Ullswater Community College

Foundation school·Secondary school Penrith, Westmorland and Furness·CA11 8NG
Composite score
51.2
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#2,382
National rank
#305
In North West
#15
In Westmorland and Furness
Top 75%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
41.0
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
44%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
62%
% EBacc grade 5+
7%
EBacc average points score
3.58

Ofsted judgements

Legacy framework · Read full report ↗

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding effective?
Yes
Sixth form provision
Good

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
100%
156 first choices, 161 places
First choices per place
0.97
fewer first choices than places
Applications naming the school
283
any preference, for 161 places
Applications from another council area
4%
First preferences per place, last five years▲ 0.04
00.511.5
1 per place
0.8220220.9420230.9820240.9320250.972026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

Every child who put Ullswater Community College first was offered a place in 2026, so no distance cut-off applied: living further away did not cost a place that year.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
11–18
Pupils on roll
1,535
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-Selective

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
19.4%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
6.6%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
17.8%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
4.6%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
8.7%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
26.4%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
16.9
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£7,633
Typical secondary: £7,815

“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means

What pupils do next

The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.

In education, training or work
92%
233 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
74%
Apprenticeship
9%
Employment
9%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

School overview

Ullswater Community College is a secondary school serving Penrith, Westmorland and Furness, classified by the DfE as a foundation school. It has 1,535 pupils aged 11 to 18 on roll. At its most recent graded inspection, Ofsted rated Ullswater Community College 'Good'. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 41.0 — below the national average (national average: 46). Performance is little changed year on year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of secondary schools nationally.

44% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, in line with the national average of about 45%. 62% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Getting a place is straightforward: for the September 2026 intake every family who made Ullswater Community College their first choice was offered one of its 161 Year 7 places. After Year 11, 92% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 8.7%. There are about 16.9 pupils per teacher. 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.

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