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Schools in Westmorland and Furness

152 open schools · Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and admission criteria · best primary schools · best secondary schools

Westmorland and Furness has 147 state schools: 121 primary, 19 secondary, 1 all-through, 2 nursery. Between them they teach around 29,906 pupils. 128 have enough published data for a score, averaging 4.4 out of 10, and 5 score 8 or above.

15 have a sixth form. 95 take children from age three or under. 68 have a religious character, which usually means the school sets its own admissions criteria rather than the council's. 1 is selective and sets an entrance test. How the score works.

Good or better
99
of 102 rated
Average score
4.4
out of 10

Undersubscribed schools rated Good or Outstanding

These schools didn't fill on first preference in the latest admissions year, despite an Ofsted rating of Good or Outstanding — worth a look if you're chasing the same handful of famous names everyone else applies to.

Cartmel CofE Primary School Good · ×0.0 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Croftlands Infant School Good · ×0.77 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Low Furness CofE Primary School Good · ×0.79 1st prefs/place (2026/27) St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow Good · ×0.79 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Dent CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School Good · ×0.8 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Holy Family Catholic Primary School Good · ×0.86 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Coniston CofE Primary School Good · ×0.89 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Victoria Infant and Nursery School Good · ×0.91 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Broughton CofE Primary and Nursery School Good · ×0.92 1st prefs/place (2026/27) St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith Good · ×0.92 1st prefs/place (2026/27)

How places are allocated in Westmorland and Furness

Primary schools: Catchment area is the primary criterion for primary schools; distance used outside catchment and as tiebreaker. (source)

Most schools use the local authority's default scheme rather than a school-specific catchment map — see each school's page for its own designated/catchment area where one is published.

Westmorland and Furness entrance test format

Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith uses GL Assessment papers: two multiple-choice papers of around 50 minutes each, covering English (reading comprehension, spelling, punctuation, grammar) and related reasoning/maths content. Register directly with the school in Year 5; the test is sat in September of Year 6 with results in October, before the 31 October application deadline. Check the school's admissions page for the current year's exact paper structure and dates.

Out-of-area applications

The only grammar school in Westmorland and Furness (and the northernmost grammar school in England) is Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Penrith (mixed). It runs its own entrance test — register directly with the school in Year 5, test in September of Year 6. Children from outside the area (across Cumbria, and over the borders into County Durham and North Yorkshire) can register and apply. Apply via your home LA's Common Application Form by 31 October, and check the school's oversubscription criteria for distance/priority effects.

