Best Schools in Westmorland and Furness

How many schools are there in Westmorland and Furness?

Westmorland and Furness has 161 open schools: 121 state primary, 20 state secondary or all-through, 5 independent, 11 special and 4 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Westmorland and Furness are rated Outstanding?

8 schools in Westmorland and Furness were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Cambian Whinfell School, George Romney Junior School, Victoria Academy, Sir John Barrow School, Crosthwaite CofE School and 3 more. Counting Good as well, 94% of the 140 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.

Cambian Whinfell SchoolGeorge Romney Junior SchoolVictoria AcademySir John Barrow SchoolCrosthwaite CofE School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Westmorland and Furness get the best GCSE results?

Of the 21 schools in Westmorland and Furness with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 65.2 and 85% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Queen Elizabeth School, with an Attainment 8 score of 58.4 and 70% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Kirkby Stephen Grammar School, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.2 and 67% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Selective schools admit by ability, so their raw results are not a like-for-like comparison with comprehensives. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Queen Elizabeth Grammar School PenrithQueen Elizabeth SchoolKirkby Stephen Grammar School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Westmorland and Furness have the best SATs results?

5 of the 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths, among them Arnside National CofE School, Morland Area CofE Primary School and Skelton School. Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Arnside National CofE SchoolMorland Area CofE Primary SchoolSkelton School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Westmorland and Furness?

Yes. Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith is a state grammar school in Westmorland and Furness. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Westmorland and Furness have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Westmorland and 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 Westmorland and 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.