Samuel King's School
Secondary · Foundation school · Ages 11–16 · Alston, Westmorland and Furness
Last distance offered · Year 7 2024
Every applicant was offered a place
From Westmorland and Furness Council · offers on 1 March 2024
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
Samuel King's School is a secondary school in Alston, Westmorland and Furness for ages 11–16 (foundation school). Its latest Ofsted outcome is School remains Good, from the inspection on 6 July 2022. Westmorland and Furness has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2024 entry.
Samuel King's School catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Year 7 2024 | Every applicant was offered a place |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- Every applicant was offered a Year 7 place in 2024, as at 9 of the 10 other Westmorland and Furness secondary schools with a published Year 7 2024 outcome.
- Year 7 2026 had 24 first-choice applications for 24 offers, and every first-choice family was offered a place.
- For Year 7 2026, 11 of the 27 applications (41%) came from families living outside Westmorland and Furness, and 8 offers went to them.
- In 2024/25, 23% got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (England 45%), the lowest of 9 schools: this one and the 8 nearest secondary schools in Westmorland and Furness.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Westmorland and Furness schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Church Road, Alston, CA9 3QU
- Type
- Foundation school
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–16
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Westmorland and Furness
- Pupils on roll
- 113 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 18.6% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 14.3
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
School remains Good Inspected 6 July 2022
Strengths
- “Pupils enjoy attending this small, welcoming school.”
- “Pupils said that they feel happy and safe.”
- “They appreciate the strong, positive relationships that they forge with staff.”
To improve
- “However, in a few subjects, some pupils are less secure in their learning.”
- “Teachers sometimes do not design activities that develop and strengthen pupils’ learning in these subjects.”
- “This means that pupils sometimes lack the secure knowledge needed to explain what they have learned.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 3 October 2022 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 23% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 30.2 | 46 |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 24 first-preference applications, 24 offers in total, 24 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in Westmorland and Furness.
- Appleby Grammar School 15.9 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Ullswater Community College 16.2 mi Good Last distance published
- Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith 16.5 mi Good Last distance published
- Kirkby Stephen Grammar School 23.5 mi Good Last distance published
- Settlebeck School 33.9 mi Not judged Last distance published
- The Queen Katherine School 34.7 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- The Lakes School 34.8 mi Standards maintained Last distance published
- Kirkbie Kendal School 36.2 mi School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next Last distance published