SchoolFacts

Carnforth High School

Secondary · Carnforth · LA5 9LS

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Needs attention

Report-card inspection (current system, from November 2025)

The headline grade shown is the Achievement area of the school's report card.

Safeguarding: MetCurriculum & teaching: Needs attentionAchievement: Needs attentionAttendance & behaviour: Expected standardPersonal development: Expected standardInclusion: Expected standardLeadership & governance: Expected standardEarly years: Not applicablePost-16: Not applicable

Inspected 14 April 2026 · report published 22 June 2026

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

657 pupils · 87% of 754 capacity

School type
Academy converter
Age range
11–16
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
32% of pupils
English as additional language
2.6% of pupils
SEN support
12.3% of pupils
EHC plan
3.1% of pupils
Website
http://www.carnforthhigh.co.uk
URN
145082

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

0.74 first-choice applications per place

135 places offered · 100 first-choice applications · usually has places

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE. A ratio above 1.00 means more families named this school first choice than there were places.

GCSE results (2024/2025)

120 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
39.8
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
56.7%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
29.2%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
3.4
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025. “Suppressed” means the DfE withholds figures for very small cohorts.

Attendance (2025/26 autumn term)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
10.8%
England 6.5%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
30%
England 18.1%

Autumn-term absence, DfE pupil absence data. Lower is better.

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
16.4
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

78% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 9% moved to another state school · 13% left the state-funded sector

School Workforce Census, DfE. The ratio counts full-time-equivalent qualified teachers; retention follows teachers in post one November to the next. Open Government Licence v3.0.

Spending per pupil

This school£7,946
Typical secondary school£7,799

Total expenditure ÷ pupils, academy finance return (DfE Schools Financial Benchmarking, latest year). Higher spending is not a measure of quality. It often reflects greater pupil need or a smaller school. Open Government Licence v3.0.

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
87%
Continuing in education
71%
Apprenticeship
12%
Employment
5%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, latest DfE destination measures release.

Inspection history since 2015

Ofsted management information. Ungraded and monitoring visits do not award a new grade. How the two inspection systems work.

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