SCHOOL PROFILE

Carnforth High School

Secondary Academy converter URN 145082
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 754 Published school capacity
Capacity used 87.1% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

14 April 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching Needs attention
Achievement Needs attention
Attendance & behaviour Expected standard
Personal development Expected standard
Leadership & governance Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

9 December 2021
Ungraded inspection School remains Good
Published 31 January 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Lancashire
Trust THE BAY LEARNING TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 657 657 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 345 52.5% of pupils
Male pupils 312 47.5% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

32.0%
7.2 pts above England
School 32.0%
Lancaster 25.2%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

4.4%
15.9 pts below England
School 4.4%
Lancaster 10.2%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.3%
0.7 pts below England
School 0.3%
Lancaster 0.0%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
89.5%
588
Any other White background
4.3%
28
Any other Mixed background
1.2%
8
White and Asian
0.8%
5
Chinese
0.6%
4
Gypsy / Roma
0.6%
4
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 23.0% 151 of 657 pupils
2.2 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 23.0%
Lancaster 22.5%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 19.6% 129 pupils
England 14.8% 4.8 pts above
EHC plans 3.4% 22 pupils
England 6.0% 2.7 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
No specialist assessment yet 55
Autistic spectrum disorder 28
Social, emotional & mental health 20
Specific learning difficulty 15
Moderate learning difficulty 10
Speech, language & communication 7

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

39.8 0.6 pts above England
School 39.8
Lancaster 40.0
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 29.2% England 36.0% 6.8 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 56.7% England 51.4% 5.3 pts above England
EBacc entry 14.2% England 30.6% 16.4 pts below England
EBacc average point score 3.36 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.29 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

11.99%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

5.78 pts higher than England
School 11.99%
Lancaster 6.05%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

33.10%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

17.28 pts higher than England
School 33.10%
Lancaster 15.24%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

6.84%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

5.04 pts higher than England
School 6.84%
Lancaster 1.38%
North West 1.75%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

87.1% 5.2 pts below England
Carnforth High School
87.1%
Lancaster
93.5%
North West
91.8%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information