Progress Schools - Carlisle
7 Victoria Place, Carlisle, CA1 1EJOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Progress Schools - Carlisle is a special school in Carlisle for ages 13 to 16. It is one of the 178 schools in Cumberland. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 4 March 2025, report published 1 April 2025
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 4 March 2025
Pupils are polite and make a strong contribution to the calm and respectful environment that exists at the school. They value the positive relationships that they have with staff, who they feel comfortable to speak to if they have any worries. Pupils are happy. Pupils benefit from the care, support and warm welcome that they receive when they join the school. This helps them to overcome any challenges that they may face as a result of the fractured experience of education that they may have had in the past. Pupils respond well to the high expectations that the school has of their achievement and conduct. Those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in the life of the school. Pupils achieve well. The school provides pupils with access to a range of activities that support their wider development effectively. Courses in cooking, woodwork and financial management help to prepare pupils for independent living well. Pupils make a positive contribution to their local community, for example when they run activities at a residential home, upcycle clothes that they have purchased from charity shops and make donations to a local food bank. This helps pupils to become confident and resilient young people.
What the school should improve
- At times, staff design activities that do not help pupils to develop sufficient depth of knowledge in the subjects that they study. This prevents some pupils from achieving as well as they could. The school should ensure that staff design learning activities that prepare pupils well for each stage of their education.
- On occasion, the school is not quick enough to rectify gaps and misconceptions in some pupils' knowledge. This means that these pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. The school should ensure that staff address pupils' misunderstandings in a timely manner so that pupils build their knowledge securely over time.
Exam results
GCSE results (key stage 4), 2024/25
7 pupils in the year group
Pupil numbers and mix
9 pupils on roll, with places for 40
Schools near Progress Schools - Carlisle
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Rennie School | 2 miles | Ofsted: Outstanding | 0% met the expected standard |
| Kirby Moor School | 8 miles | Ofsted: Good | Attainment 8: 0.4 |
| Branthwaite Academy | 30 miles | Ofsted judgements: Requires improvement to good | Not published |
| Hexham Priory School | 34 miles | Ofsted: Outstanding | 0% met the expected standard |
| Mayfield School | 35 miles | Ofsted: Outstanding | 0% met the expected standard |
School details
- School type
- Other independent special school
- Sector
- Independent
- Age range
- 13 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Philippa Skate
- Phone
- 01228586004
- Address
- 7 Victoria Place, Carlisle, CA1 1EJ
- Local authority
- Cumberland
- URN
- 135555
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.