Best Schools in Ambleside

How many schools are there in Ambleside?

Ambleside has 4 open schools: 3 state primary and 1 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Are there any Outstanding schools in Ambleside?

None of the 3 graded schools in Ambleside currently holds an Outstanding rating. 2 are rated Good, so 67% are Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Source: Ofsted

Which primary schools in Ambleside have the best SATs results?

Of the 2 primary schools in Ambleside with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Grasmere CofE Primary School (90% in reading, 90% in maths); and Ambleside CofE Primary School (75% in reading, 88% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Grasmere CofE Primary SchoolAmbleside CofE Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Do schools in Ambleside have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Ambleside have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, the council allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Ambleside?

Apply to your council - Westmorland and Furness or Tameside, depending on your address - through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.