Bowness-on-Solway Primary School
Bowness-on-Solway, Wigton, CA7 5AFOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Bowness-on-Solway Primary School is a primary school in Wigton for ages 3 to 11. It is one of the 178 schools in Cumberland. It ranks 22nd of 111 primary schools in Cumberland. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in May 2015.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 12 May 2015, report published 8 June 2015
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years provision
- Good
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 1 May 2025
Pupils are welcomed warmly by staff each morning as they arrive at Bowness-on-Solway. In this rural community, staff get to know pupils well. The supportive relationships that staff build with pupils lie at the core of all that is on offer in this small, happy school. Pupils' well-being is a priority. The school supports them well, meeting each pupil's individual needs. Families are encouraged to join in with school life, for example during the recent '1875 Day' when the school celebrated its 150th anniversary. Pupils are polite and respectful. They enjoy learning, especially outdoors. Learning is brought to life for pupils through the use of the school's forest area and access to the seashore. In science, for example, pupils enjoyed searching among the trees to find minibeasts. Pupils live up to the school's high expectations. They achieve well. By the end of Year 6, they leave the school prepared for the next stage of their education. Pupils relish opportunities to extend their academic learning, such as through visits to the museum and aquarium. There are opportunities for pupils to develop their interests, for example by joining clubs such as cross-country, mindfulness and podcasting.
What the school should improve
- On occasion, the school's procedures for recording and sharing information about safeguarding concerns are not sufficiently robust. Consequently, those responsible for safeguarding do not have a clear enough oversight of safeguarding concerns. The school must ensure that the processes to keep pupils safe are fully embedded.
- The school has not identified the vocabulary that it expects pupils to learn or opportunities to apply phonics knowledge to their writing sufficiently well. This means that, by the end of key stage 1, some pupils do not read and write as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff are equipped to help younger pupils build their reading and writing knowledge successfully.
Exam results
SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25
8 pupils took the tests
Pupil numbers and mix
40 pupils on roll, with places for 105
Schools near Bowness-on-Solway Primary School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkbride Primary School | 4 miles | Ofsted: Good | 38% met the expected standard |
| Kirkbampton CofE School | 7 miles | Ofsted: Good | 63% met the expected standard |
| Burgh by Sands School | 7 miles | Ofsted: Good | 50% met the expected standard |
| Wiggonby CofE School | 8 miles | Ofsted: Good | 75% met the expected standard |
| Holm Cultram Abbey CofE Primary School | 8 miles | Ofsted: Good | 10% met the expected standard |
School details
- School type
- Foundation school
- Sector
- Local authority maintained
- Age range
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Nursery classes
- Yes
- Headteacher
- Mr Robert Lakin
- Phone
- 01697351384
- Address
- Bowness-on-Solway, Wigton, CA7 5AF
- Local authority
- Cumberland
- URN
- 112414
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.