Appleby Grammar School, Appleby-in-Westmorland

Good
Secondary
Academy converter
Mixed
Ages 1118

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Philip Nicholson
Pupils:357 / 750 capacity
LA:Westmorland and Furness
Phone:01768351580
Address:Battlebarrow, Appleby-in-Westmorland, CA16 6XU
Trust:APPLEBY GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Admissions:Non-selective
Status:open
Opened:1 August 2011

Ofsted Rating

Good

Overall

URN:137251
UKPRN:10034596
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Westmorland and Lonsdale
Urban/Rural:Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Appleby Grammar School excels at creating a supportive community where all pupils, including those with additional needs, thrive. The school combines strong teaching with excellent pastoral care, helping pupils develop confidence and resilience. Parents particularly value the care and support their children receive, and the school's track record shows all leavers progress to appropriate further education, employment or training.

Key Strengths

  • Strong behaviour and attendance systems with a well-understood rewards approach creating a calm learning environment
  • Effective support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, enabling them to access the same ambitious curriculum
  • High-quality professional development for staff leading to consistently good teaching
  • Excellent pastoral care and personal development programme that builds pupils' character and resilience
  • Strong leadership with clear priorities and commitment to raising standards across the school

Areas for Improvement

  • Inconsistent use of checks on learning to identify and address misconceptions across all subjects
  • Small minority of pupils with persistent absence who need further support to attend regularly
  • Need to refine quality assurance processes further

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and managed, and pupils feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Arts clubs, chess, gardening, dramatic productions, competitive sports, inclusive sports club, memorable trips, careers advice and guidance, work experience, careers fairs, employer visits, higher education institution engagement, community volunteering, local shows and charity competitions

Appleby Grammar School is a close-knit community school where leaders have made decisive improvements in behaviour, attendance and achievement. The school provides a broad, well-designed curriculum with effective teaching and strong support for all pupils.

At a Glance

17.9%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

Yes

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

17 responses
Would recommend100%
Child is happy100%
Well taught94%
Good progress88%
Feels safe100%
Well behaved94%
Bullying dealt with35%
Kept informed88%
Handles concerns59%
Wider development94%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Class Sizes

22.5

Avg class size

15

Total classes

4 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Appleby Rail Station
642m · 10 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

48%

Available places

357 pupils

750 capacity

393 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Appleby-in-Westmorland

Low pressure
New homes approved:54
Projected new pupils:10

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Appleby-in-Westmorland

Admissions Demand - Westmorland and Furness

Low demand0.68x oversubscription

Places available

2,864

Applications

1,955

Got 1st preference

96.7%

Got preferred school

99.7%

Secondary admissions across Westmorland and Furness (2025/26)

Inspection History(111)

Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

8.20471%

Overall absence

23.85321%

Persistent absence

327

Enrolments

Authorised6.02491%
Unauthorised2.1798%
Persistent (10%+)23.85321%
Severe (50%+)2.44648%

Absence trend

5.43401%
18/19
4.76735%
20/21
11.23663%
21/22
9.4318%
22/23
10.49076%
23/24
8.20471%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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