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Schools across Westmorland and Furness

Local authority · 161 schools across 35 towns

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Westmorland and Furness (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Westmorland and Furness (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Year 7 dates to calendar Reception dates to calendarHow to apply in Westmorland and Furness →

Schools in Westmorland and Furness (161)

Showing 20 of 161 schools

Total Schools

161

121 primary · 19 secondary

Total Pupils

31,227

81% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

37

4 outstanding · 33 good

Capacity

38,446

7,219 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

33
124
Outstanding: 4
Good: 33
Not inspected: 124

Best Schools in Westmorland and Furness

View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

40.5

GCSE Eng+Maths

34.4%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

81% full
15,514 pupils19,237 capacity

3,723 spare places

Secondary Schools

81% full
13,318 pupils16,480 capacity

3,162 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

5.1%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

11.0%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

144

2024/25

Absence trend across Westmorland and Furness schools

4.1%
18/19
3.3%
20/21
6.6%
21/22
6.2%
22/23
5.7%
23/24
5.1%
24/25

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Average across all open schools in this LA.

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

70%

Plans Issued

392

Assessment Requests

598

Tribunal Cases

6

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

57%
2023
90%
2024
70%
2025

Source: DfE EHCP timeliness statistics. Shows how quickly this LA issues Education, Health and Care Plans.

Admission Appeals

2026 admission appeals by school phase

Primary

2,338 admissions

5

Lodged

(0.2%)

5

Heard

0

Successful

(0%)

Primary (infant classes)

1,902 admissions

3

Lodged

(0.2%)

3

Heard

0

Successful

(0%)

Secondary

2,629 admissions

38

Lodged

(1.4%)

33

Heard

17

Successful

(52%)

Total

4,967 admissions

43

Lodged

(0.9%)

38

Heard

17

Successful

(45%)

Total appeals lodged per year

168
2024
127
2025
89
2026

Source: DfE admission appeals statistics. Shows how competitive school places are in this area.

Towns in Westmorland and Furness

Barrow-in-Furness

29 schools

Penrith

27 schools

Kendal

24 schools

Ulverston

11 schools

Appleby-in-Westmorland

6 schools

Grange-over-Sands

6 schools

Dalton-in-Furness

5 schools

Carnforth

5 schools

Windermere

4 schools

Alston

3 schools

Ambleside

3 schools

Milnthorpe

3 schools

Cumbria

3 schools

Sedbergh

3 schools

Carlisle

3 schools

Barrow in Furness

2 schools

PENRITH

2 schools

Coniston

2 schools

Kirkby Stephen

2 schools

Sedbergh and Kirkby Lonsdale

2 schools

Questions parents ask about 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.

Explore More

The Great School Divide
Anatomy of Outstanding
League Tables