Grayrigg CofE School, Kendal
Grayrigg CofE School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Kendal. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 12th-highest of the 13 schools in Kendal with published results, and 12,897th of 14,452 across England. It was 96% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Westmorland and Furness (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Grayrigg CofE School in detail
Grayrigg CofE School in its own words
In its own words: "In 2023, we decided to review our School Vision. The previous vision had been in place since 2013 when our headteacher became our school leader and it has been the driving force behind the school’s development and growth."
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils at Grayrigg CofE School reached the expected standard in reading and 60% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Westmorland and Furness and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 87% in reading and 80% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Grayrigg CofE School
For September 2026 entry, 13 families put Grayrigg CofE School as their first choice and 18 named it as one of their preferences, for 13 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Grayrigg CofE School are Selside Endowed CofE Primary School (2.6 miles, Good); Castle Park School (4.1 miles, Good, 81% reading, 72% maths); Stramongate Primary School (4.6 miles, Good, 75% reading, 90% maths); and St Thomas's CofE Primary School (4.6 miles, Good, 65% reading, 77% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Grayrigg CofE School.
Selside Endowed CofE Primary SchoolCastle Park SchoolStramongate Primary SchoolSt Thomas's CofE Primary School
What parents say
41 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Grayrigg CofE School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 75% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (75%).
Who goes there
11.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 20 pupils (29.9%) received SEN support and 5 (7.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Staffing
Grayrigg CofE School had 7 teachers in 2026, one for every 12 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Grayrigg CofE School.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is School (at), 10 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 0 crimes within a mile of the school. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Westmorland and Furness (11).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Grayrigg CofE School issued 2 suspensions, 2.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from February 2020, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a close-knit community school where children thrive in a caring environment. The school is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special needs, and provides rich learning opportunities both in the classroom and outdoors. Reading is given high priority with excellent phonics teaching that helps most pupils become confident, fluent readers.
Key Strengths
- Warm, welcoming school community where pupils feel safe and cared for
- Strong reading programme with effective phonics teaching and support for struggling readers
- Well-designed curriculum that reflects local context and teaches important values like belonging and justice
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND, who are quickly identified and helped to progress
- Good attendance levels with swift action taken when absences occur
Areas for Improvement
- Pupils do not have enough chances to revisit important knowledge from the past, so some struggle to remember what they've learned
- Teachers do not consistently spot and correct errors in pupils' writing, meaning some pupils continue making the same spelling and accuracy mistakes
- Assessment strategies for checking long-term knowledge are stronger in some subjects than others
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with trusted adults available for pupils who have concerns.
Extracurricular Activities
Leadership roles (ethos leaders), woodland outdoor learning, visits to local places of worship (mosque visits), grandfriends programme, breakfast club, after-school provision
Grayrigg CofE School has maintained good standards since its last inspection in 2020. Pupils arrive happy and eager to learn in a warm, caring school community where they feel safe and well-supported.
At a Glance
11.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
41 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 87% to 60% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 80% to 60% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 60% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
19.5
Avg class size
17.0
Infant (KS1)
22.0
KS2
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Grayrigg CofE School
Term dates
Grayrigg CofE School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Westmorland and Furness's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Grayrigg CofE School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Grayrigg CofE School is in Westmorland and Furness; for families living there:
- Westmorland and Furness's school travel policy: Home to School Transport Policy 2027 to 2028 (Reception to Year 11)
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
The typical figure for schools in Westmorland and Furness is 3 (the median across 161 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Grayrigg CofE School
Will you get a place at Grayrigg CofE School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Grayrigg CofE School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Grayrigg CofE School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Grayrigg CofE School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Westmorland and Furness, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Grayrigg CofE School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Westmorland and Furness got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
96%
Near capacity
81 pupils
84 places
3 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Kendal
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Kendal
Across Westmorland and Furness council
Places available
2,590
Applications
1,692
Got 1st preference
96.1%
Got preferred school
99.4%
All primary applications across Westmorland and Furness council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(10)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
20
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
37.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
67
Total Pupils
35
Boys
32
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
9.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,709
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,925
Per pupil
£601k
Total funding
£9k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.0%
Overall absence
5.3%
Persistent absence
75
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Grayrigg CofE School
What are SATs results like at Grayrigg CofE School?
Of the pupils at Grayrigg CofE School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 60% reached the expected standard in reading and 60% did so in maths.
What is Grayrigg CofE School's Ofsted rating?
Grayrigg CofE School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Grayrigg CofE School?
No fixed boundary. When Grayrigg CofE School is oversubscribed, Westmorland and Furness allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Grayrigg CofE School?
Grayrigg CofE School was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Grayrigg CofE School?
Classes at Grayrigg CofE School average 19.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Grayrigg CofE School?
Grayrigg CofE School has around 67 pupils on roll. 12% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Grayrigg CofE School?
4% of sessions were missed at Grayrigg CofE School in 2024/25. 5.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Grayrigg CofE School?
Apply through Westmorland and Furness's coordinated admissions process, naming Grayrigg CofE School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Grayrigg CofE School?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Westmorland and Furness is 3 (the median across 161 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Grayrigg CofE School?
Grayrigg CofE School is at Grayrigg, Kendal, Cumbria, LA8 9BU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)