Solway Community School, Wigton
Solway Community School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Wigton. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 18th-highest of the 19 schools in Cumberland with published results, and 3,220th of 3,298 across England. It was 50% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
- Progress (2024)
- Well below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Cumberland (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Solway Community School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Solway Community School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 31.8, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 40.4 in Cumberland and 47 across England.
10% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 32% in Cumberland and 47% in England.
That is down from 35 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -1.9: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 27.7, against 34.5 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 6.8 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 10 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Sports Studies.
Getting a place at Solway Community School
For September 2026 entry, 31 families put Solway Community School as their first choice and 46 named it as one of their preferences, for 31 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Solway Community School
What parents say
28 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Solway Community School (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (93%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 25 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 60% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 52% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 16% into work.
Who goes there
2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 43 pupils (28.7%) received SEN support and 8 (5.3%) 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 a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Staffing
Solway Community School had 19 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 Solway Community School.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Fire Station (opposite), 130 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Solway Community School issued 8 suspensions, 5.5 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 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 2019, 7 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
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Solway Community School creates a calm, respectful environment where pupils thrive. The school offers an ambitious curriculum alongside excellent enrichment opportunities, and provides particularly strong support for pupils with additional needs. Staff care for pupils well and help them develop into confident, resilient young people who make positive contributions to their community.
Key Strengths
- Pupils are polite, kind and make a strong contribution to the calm, respectful atmosphere
- Well-designed, ambitious curriculum with careful thought given to important knowledge pupils should learn
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND, who are fully included in school life
- Precise identification and support of pupils' reading needs, including phonics gaps
- Strong personal development provision preparing pupils well for life in modern Britain, including extensive careers education and work experience
Areas for Improvement
- Some staff activities do not help pupils develop sufficient depth of knowledge, preventing some from achieving as well as they could
- School is not always quick enough to address gaps and misconceptions in pupils' knowledge, meaning some pupils move on to new learning before ready
- Published attainment data does not reflect the school's educational offer, though this is partly due to intake during Year 10 and 11 and COVID-19 impact
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports clubs, art clubs, drama clubs, brass band, trips to art galleries and places of worship, international trips, sports festivals for primary school children
Solway Community School is a secondary comprehensive school where pupils are polite, kind, and proud to uphold the school's values of respect, courtesy and compassion. The school provides an ambitious, well-designed curriculum and makes effective provision for pupils' personal development and safeguarding.
About
Solway Community School is a mixed secondary school located in Silloth in the English county of Cumbria.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
33.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
28 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 declined from -1.29 to -1.90 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 33.5 to 31.8 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 10% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 31.8 | 10% |
| Disadvantaged(12) | - | 27.7 | 0% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(18) | - | 34.5 | 16.7% |
| Boys(17) | - | 33.0 | 5.9% |
| Girls(13) | - | 30.2 | 15.4% |
Show more breakdowns (1)
| Non mobile(28) | - | 31.7 | 10.7% |
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) - 25 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
8
Suspensions
5.48%
Suspension rate
7 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 146 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Social & online
Keep up with Solway Community School
Term dates
Solway Community School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Cumberland. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Tuesday 5 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Friday 16 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Monday 6 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Wednesday 5 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Thursday 20 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Solway Community School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Solway Community School is in Cumberland; for families living there:
- Cumberland's school travel policy: Step by step guide of the Home to School Travel Assistance Policy
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 Cumberland is 5 (the median across 179 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 Solway Community School
Will you get a place at Solway Community School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Solway Community School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Solway Community School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Solway Community School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Cumberland, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Solway Community School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Cumberland 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
50%
Available places
147 pupils
295 places
148 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wigton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wigton
Across Cumberland council
Places available
3,164
Applications
2,751
Got 1st preference
95.3%
Got preferred school
98.9%
All secondary applications across Cumberland council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(12)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
43
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
34.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
150
Total Pupils
83
Boys
67
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
7.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,446
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£9,119
Per pupil
£1420k
Total funding
£52k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.5%
Overall absence
16.7%
Persistent absence
150
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
Solway Community School
Questions parents ask about Solway Community School
What are GCSE results like at Solway Community School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Solway Community School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 31.8. 10% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Solway Community School's Ofsted rating?
Solway Community School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Solway Community School?
No fixed boundary. When Solway Community School is oversubscribed, Cumberland allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Solway Community School?
Solway Community School was not full in 2025: it ran at 50% of its 295 places.
How big are the classes at Solway Community School?
Classes at Solway Community School average 16.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Solway Community School?
Solway Community School has around 150 pupils on roll. 33% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Solway Community School?
7.5% of sessions were missed at Solway Community School in 2024/25. 16.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Solway Community School?
Apply through Cumberland's coordinated admissions process, naming Solway Community 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.
What are Solway Community School's term dates?
Solway Community School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Cumberland. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Tuesday 5 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Friday 16 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Monday 6 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Wednesday 5 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Thursday 20 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Solway Community 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 Cumberland is 5 (the median across 179 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Solway Community School?
Solway Community School is at Liddell Street, Silloth, Wigton, Cumbria, CA7 4DD.
Sources: Cumberland term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)