South Walney Infant and Nursery School, Barrow-in-Furness
South Walney Infant and Nursery School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Barrow-in-Furness. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2024 did not change this grade. It was 87% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Westmorland and Furness (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
South Walney Infant and Nursery School in detail
Getting a place at South Walney Infant and Nursery School
For September 2026 entry, 32 families put South Walney Infant and Nursery School as their first choice and 57 named it as one of their preferences, for 32 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 South Walney Infant and Nursery School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to South Walney Infant and Nursery School are South Walney Junior School (under 0.1 miles, 83% reading, 83% maths); St Columba's School (0.2 miles, Good, 60% reading, 37% maths); Vickerstown School (0.7 miles, 27% reading, 23% maths); and Barrow Island Community Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 63% reading, 58% maths).
South Walney Junior SchoolSt Columba's SchoolVickerstown SchoolBarrow Island Community Primary School
Who goes there
7.5% 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.
Staffing
South Walney Infant and Nursery School had 9 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Station Entrance, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.
17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Infants School (opposite), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 83 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Westmorland and Furness (11), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, South Walney Infant and Nursery School issued 2 suspensions, 1.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from July 2018, 8 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 July 2018 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
7.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
21.8
Avg class size
22.4
Infant (KS1)
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with South Walney Infant and Nursery School
Term dates
South Walney Infant and Nursery School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Westmorland and Furness. 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 South Walney Infant and Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. South Walney Infant and Nursery 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
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 4 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 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 South Walney Infant and Nursery School
Will you get a place at South Walney Infant and Nursery School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against South Walney Infant and Nursery School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for South Walney Infant and Nursery School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to South Walney Infant and Nursery 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 South Walney Infant and Nursery 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
87%
Available places
139 pupils
159 places
20 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Barrow-in-Furness
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Barrow-in-Furness
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(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
20
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
18.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
134
Total Pupils
76
Boys
58
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
14.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,304
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,935
Per pupil
£914k
Total funding
£24k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.8%
Overall absence
2.9%
Persistent absence
102
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
South Walney Infant and Nursery School
Questions parents ask about South Walney Infant and Nursery School
What is South Walney Infant and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
South Walney Infant and Nursery School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for South Walney Infant and Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When South Walney Infant and Nursery 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 South Walney Infant and Nursery School?
South Walney Infant and Nursery School was not full in 2025: it ran at 87% of its 159 places.
How big are the classes at South Walney Infant and Nursery School?
Classes at South Walney Infant and Nursery School average 21.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to South Walney Infant and Nursery School?
South Walney Infant and Nursery School has around 134 pupils on roll. 8% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at South Walney Infant and Nursery School?
3.8% of sessions were missed at South Walney Infant and Nursery School in 2024/25. 2.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to South Walney Infant and Nursery School?
Apply through Westmorland and Furness's coordinated admissions process, naming South Walney Infant and Nursery 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.
What are South Walney Infant and Nursery School's term dates?
South Walney Infant and Nursery School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Westmorland and Furness. 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 South Walney Infant and Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 4 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 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 South Walney Infant and Nursery School?
South Walney Infant and Nursery School is at Amphitrite Street, Walney, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA14 3BZ.
Sources: Westmorland and Furness term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)