Allithwaite CofE Primary School Grange-over-Sands · Good Alston Primary School Alston · Not judged Ambleside CofE Primary School Ambleside · Requires improvement Appleby Grammar School Appleby-in-Westmorland Appleby Primary School Appleby-in-Westmorland · Good Armathwaite School Carlisle · Good Arnside National CofE School Carnforth · Good Asby Endowed School Appleby-in-Westmorland · Good Askam Village School Askam-in-furness · Good Barrow Island Community Primary School Barrow-in-Furness · Good Beaconside CofE Primary School Penrith · Good Beetham CofE Primary School Milnthorpe · Good Bolton Primary School Appleby-in-Westmorland · Good Brisbane Park Infant School Barrow-in-Furness · Good Brough Community Primary School Brough · Good Broughton CofE Primary and Nursery School Broughton-in-Furness · Good Brunswick School Penrith · Good Burlington CofE School Kirkby-in-Furness · Good Burton Morewood CofE Primary School Carnforth · Good Calthwaite CofE School Penrith · Good Cambridge Primary School Barrow-in-Furness Cartmel CofE Primary School Grange-over-Sands · Good Cartmel Priory CofE School Grange-over-Sands Casterton, Sedbergh Preparatory School Castle Park School Kendal · Not judged Chapel Street Infants and Nursery School Dalton-in-Furness · Good Chetwynde School Barrow-in-Furness · Good Church Walk CofE Primary School Ulverston Clifton Primary School Penrith · Good Coniston CofE Primary School Coniston · Good Croftlands Infant School Ulverston · Good Croftlands Junior School Ulverston · Good Crosby Ravensworth CofE School Penrith · Not judged Crosscrake CofE Primary School Kendal · Good Crosthwaite CofE School Kendal · Outstanding Culgaith CofE School Penrith · Good Dallam School Cumbria Dalton St Mary's CofE Primary School Dalton-in-Furness · Good Dane Ghyll Community Primary School and Nursery Barrow in Furness · Good Dean Barwick Primary School Grange-over-Sands · Good Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal Kendal · Good Dent CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School Sedbergh · Good Dowdales School Dalton-in-Furness · Good Flookburgh CofE Primary School Grange-Over-Sands · Good Furness Academy Barrow-in-Furness · Good George Hastwell School Special Academy Barrow-in-Furness · Not judged George Romney Junior School Dalton-in-Furness · Outstanding Ghyllside Primary School Kendal · Not judged Goodly Dale Primary School Windermere · Not judged Grange CofE Primary School Grange-over-Sands · Good Grasmere CofE Primary School Ambleside · Good Grayrigg CofE School Kendal · Good Greengate Junior School Barrow-in-Furness Greystoke Primary School Penrith Hawkshead Esthwaite Primary School Hawkshead · Good Heron Hill Primary School Kendal · Good High Hesket CofE School Carlisle · Not judged Hindpool Nursery School Barrow-in-Furness · Not judged Holme Primary School Carnforth · Good Holy Family Catholic Primary School Barrow-in-Furness · Good Hunter Hall School Penrith Ireleth St Peter's CofE Primary School Askam-in-Furness · Good Ivegill CofE School Carlisle · Good John Ruskin School Coniston · Good Kendal College Kendal Kendal Nursery School Kendal · Outstanding Kirkbie Kendal School Kendal · Good Kirkby Stephen Grammar School Kirkby Stephen · Good Kirkby Stephen Primary School Kirkby Stephen · Good Kirkby Thore School Penrith · Inadequate Kirkoswald CofE School Penrith · Not judged Langdale CofE School Ambleside Langwathby CofE Primary School Penrith · Good Lazonby C of E Primary School Penrith · Good Leven Valley CofE Primary School ULVERSTON · Not judged Levens CofE School Kendal · Good Lindal and Marton Primary School Ulverston Lindale CofE Primary School Grange Over Sands · Good Long Marton School Appleby-in-Westmorland · Good Low Furness CofE Primary School Ulverston · Good Lowther Endowed School Penrith · Good Milburn School Penrith · Good Milnthorpe Primary School Milnthorpe · Good Moorfield Learning Centre · Good Morland Area CofE Primary School Penrith · Not judged Nenthead Primary School Alston · Good Newbarns Primary and Nursery School Barrow-in-Furness · Not judged Newton Village Academy Barrow-in-Furness · Good North Lakes School Penrith · Good Old Hutton CofE School Kendal · Good Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School Barrow-in-Furness · Not judged Orton CofE School Penrith · Good Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School, Dalton-In-Furness Dalton-in-Furness Parkside Academy BARROW-in-FURNESS Patterdale CofE Primary School Penrith · Good Pennington CofE School Ulverston · Good Penny Bridge CofE School Ulverston · Good Penruddock Primary School Penrith Plumpton School PENRITH Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith Penrith · Good · Grammar Queen Elizabeth School · Good Queen Elizabeth Studio School Ramsden Infant School Barrow-in-Furness · Good Roose School Barrow-in-Furness · Good Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Barrow Barrow-in-Furness · Good Samuel King's School Alston · Good Sandgate School Kendal · Good Sandside Lodge School Ulverston · Good Sedbergh Primary School Sedbergh · Good Sedbergh School Sedbergh (La10 5hg) Selside Endowed CofE Primary School Kendal · Good Settlebeck School Sedbergh · Not judged Shap Endowed CofE Primary School Penrith · Good Sir John Barrow School Ulverston · Outstanding Skelton School Penrith · Good South Walney Infant and Nursery School Barrow-in-Furness · Good South Walney Junior School Barrow-in-Furness St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow Barrow-in-Furness · Good St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith PENRITH · Good St Columba's School Barrow-in-Furness · Good St Cuthberts Catholic Primary School, Windermere Windermere · Requires improvement St George's CofE School Barrow-in-Furness · Not judged St James' CofE Junior School Barrow-in-Furness · Good St Mark's CofE Primary School Natland, Kendal · Good St Martin & St Mary Church of England Primary School Windermere · Good St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ulverston Ulverston St Mary's CofE Primary School Carnforth · Not judged St Oswald's CofE Primary School Kendal · Good St Patrick's CofE School Kendal · Good St Paul's CofE Junior School Barrow-in-Furness · Good St Pius X Catholic Primary School, Barrow Barrow-in-Furness St Thomas's CofE Primary School Kendal · Not judged Stainton CofE Primary School Penrith · Good Staveley CofE School Kendal · Not judged Storth CofE School Milnthorpe Stramongate Primary School Kendal · Not judged Tebay Primary School Penrith · Good Temple Sowerby CofE Primary School Penrith · Good The Lakes School Windermere · Good The Queen Katherine School Kendal Threlkeld CofE Primary School Keswick · Not judged Ullswater Community College Penrith · Good Ulverston Victoria High School Ulverston · Not judged Vicarage Park CofE Primary School Kendal · Good Vickerstown School Barrow-in-Furness Victoria Academy Barrow-in-Furness · Outstanding Victoria Infant and Nursery School Barrow-in-Furness · Good Walney Academy Barrow-in-Furness · Not judged Warcop CofE Primary School Appleby-in-Westmorland · Good Windermere School The Lake District Yanwath Primary School Penrith Yarlside Academy Barrow-in-Furness · Not judged

Browse by town

Westmorland and Furness covers several towns — jump straight to the schools in yours.

Barrow-in-Furness 30 schools Carlisle 53 schools Carnforth 17 schools Kendal 21 schools Penrith 29 schools Ulverston 12 schools

Key dates

Entry yearEventDate
Sept 2028 Application deadline 31 October 2027
Sept 2028 Primary application deadline 15 January 2028
Sept 2028 Offer day 1 March 2028
Sept 2028 Primary offer day 17 April 2028
Sept 2027 Registration opens 1 May 2026 (passed)
Sept 2027 Registration closes 12 July 2026 (passed)
Sept 2027 Test date 17 September 2026 (passed)
Sept 2027 Application deadline 31 October 2026
Sept 2027 Primary application deadline 15 January 2027
Sept 2027 Offer day 1 March 2027
Sept 2027 Primary offer day 16 April 2027
Sept 2026 Application deadline 31 October 2025 (passed)
Sept 2026 Primary application deadline 15 January 2026 (passed)
Sept 2026 Offer day 2 March 2026 (passed)
Sept 2026 Primary offer day 16 April 2026 (passed)

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