Samuel King's School, Alston
Samuel King's School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Alston. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 20th-highest of the 20 schools in Westmorland and Furness with published results, and 3,248th of 3,298 across England. It was 62% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
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.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Samuel King's School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Samuel King's School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 30.2, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.8 in Westmorland and Furness and 47 across England.
0% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 41% in Westmorland and Furness and 47% in England.
That is in line with 2025, when the score was 30.2.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.24: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 14 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Business Studies.
Getting a place at Samuel King's School
For September 2026 entry, 24 families put Samuel King's School as their first choice and 27 named it as one of their preferences, for 24 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Where pupils go next
Of the 13 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 77% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 77% to a further education college and 8% into work.
Who goes there
0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 19 pupils (16.8%) received SEN support and 7 (6.2%) 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 moderate learning difficulty.
Staffing
Samuel King's School had 10 teachers in 2026, one for every 10 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Alston (South Tynedale Railway), about 410 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hendersons Garage (outside), 110 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Samuel King's School issued 45 suspensions, 42.1 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; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from March 2017, 9 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2017 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
About
Samuel King's School is a mixed secondary school located in Alston in the English county of Cumbria. As of 2017 it had 73 students on roll.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
18.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from 0.55 to -0.24 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 44.4 to 30.2 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 26% to 0% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 30.2 | 0% |
Show more breakdowns (1)
| Non mobile(12) | - | 30.0 | 0% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 13 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
45
Suspensions
42.06%
Suspension rate
17 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 107 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Keep up with Samuel King's School
Term dates
Samuel King's School is a foundation 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
Train Stations
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Samuel King's School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Samuel King's 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)
- Collisions
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 5 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
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 Samuel King's School
Will you get a place at Samuel King's School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Samuel King's School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Samuel King's School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Samuel King's 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 Samuel King's 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
62%
Available places
103 pupils
167 places
64 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Alston
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Alston
Across Westmorland and Furness council
Places available
2,857
Applications
1,903
Got 1st preference
96.4%
Got preferred school
99.5%
All secondary applications across Westmorland and Furness council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
19
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
23.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
113
Total Pupils
55
Boys
58
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
11.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,498
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£9,477
Per pupil
£1057k
Total funding
£32k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
11.6%
Overall absence
32.1%
Persistent absence
112
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Samuel King's School
Questions parents ask about Samuel King's School
What are GCSE results like at Samuel King's School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Samuel King's School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 30.2. 0% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Samuel King's School's Ofsted rating?
Samuel King's School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Samuel King's School?
No fixed boundary. When Samuel King's 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 Samuel King's School?
Samuel King's School was not full in 2025: it ran at 62% of its 167 places.
How big are the classes at Samuel King's School?
Classes at Samuel King's School average 14.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Samuel King's School?
Samuel King's School has around 113 pupils on roll. 19% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Samuel King's School?
11.6% of sessions were missed at Samuel King's School in 2024/25. 32.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Samuel King's School?
Apply through Westmorland and Furness's coordinated admissions process, naming Samuel King's School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Samuel King's School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 5 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Westmorland and Furness is 3 (the median across 161 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Samuel King's School?
Samuel King's School is at Church Road, Alston, Cumbria, CA9 3QU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)