St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow, Barrow-in-Furness

In its own words: "We have been serving the Furness community, and beyond, for over 70 years and have a long established tradition of providing high quality education and pastoral care for our children and their families. Our core values of kindness, hard work and resilience underpin the high standards and expectations that we have for all of our school community."

In 2026, pupils at St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.8 in Westmorland and Furness and 47 across England.

33% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 41% in Westmorland and Furness and 47% in England.

That is up from 34.6 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.63: 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 19.3, against 45.1 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 25.8 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 97 families put St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow as their first choice and 209 named it as one of their preferences, for 123 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow are Chetwynde School (0.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 38.5); Furness Academy (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 40.8); Dowdales School (2.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.1); and Walney Academy (2.9 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 40.5).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow.

St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow is one of 16 schools run by Mater Christi Multi-Academy Trust, an academy trust.

Of the 131 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 68% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 53% to a further education college, 16% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.

10.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (82%) and Asian (8%).

In 2026, 64 pupils (10.3%) received SEN support and 43 (6.9%) 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.

The nearest railway station is Roose Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Bernards RC School (stand 1), 140 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 104 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Westmorland and Furness (11), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow issued 293 suspensions, 43.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow are Holy Family Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles), Newbarns Primary and Nursery School (0.5 miles), St Paul's CofE Junior School (0.6 miles) and Yarlside Academy (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.