Head Teacher's Welcome

Cartmel Priory Church of England School is a small, rural 11-16 Single Academy Trust which provides a unique secondary school experience in a wonderful location.

Vision and Ethos

We are very proud of our school and for the experiences we are able to offer students. We believe strongly that education is about supporting students in a holistic way to develop the wisdom, knowledge and skills to be ready for their adult life.

Our Christian values reflect a deep and inclusive commitment to our students, staff and the wider community. We have a clearly defined ethos embodied in John 10: 10 “I have come that they may have life, and have life to the full” which is embedded in our philosophy and in our practice, supporting our decision making and school priorities. It is reflected in our commitment to providing a broad and balanced curriculum and in the wide range of enrichment opportunities on offer to enable students to grow and flourish as people.

We have high aspirations for our students but we also value them as individuals and we are dedicated to do our best to ensure that all students fulfil their potential academically, physically, socially, morally and spiritually.

This is a harmonious school where pupils flourish. They are asked to ‘live life to the full’. Pupils enjoy being part of a close-knit community. They are proud to belong to the school.... Pupils respond well to the high expectations set by leaders and teachers to achieve their best. They enjoy a rich curriculum. (Ofsted, March 2022)

The vision for enabling all to live life to the full results in excellent pastoral care and exceptional relationships. This ensures the physical, mental and academic wellbeing and inclusion of all. (SIAMS, February 2020)

Quality of Education

The quality of relationships that exist within our school community and the commitment of all of our staff, both teaching and non-teaching, is a strength of our school and supports us to be able to provide the best possible learning experience for our students. Every child is important in this school and being small means we can truly know every individual in our community.

We positively encourage the involvement of parents so that we are able to work in partnership to ensure students make the best possible progress. As a consequence of the outstanding pastoral care we offer and our focus on character development, our students demonstrate high standards of behaviour and very positive attitudes to learning.

At Cartmel Priory School, we aim to deliver the highest standards of education whilst developing our students to become life-long learners who remain curious about the world around them and who are highly ambitious for themselves. As a result of our inclusive, supportive and aspirational approach, every year a large percentage of our students achieve high grades at GCSE and the school has consistently been amongst Cumbria’s highest performing schools for student attainment and progress.     

Mrs Sarah Beestone

Head Teacher