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Kirkbie Kendal School

Secondary · Kendal · LA9 7EQ

Data updated

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Good

Earlier grade, confirmed by a later ungraded inspection

Ofsted's most recent (ungraded) visit confirmed the school remains Good. Ungraded inspections do not award a new grade.

Inspected 9 May 2024

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

1,029 pupils · 97% of 1,060 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
11–18
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
15.6% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
5.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
18.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
2.3% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
http://www.kirkbiekendal.cumbria.sch.uk/
URN
136671

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 199 families named it first for 188 Year 7 places, 1.06 first choices per place. Its last Year 7 place offered on distance for 2026 entry went to 3.5 miles; distance decided places in 1 of the 2 years of Year 7 rounds we hold, 2025 to 2026. An ungraded Ofsted inspection on 9 May 2024 confirmed its earlier grade, Good. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 7.4% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

1.06 first-choice applications per place

188 places offered · 199 first-choice applications · oversubscribed

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Places by distance, last offered at 3.5 miles for 2026 entry.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

Last child offered a place under the distance criterion (2026 entry) lived within 3.5 miles

measurement method not stated by the council.

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Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

GCSE results (2024/2025)

176 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
50.1
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
75.6%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
57.4%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
4.4
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) C+
32.9
England 35

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school50.1
Median of its 12 closest peers46.2
Westmorland and Furness average45.2
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is ahead of the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
Ian Ramsey Church of England AcademyStockton-on-Tees · 58 miles awayGood45.6
Denefield SchoolReading · 209 miles awayGood47
Ormiston Rivers AcademyBurnham-on-Crouch · 237 miles awayGood41.9
John Masefield High SchoolLedbury · 158 miles awayGood46.2
Whitecross HerefordHereford · 156 miles awayGood46.5
Chipping Norton SchoolChipping Norton · 172 miles awayGood49.3
The Burton Borough SchoolNewport · 108 miles awayRequires improvement39.7
Campion SchoolNorthampton · 162 miles awayExpected standard46.2
Stanchester AcademyStoke-sub-Hamdon · 232 miles awayRequires improvement43.7
Turing House SchoolTwickenham · 221 miles awayOutstanding54.2
Wadebridge SchoolWadebridge · 277 miles awayGood44.7
Queen Elizabeth'sCrediton · 247 miles awayExpected standard46.2

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 88% (Westmorland and Furness 89%, England 59%) · Any other White background 5% (Westmorland and Furness 3%, England 7%) · Any other ethnic group 1% (Westmorland and Furness 1%, England 3%) · Asian Indian 1% (Westmorland and Furness 1%, England 4%) · Black African 1% (Westmorland and Furness 1%, England 5%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Westmorland and Furness 1%, England 2%) · Not recorded 1% (Westmorland and Furness 1%, England 2%) · other groups together 3%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
7.4%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
17.9%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

8.93 suspensions per 100 pupils and 2 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Westmorland and Furness: 15.34 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
18.5
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

90% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 5% moved to another state school · 5% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 1.8% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

79.1% of teachers took sickness absence, 7.6 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £51,654; 7.8% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£7,377
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 74% (77%) · premises 7% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 8% (6%) · supplies and services 10% (11%) · educational supplies 7% (6%) · bought-in professional services 2% (1%) · catering 5% (3%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £575,000; in-year balance -£183,000

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
94%
Continuing in education
85%
Apprenticeship
5%
Employment
4%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
49%
Apprenticeship
7%
Employment
34%
Any sustained destination
99%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
6/10around the middle for England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
6/10around the middle for England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher31.9%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications15.9%18.1%
In managerial or professional work29.9%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways17.1%18.1%
Residents in very good health45.4%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier52.8%62.3%
Social housing22.1%17.1%
Privately rented24.9%20.5%
Detached houses4.5%22.9%
Flats34.1%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms4.1%21.1%
Households with no car or van22.6%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01034078 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£260,000390 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£206,000–£325,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (76)£366,000
Semi-detached (141)£270,500
Terraced (115)£237,500
Flat (58)£134,000

Homes around this school are cheaper than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
0an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
3an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
17an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
5an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools