Kirkbie Kendal School
Lound Road, Kendal, LA9 7EQ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- KIRKBIE KENDAL SCHOOL ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Mark Harris
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- Westmorland and Lonsdale
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,060
- Pupils on roll
- 1,029
- URN
- 136671
- Local authority
- Westmorland and Furness
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01539727422
About this school
Kirkbie Kendal School is a secondary academy in Kendal. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,029 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Kirkbie Kendal School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 9 May 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good, but had some concerns; a full inspection will follow. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 186 | 168 | 176 |
| Attainment 8 score | 50.6 | 49.3 | 50.1 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.01 -0.19 to +0.22 | +0.12 -0.10 to +0.34 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 60% | 48.8% | 57.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 78% | 74.4% | 75.6% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 38% | 44% | 28.4% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.4 |
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 Kirkbie Kendal 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 | Westmorland and Furness average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 50.6 | 37.9 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 49.3 | 40 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 50.1 | 41.9 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,082 |
| 2023/24 | 1,055 |
| 2024/25 | 1,041 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Kirkbie Kendal School compares
Kirkbie Kendal School ranked 4th of 20 secondary schools in Westmorland and Furness for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 76% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 50.1 | 7.1% | 15.9% | 1,029 | — |
| The Queen Katherine School | 48.8 | 7.7% | 19.4% | 910 | 1.5 miles |
| Dallam School | 44.1 | 9.7% | 14.9% | 761 | 6.2 miles |
| The Lakes School | 46.8 | 7.6% | 14.1% | 445 | 8.9 miles |
| Settlebeck School | 44 | 9% | 13.3% | 203 | 8.9 miles |
| Queen Elizabeth Studio School | 37.8 | 8.8% | 10.2% | 329 | 9.7 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)
- 15.85%
- English as an additional language
- 5.4%
- Overall absence
- 7.11%
- Persistent absence
- 19.08%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Queen Katherine School1.5 miles
Secondary · Kendal
-
Dallam School6.2 miles
Secondary · Cumbria
-
The Lakes School8.9 miles
Secondary · Windermere
-
Settlebeck School8.9 miles
Secondary · Sedbergh
-
Queen Elizabeth Studio School9.7 miles
Secondary
Other schools in Kendal
- The Queen Katherine School Secondary
- Kendal Nursery School Nursery
- Castle Park School Primary
- Crosscrake CofE Primary School Primary
- Crosthwaite CofE School Primary
- Dean Gibson Catholic Primary School, Kendal Primary
- Ghyllside Primary School Primary
- Grayrigg CofE School Primary
- Heron Hill Primary School Primary
- Levens CofE School Primary
- Old Hutton CofE School Primary
- Selside Endowed CofE Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Kirkbie Kendal School teach?
- Kirkbie Kendal School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Kendal.
- Who is the headteacher of Kirkbie Kendal School?
- The headteacher of Kirkbie Kendal School is Mr Mark Harris, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Kirkbie Kendal School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Kirkbie Kendal 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 Kirkbie Kendal School?
- Kirkbie Kendal School has 1,029 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Kirkbie Kendal School full?
- Kirkbie Kendal School has capacity for 1,060 pupils and 1,029 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Kirkbie Kendal School a faith school?
- No. Kirkbie Kendal School has no designated religious character.
- Is Kirkbie Kendal School a selective school?
- No. Kirkbie Kendal School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Kirkbie Kendal School part of an academy trust?
- Kirkbie Kendal School is part of KIRKBIE KENDAL SCHOOL ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Kirkbie Kendal School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 50.6 in 2022/23 and 50.1 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Kirkbie Kendal School compare with other schools in Westmorland and Furness?
- Kirkbie Kendal School ranked 4th of 20 secondary schools in Westmorland and Furness for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 76% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Kirkbie Kendal School's absence rate?
- Kirkbie Kendal School's overall absence rate is 7.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Kirkbie Kendal School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Kirkbie Kendal 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 1 July 2026.