John Ruskin School

School overview

John Ruskin School is a secondary school serving Coniston, Westmorland and Furness, classified by the DfE as a community school. It has 242 pupils aged 11 to 16 on roll. At its most recent graded inspection, Ofsted rated John Ruskin School 'Good'. In the most recent GCSE results, pupils achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 52.9, above the national average of 46. That marks an improvement of 4.5 points in its Attainment 8 score on the previous year, though small year groups can make these figures swing sharply from year to year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it among the top 20% of secondary schools in England.

50% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, above the national average of about 45%. 75% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Competition for places is real here - 88% of first-choice applicants were offered a Year 7 place for September 2026 (52 first choices for 46 places). The council's own allocation figures show the last child offered a place for 2026 lived 13.50 miles away in a straight line — that distance is not a fixed catchment and moves each year. After Year 11, 98% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 6.9%. There are about 13.4 pupils per teacher. Its intake is relatively advantaged, with around 12% of pupils eligible for free school meals in the last six years versus about 24% nationally. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.