and pupils becoming confident, fluent readers as they move through the school. It also mentions a new library and regular opportunities for pupils to borrow and read books.
If you are comparing local options, the most useful way to use this information is not as a single “score”, but as a profile. Strong phonics suggests a clear programme and consistent teaching routines, while early years outcomes indicate how well children are supported with language, self regulation, and early concepts. Parents comparing several local schools can use FindMySchool local pages and the comparison tools to keep notes on these early indicators alongside practicalities like wraparound care and admissions criteria.
The school’s curriculum narrative is unusually explicit for an infant setting. It repeatedly references structured approaches, ordered knowledge, and the idea that learning should be broken into steps, then revisited and practised, which aligns with the way early reading and number sense are typically built.
For early reading, the school states it uses Read, Write Inc for phonics and early reading and writing, and it identifies staff leadership for English and phonics. This matters because phonics outcomes in infant schools are often driven by consistency, staff training, and fidelity to a programme, rather than by one off interventions.
Beyond literacy and number, two distinctive elements stand out in what the school publishes:
Philosophy for Children within PSHE: the school describes PSHE and Philosophy for Children sessions and references a structured resource approach for that curriculum area. In an infant school, the practical value is that pupils get guided practice in listening, taking turns, and expressing simple reasons for their views, which supports behaviour and language development.
Oracy as a whole school thread: the school sets out an “Oracy” focus and describes teaching strategies such as talk partners and think pair share, alongside explicit attention to vocabulary and full sentences. For many children aged 3 to 7, this is the difference between being able to engage with learning across the day and feeling lost, especially for pupils who are shy, have speech and language needs, or are learning English as an additional language.
At inspection level, the 2024 report describes a broad curriculum and indicates that, in most subjects, the school checks whether pupils are learning and remembering what is intended, while also identifying that in a small number of subjects this impact checking is at an early stage. That combination usually suggests a school that has done the hard work of mapping what to teach, and is now tightening how it evaluates learning outside the core subjects.
The main transition is into junior school at the end of Year 2. The school’s own published vision references planning and subject leadership work with Monkwray Junior School to support transition and curriculum continuity, and the SEND information page also references coordination linked to Year 2 and the junior phase.
For parents, the implication is practical. You are not only choosing a nursery, Reception, and infant experience, you are choosing the first half of a primary journey that will be completed elsewhere. When considering fit, ask how information is shared, how pupils are prepared for the move, and how SEND support transfers between settings.
For Reception entry, applications are coordinated by Cumberland Council rather than made as a direct school application. Cumberland’s published timetable for September 2026 entry states that applications opened on 3 September 2025, the closing date was 15 January 2026, and national offer day was 16 April 2026. It also lists a reallocation deadline of 7 May 2026.
Demand is meaningful. The most recently provided application and offer counts for the Reception route show 52 applications for 34 offers, and the route is recorded as oversubscribed, so families should take the timeline seriously and list preferences realistically.
A crucial early years point is that nursery attendance does not automatically convert into a Reception place. The council’s own parental booklet explicitly notes that attendance at a nursery attached to a school does not guarantee Reception admission, so families using the nursery route as a stepping stone should plan on making the formal application on time.
If you are shortlisting, use FindMySchoolMap Search to sanity check travel time and day to day practicality against your actual address, then focus your effort on visiting and asking the right questions about early reading, behaviour routines, and transition to juniors.
Applications
52
Total received
Places Offered
34
Subscription Rate
1.5x
Apps per place
The 2024 inspection report states that safeguarding arrangements are effective. That is the baseline parents should expect, but the detail that sits underneath it is what matters at infant age, whether staff know children well, whether routines are calm, and whether pupils feel safe to ask for help.
Two further published elements add specificity:
The school’s own SEND information page states that the headteacher is also the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo), and it describes “Wiggle Rooms” as sensory and intervention spaces for high needs pupils, with access linked to an Education, Health and Care Plan or an individual support plan, and a small capacity.
