Settlebeck School, Sedbergh
Settlebeck School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Sedbergh, part of Changing Lives Learning Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2023. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 9th-highest of the 20 schools in Westmorland and Furness with published results, and 1,698th of 3,298 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Above 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
Settlebeck School in detail
Settlebeck School in its own words
In its own words: "by supporting the development of our young people so that they become happy, confident individuals who can make a positive contribution to society and become the best versions of themselves. Respect We expect all members of our school community to respect others, their views, cultures, and differences."
From the headteacher's welcome: "Settlebeck School is a friendly, vibrant and ambitious school, where every student is treated as an individual. Academic standards are our priority and we believe that exceptional results are a product of not only high quality teaching but also of the excellent care and support we offer all our students."
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Settlebeck School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.8 in Westmorland and Furness and 47 across England.
46% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 41% in Westmorland and Furness and 47% in England.
That is up from 44 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.45: pupils made above 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 19 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Food Preparation and Nutrition.
Getting a place at Settlebeck School
For September 2026 entry, 32 families put Settlebeck School as their first choice and 48 named it as one of their preferences, for 32 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
The trust
Settlebeck School is one of 9 schools run by Changing Lives Learning Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
80 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Settlebeck School (as of September 2025): 90% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 85% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (98%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (84%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 44 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 77% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 57% to a further education college, 11% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.
Who goes there
13.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 44 pupils (21.7%) received SEN support and 33 (16.3%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Settlebeck School has a resourced provision for autism: 12 places, 9 pupils on roll.
Staffing
Settlebeck School had 26 teachers in 2026, one for every 8 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Settlebeck School.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Settlebeck School (near), 110 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Settlebeck School issued 25 suspensions, 12.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Settlebeck School creates a caring and harmonious environment where pupils feel genuinely safe and supported. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and deliver the curriculum effectively, with particular strength in supporting pupils with SEND. The school goes beyond academics, offering excellent opportunities for personal development including work experience and employer encounters to prepare pupils for their future.
Key Strengths
- Well-designed, broad and ambitious curriculum that builds securely from Year 7 to Year 11
- Strong support for pupils with SEND, including those in the specially resourced provision for autism
- Excellent behaviour and clear routines that help pupils focus on learning
- Wide range of extra-curricular activities with high levels of pupil participation
- Effective reading support, including phonics programme for pupils at earliest stages
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers do not use assessment strategies consistently well to check what pupils have learned
- Some pupils develop gaps in knowledge that are not addressed as quickly as they could be
- Need to ensure all teachers have expertise to use assessment effectively
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with pupils confident in trusted adults and knowing they can report problems which will be resolved quickly.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports activities, mindfulness, dance, drama, music, work experience, employer encounters
Settlebeck School is a nurturing and welcoming secondary school where pupils are happy and achieve well. The school has strengthened its curriculum since the previous inspection and now provides good quality education across all key areas.
About
Settlebeck School is a small coeducational secondary school with academy status. It is located in Sedbergh in the English county of Cumbria, drawing pupils from a radius of at least of ten miles, and a total number on roll of about 160.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
13.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
80 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around 0.45 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 50.2 to 45.7 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 51% to 46% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 45.7 | 46.2% |
| Disadvantaged(8) | - | 34.8 | 25% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(31) | - | 48.5 | 51.6% |
| Boys(26) | - | 49.9 | 61.5% |
| Girls(13) | - | 37.3 | 15.4% |
Show more breakdowns (1)
| Non mobile(36) | - | 45.6 | 44.4% |
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) - 44 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
2
Permanent exclusions
0.99%
Exclusion rate
25
Suspensions
12.32%
Suspension rate
13 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 203 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Keep up with Settlebeck School
Term dates
Settlebeck School is an academy, 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 Settlebeck School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Settlebeck 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
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
0 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 Settlebeck School
Will you get a place at Settlebeck School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Settlebeck School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Settlebeck School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Settlebeck 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 Settlebeck 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
93%
Near capacity
204 pupils
220 places
16 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Sedbergh
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sedbergh
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
44
SEN Support
33
EHC Plans
37.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Settlebeck School has a resourced provision for autism: 12 places, 9 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
203
Total Pupils
116
Boys
87
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
26
Teachers
7.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,704
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,756
Per pupil
£1655k
Total funding
£29k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.0%
Overall absence
21.8%
Persistent absence
211
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
Settlebeck School
Questions parents ask about Settlebeck School
What are GCSE results like at Settlebeck School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Settlebeck School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 45.7. 46% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Settlebeck School's Ofsted rating?
Settlebeck School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2023, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Settlebeck School?
No fixed boundary. When Settlebeck 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 Settlebeck School?
Settlebeck School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 220 places.
How big are the classes at Settlebeck School?
Classes at Settlebeck School average 18.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Settlebeck School?
Settlebeck School has around 203 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Settlebeck School have specialist SEN provision?
Settlebeck School has a resourced provision for autism: 12 places, 9 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Settlebeck School?
9% of sessions were missed at Settlebeck School in 2024/25. 21.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Settlebeck School?
Apply through Westmorland and Furness's coordinated admissions process, naming Settlebeck 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 Settlebeck School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 0 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 Settlebeck School?
Settlebeck School is at Long Lane, Sedbergh, Cumbria, LA10 5AL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)