Best Schools in Barrow-in-Furness

How many schools are there in Barrow-in-Furness?

Barrow-in-Furness has 32 open schools: 24 state primary, 4 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent, 1 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Barrow-in-Furness are rated Outstanding?

2 schools in Barrow-in-Furness were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Victoria Academy and Yarlside Academy. Counting Good as well, 88% of the 24 graded schools here are rated 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.

Victoria AcademyYarlside Academy

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Barrow-in-Furness get the best GCSE results?

Of the 4 schools in Barrow-in-Furness with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Furness Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 40.8 and 32% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Walney Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 40.5 and 27% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow, with an Attainment 8 score of 38.5 and 33% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Furness AcademyWalney AcademySt Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Barrow-in-Furness have the best SATs results?

Of the 21 primary schools in Barrow-in-Furness with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Yarlside Academy (100% in reading, 100% in maths); St George's CofE School (79% in reading, 89% in maths); and South Walney Junior School (83% in reading, 83% 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.

Yarlside AcademySt George's CofE SchoolSouth Walney Junior School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Barrow-in-Furness?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Barrow-in-Furness selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Barrow-in-Furness have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Barrow-in-Furness have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Westmorland and Furness 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 Barrow-in-Furness?

Apply to Westmorland and Furness 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. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.