Samuel King's School
Church Road, Alston, CA9 3QU
113 pupils · 48% of 235 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Foundation school
- Ages
- 11–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Local authority
- Westmorland and Furness
- Free school meals
- 18.6%
Ofsted
Good (2022) — Ungraded inspection — “School remains Good” (previous grade confirmed, not re-graded)
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 6 July 2022, published 2 October 2022. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 30.2 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 23.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 30.8% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 15.4% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 1 first-choice application per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 24 | 24 | 27 | 24 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 23 | 24 | 31 | 23 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 27 | 26 | 40 | 27 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 32 | 28 | 34 | 30 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 7 | 7 | 12 | 7 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 10 | 10 | 18 | 10 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 11 | 11 | 14 | 11 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 10 | 9 | 13 | 9 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Haydon Bridge High School 21.9 km · Most areas: Needs attention (2026)
- William Howard School 24.4 km · Standards maintained (2025)
- Appleby Grammar School 25.6 km · Most areas: Expected standard (2026)
- Ullswater Community College 26.1 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith 26.6 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Queen Elizabeth High School 27.2 km · Good (2024) · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.