The Queen Katherine School

The Queen Katherine School is a good school where pupils feel happy, safe and valued. Behaviour and attendance are strong: pupils attend regularly, behave well in lessons and around school, and persistent absence is below the national average. Safeguarding arrangements are met. The school's inclusive ethos is a particular strength, with pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils well supported; disadvantaged pupils' outcomes in English and maths at grade 5 or above were above the national average in 2024/25. Personal development is rich, and sixth-form students achieve well and move on to appropriate destinations.

Strengths

• Pupils behave consistently well and have positive attitudes to learning
• Attendance is strong, with persistent absence below the national average
• The school has a highly inclusive ethos, with swift identification of SEND and effective support
• Disadvantaged pupils are well supported and make strong progress
• Personal development is extensive and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain
• Sixth-form students achieve at least in line with national averages and receive highly effective guidance
• Staff morale is high and leaders invest well in professional development
• Governance and trust oversight are effective and hold leaders to account well

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not consistently identify and address misconceptions or gaps in pupils' knowledge
• Errors in reading, handwriting, punctuation and spelling sometimes go unnoticed
• A-level value added was below the national average in 2024/25
• There remains a disadvantage gap in outcomes between disadvantaged pupils and non-disadvantaged pupils nationally

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Queen Katherine School attended 92.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 5.3% of pupils at The Queen Katherine School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 The Queen Katherine School had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 19.9% of pupils at The Queen Katherine School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2023–24 The Queen Katherine School received £7,726 and spent £8,349 for each of its 936 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,185,000 (£1,266 per pupil).

Across all 17 schools of Cumbria Education Trust, income was £7,378 and spending £7,518 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Kendal · Westmorland and Furness local authority: places and applications

The Queen Katherine School is part of Cumbria Education Trust, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

• Stramongate Primary School Kendal
• Castle Park School Kendal
• Tebay Primary School Penrith
• Kirkby Stephen Grammar School Kirkby Stephen
• Yanwath Primary School Penrith
• The Whitehaven Academy Whitehaven
• Hensingham Primary School Whitehaven
• Petteril Bank School Carlisle
• Castle Carrock School Brampton
• Workington Academy Workington

What is The Queen Katherine School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Queen Katherine School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was The Queen Katherine School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Queen Katherine School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does The Queen Katherine School have?

The Queen Katherine School has 910 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Queen Katherine School cover?

The Queen Katherine School for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are The Queen Katherine School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.3, and 44% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Queen Katherine School?

The Queen Katherine School is at Appleby Road, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 6PJ.