Primary schools2 · best KS2 results first
Photo: Graham Robson · CC BY-SA 2.0DSchool Grade
Schools in Windermere · DfE, Ofsted
Windermere’s state schools trail 86% of towns in England on results
In reading, writing and maths together, 54% of Windermere’s eleven-year-olds met the expected standard, below both Cumbria’s towns (57%) and towns in England (62%). 3 state-funded schools are located in Windermere’s built-up area. Windermere grades D for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #13 of 23 in Cumbria. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
State schools
3
2 primary, 1 secondary
Reading, writing & maths
54%
meet the expected standard at 11 · 2023–25
England’s schools: 62%
Attainment 8
42.1
GCSE average across 8 subjects · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
37%
a strong pass in both · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47%
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
What stands out about Windermere’s schools
Below England at both ages
Windermere’s secondary results beat 22% of English towns; its primary results beat 16%. 54% of the town’s 11-year-olds meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England and 59% across Westmorland and Furness. Every school’s result ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Windermere grades D for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (54% meet the standard)Better than 16% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (42.1 and 37%)Better than 22% of towns in England
The primary figure: 2 primaries in the town, 175 pupils in results over three years. Windermere has 1 secondary of its own with GCSE results, too few to judge on, so the secondary figure uses the 1 graded secondary in and within 3 km of the town (76 pupils in results). Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Windermere’s 3 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Windermere’s built-up area.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
Getting a place
How school places work in Windermere
Westmorland and Furness County Council handles applications for every state school in Windermere, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 2 of Windermere’s 3 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work
How full each school is
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%.
St Martin & St Mary incl. nursery80%
The Lakes52%
St Cuthberts incl. nursery47%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
3 state schools in Windermere
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Windermere’s schoolsA 0B 1C 2D 0
Secondary schools1 · best GCSE results first
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted report cards
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Good 1Report card 1Ungraded inspection only 1
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 1 of Windermere’s 3 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
| School | Safeguarding | Achievement | Curriculum and teaching | Inclusion | Attendance and behaviour | Personal development and well-being | Leadership and governance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Cuthberts Catholic Primary School, WindermereJune 2026 | Met | Needs attention | Needs attention | Expected standard | Expected standard | Strong standard | Expected standard |
Who runs them
1 academy trust and the council
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
| Run by | Schools | Pupils | Their letters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mater Christi Multi-Academy TrustSt Cuthberts | 1 | 40 | B+ |
| Westmorland and Furness County CouncilThe Lakes, St Martin & St Mary | 2 | 781 | CC− |
After 16
Where Windermere’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
The state secondary in Windermere has its own sixth form. The nearest college is Kendal College, a further-education college 7.5 miles away.
Secondaries with a sixth form
1 of 1
state schools in Windermere
Colleges within 12 miles
1
nearest: Kendal College
Grammar schools in Westmorland and Furness
1
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith, Penrith
Towns its size
615th of 732 English towns of 3,000 to 7,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Windermere, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowdon Greater Manchester | A+ | 83% | 78.4 | 99% |
| … | |||||
| 611 | Hugglescote Leicestershire | D | 58% | 38.8 | 28% |
| 612 | Northam Devon | D | 51% | 42.3 | 41% |
| 613 | Sutton Cambridgeshire | D | 55% | — | — |
| 614 | West Chiltington West Sussex | D | 55% | — | — |
| 615 | Windermere Cumbria | D | 54% | 42.1 | 37% |
| 616 | Red Lodge Suffolk | D | 55% | — | — |
| 617 | Millom Cumbria | D | 52% | 42.5 | 38% |
| 618 | Chickerell Dorset | D | 56% | 39.1 | 36% |
| 619 | Looe Cornwall | D | 58% | 40.7 | 24% |
| … | |||||
| 732 | Watchet Somerset | D− | 29% | — | — |
Neighbours
Windermere and the places around it
Coloured by School Grade.
Bowness-on-WindermereStaveleyAmblesideKendalLevensMilnthorpeWindermere
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windermere 3 schools | D | 54% | 42.1 |
| Bowness-on-Windermere 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 0.9 mi | C− | 56% | 42.1 |
| Staveley 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.4 mi | B+ | 65% | — |
| Ambleside 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4.5 mi | B | 63% | — |
| Kendal 11 schools · 7.4 mi | B+ | 66% | 48.2 |
| Levens 1 school · 8.8 mi | — | — | — |
| Milnthorpe 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 11.6 mi | B− | 66% | 44.1 |
Staveley has the best-graded schools nearby (B+). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
- Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Windermere: 2% (England’s average school: 8%).
- Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
- Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
- Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
- Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
- Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
- Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Windermere
Are schools in Windermere good?
Windermere’s state schools earn a D against schools across England: primary results beat 16% of towns in England; secondary results beat 22% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Cumbria council.
What is the best primary school in Windermere?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, St Cuthberts Catholic Primary School, Windermere: 69% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Windermere secondary schools have sixth forms?
Yes, it has one.
How do I apply for a school place in Windermere?
Through Westmorland and Furness County Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many state schools are in Windermere?
3 open state-funded schools are located in Windermere’s built-up area: 2 primary, 1 secondary and 0 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.