The Nelson Thomlinson School
High Street, Wigton, CA7 9PX
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Headteacher
- Mr Sam Northwood
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- Penrith and Solway
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Pupils on roll
- 1,095
- URN
- 112397
- Local authority
- Cumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01697342160
About this school
The Nelson Thomlinson School is a voluntary controlled secondary school in Wigton. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,095 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Nelson Thomlinson School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 197 | 207 | 194 |
| Attainment 8 score | 46.5 | 47.0 | 46.2 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.11 -0.31 to +0.09 | -0.10 -0.29 to +0.10 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 45% | 50.2% | 46.9% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 67% | 71% | 73.7% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 34% | 23.7% | 20.1% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.0 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Nelson Thomlinson School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Cumberland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 46.5 | 36.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 47 | 34.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 46.2 | 36 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,219 |
| 2023/24 | 1,192 |
| 2024/25 | 1,160 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Nelson Thomlinson School compares
The Nelson Thomlinson School ranked 3rd of 19 secondary schools in Cumberland for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 62% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 11% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 46.2 | 9.1% | 14.2% | 1,095 | — |
| Caldew School | 44.3 | 8.7% | 20.4% | 990 | 7.2 miles |
| Beacon Hill Community School | 28.8 | 9.6% | 37.2% | 135 | 8.1 miles |
| Richard Rose Morton Academy | 43.4 | 7.9% | 25.7% | 905 | 8.4 miles |
| Solway Community School | 35 | 7.5% | 34.9% | 150 | 9.7 miles |
| Trinity School | 41.4 | 10.3% | 22.1% | 1,711 | 10.3 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 14.23%
- English as an additional language
- 3.8%
- Overall absence
- 9.11%
- Persistent absence
- 23.41%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Caldew School7.2 miles
Secondary · Carlisle
-
Beacon Hill Community School8.1 miles
Secondary · Wigton
-
Richard Rose Morton Academy8.4 miles
Secondary · Carlisle
-
Solway Community School9.7 miles
Secondary · Wigton
-
Trinity School10.3 miles
Secondary · Carlisle
Other schools in Wigton
- Beacon Hill Community School Secondary
- Solway Community School Secondary
- Blennerhasset School Primary
- Boltons CofE School Primary
- Bowness-on-Solway Primary School Primary
- Fellview Primary School Primary
- Holm Cultram Abbey CofE Primary School Primary
- Ireby CofE School Primary
- Kirkbride Primary School Primary
- Oughterside Primary School Primary
- Plumbland CofE School Primary
- Richmond Hill School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does The Nelson Thomlinson School teach?
- The Nelson Thomlinson School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Wigton.
- Who is the headteacher of The Nelson Thomlinson School?
- The headteacher of The Nelson Thomlinson School is Mr Sam Northwood, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Nelson Thomlinson School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Nelson Thomlinson School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at The Nelson Thomlinson School?
- The Nelson Thomlinson School has 1,095 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is The Nelson Thomlinson School a faith school?
- No. The Nelson Thomlinson School has no designated religious character.
- Is The Nelson Thomlinson School a selective school?
- No. The Nelson Thomlinson School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have The Nelson Thomlinson School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 46.5 in 2022/23 and 46.2 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Nelson Thomlinson School compare with other schools in Cumberland?
- The Nelson Thomlinson School ranked 3rd of 19 secondary schools in Cumberland for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 62% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 11% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Nelson Thomlinson School's absence rate?
- The Nelson Thomlinson School's overall absence rate is 9.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Nelson Thomlinson School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Nelson Thomlinson School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.