Schools in Penrith
Penrith's 29 schools fall within Westmorland and Furness Council's admissions scheme, covering 26 primaries and 2 secondaries in a historic market town that serves as the gateway to the Eden Valley and the northern Lake District. Westmorland and Furness was formed by the 2023 local government reorganisation of Cumbria, and its admissions policy for community schools retains a straight-line distance tie-breaker after sibling and looked-after-children priority.
Secondary provision in Penrith centres on Queen Elizabeth Grammar School - a partially selective school that draws applicants via an entrance assessment - alongside Ullswater Community College. Families not taking the grammar selection route compete for places at Ullswater, which serves a large rural catchment including villages such as Greystoke, Penruddock and Plumpton. The dispersed geography of the Eden Valley means that transport eligibility is a real consideration, as schools are often genuinely far from smaller settlements in the Pennines and Lakeland fringes.
School demand in Penrith
Across the 29 schools in Penrith with published capacity data, the average fill rate is 79%. 5 of them are currently at or above their published admission number, and at those schools catchment distance is likely to decide places at the next intake.
14 schools in Penrith have a religious character, so faith criteria sit alongside catchment distance in their admissions policies.
6 of the schools in Penrith are academies that set their own admissions criteria independently of Westmorland and Furness, so check each school's policy directly rather than assuming the council default applies.
11 of the schools in Penrith have a current Ofsted rating, of which 9 are rated Good or Outstanding. Demand and catchment distance tend to be tightest at the highest-rated schools.
Primary schools in Penrith: 5 oversubscribed (26)
Greystoke Primary School
Primary · Community school
Penrith · CA11 0TP
Brunswick School
Primary · Community school
Penrith · CA11 7LX
North Lakes School
Primary · Community school
Penrith · CA11 8NU
Penruddock Primary School
Primary · Foundation school
Penrith · CA11 0QU
Plumpton School
Primary · Community school
PENRITH · CA11 9PA
Skelton School
Primary · Community school
Penrith · CA11 9SE
Clifton Primary School
Primary · Community school
Penrith · CA10 2EG
Milburn School
Primary · Community school
Penrith · CA10 1TN
Kirkoswald CofE School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Penrith · CA10 1EN
Langwathby CofE Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Penrith · CA10 1ND
Temple Sowerby CofE Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Penrith · CA10 1RZ
Calthwaite CofE School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Penrith · CA11 9QT
Culgaith CofE School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Penrith · CA10 1QL
Stainton CofE Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Penrith · CA11 0ET
Crosby Ravensworth CofE School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Penrith · CA10 3JJ
Morland Area CofE Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Penrith · CA10 3AT
Patterdale CofE Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Penrith · CA11 0NL
Shap Endowed CofE Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Penrith · CA10 3NL
Lowther Endowed School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Penrith · CA10 2HT
Orton CofE School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Penrith · CA10 3RG
Beaconside CofE Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Penrith · CA11 8EN
Lazonby C of E Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Penrith · CA10 1BL
Tebay Primary School
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Penrith · CA10 3XB
Yanwath Primary School
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Penrith · CA10 2LA
Kirkby Thore School
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Penrith · CA10 1UU
St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith
Primary · Academy converter
PENRITH · CA11 9EL
Secondary Schools in Penrith (2)
Other Schools in Penrith (1)
Catchment area boundaries for schools in Penrith are set by Westmorland and Furness and updated each year. The "last distance offered", how far the furthest successful applicant lived, changes annually based on the number of applications received.