The inspection report describes attentive care in nursery, staff support that helps children learn to share and play alongside others, and quick identification of SEND needs with effective communication with parents and professionals to secure specialist support.
If your child has emerging needs, this published picture suggests a school that is thinking in practical terms about sensory regulation, language, and the mechanics of inclusion, rather than only stating a generic commitment.
In infant settings, “beyond the classroom” is often about widening experience rather than competitive teams. The 2024 inspection report describes a varied programme beyond academic learning and refers to after school clubs, as well as visits to art exhibitions and museums linked to local history.
The school’s own curriculum and enrichment pages provide some distinctive hooks that go beyond the usual list of sports and crafts:
School Council is positioned as part of school life, and is referenced in the context of how pupils learn about difference, respect, and expressing views appropriately.
Climate Action appears as a named area, signalling that environmental responsibility is used as a learning theme rather than a one off event.
Art and Design public display is referenced via an “Art Gallery” hosted at St Peter’s Community Hall, which suggests pupils’ work is taken out into the community and framed as something worth exhibiting.
Communication support is also referenced through the school’s mention of Makaton to aid communication, which can be reassuring for families whose children need additional scaffolding to express needs and participate fully.
The practical implication is that enrichment is being used to build confidence, vocabulary, and cultural awareness, not just to keep children busy after lessons.
The school publishes a clear day structure. Drop off is listed as 08:45 with registration at 09:00, and the school day ends at 15:15, with a 15:00 finish for nursery.
Wraparound care is also set out. Breakfast club runs 07:30 to 08:45, after school clubs typically run until 16:15, and the school references Kells Companions as a childcare option after 16:15 (booked in advance).
On travel, most families will be making short local journeys around Kells and wider Whitehaven. For infant age children, the question is less about commuting distance and more about predictability, safe drop off, and whether your routine can absorb wraparound timings when needed.
The inspection profile is mixed across categories. Early years and personal development were graded Outstanding, while quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management were graded Good in October 2024. This can be a very workable combination, but it is worth asking what the improvement priorities are for curriculum impact checks in the small number of subjects flagged as less developed.
Reception entry is oversubscribed. With 52 applications for 34 offers in the most recent available admissions figures, families should assume competition for places and apply on time through the council route.
Nursery does not guarantee Reception. If you are using nursery as an intended pathway, remember that council guidance explicitly states nursery attendance does not secure a Reception offer.
Transition happens early. Children move on after Year 2, so the strength of the handover to junior school is a key part of “fit”. The published references to joint work with Monkwray Juniors are encouraging, but parents should still ask what transition looks like for their child.
This is a focused infant school where early years is treated as a serious phase, not simply childcare attached to Reception. The evidence points to strong personal development and early years practice, a consistent approach to reading and language, and a curriculum that tries to connect children to their local area.
It suits families who want a structured, caring start, value early reading, and like the idea of oracy and personal development being explicitly taught. The main trade off is the competitive admissions picture and the early transition to junior school, both of which require planning rather than optimism.
The latest inspection, covering 8 and 9 October 2024, graded early years provision Outstanding and personal development Outstanding, with Good judgements in other areas. For families, that usually translates into strong routines and care for younger children, alongside clear areas the school is still refining, such as how it evaluates impact in a small number of subjects.
Reception applications are coordinated by Cumberland Council. For September 2026 entry, the published timeline states applications opened on 3 September 2025 and closed on 15 January 2026, with offers released on 16 April 2026.
No. Council guidance for the September 2026 round explicitly states that attendance at a nursery attached to a school does not guarantee a Reception place, families still need to apply through the coordinated process by the deadline.
The school publishes drop off at 08:45, registration at 09:00, and a 15:15 finish, with nursery finishing at 15:00. Breakfast club is listed as 07:30 to 08:45, and after school clubs typically run to 16:15, with an additional childcare option referenced after 16:15.
The school describes working with Monkwray Juniors on curriculum and transition planning, which suggests a common pathway for many pupils. Parents should still confirm the likely junior school route for their address through local authority arrangements.
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