Appleby Grammar School Review 2026: A small rural secondary with a major rebuild underway

For a state secondary with sixth form, Appleby Grammar School feels distinctive in two ways. First, it is genuinely small for an 11 to 18 school, which shapes everything from relationships with staff to sixth form subject breadth. Second, the physical site is on the cusp of change, with a substantial rebuilding and refurbishment programme that includes a new three-storey school building and the refurbishment and reconnection of older blocks.

The latest full inspection rated the school Good across the key areas and Good for sixth form provision, based on the inspection in April 2022. More recently, the headteacher listed on the school website is Mr P J Nicholson, who was reported locally as a newly appointed headteacher in 2024.

For families, the headline is straightforward. This is a state school with no tuition fees. The school’s published charging statement is explicit that admission and the formal curriculum are not subject to a charge.

Appleby Grammar School is explicit about the values it wants students to live by, presenting Kindness, Respect, and Community as the core framing for daily life. That emphasis aligns with the way the most recent full inspection described pupils and sixth form students, with many reporting a trusted adult to speak to, and a general sense of feeling safe.

Small size matters here. It tends to make routines more personal, and it can make pastoral systems feel more immediate. It also creates practical constraints. A small sixth form, in particular, can limit the range of courses students can take at once, and it means the school has to be deliberate about how it structures option blocks and staffing.

The site itself adds a further layer to the school’s character. The school describes its accommodation as largely centred on a 1962 block, with an 1887 building and additional specialist spaces, including reference to the Whiteheads Laboratory. The historic fabric is not just a talking point. Historic England’s listing for the main building records it as Grade II, built in 1887, with distinctive stonework and a reused doorway dated 1671 from the original grammar school building.

The rebuild programme therefore is not merely a facilities upgrade. It is a change to how the school works day to day, with new construction and the planned reconnection of older buildings through a new linked walkway, alongside retained sports provision and reshaped outdoor spaces.

At GCSE level, the school’s outcomes sit in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), based on the published England percentile position. The most useful way to interpret this for parents is that results are broadly in the typical national range, neither markedly above nor below the wider England picture, while still being strong within its immediate local comparison set.

Ranked 2210th in England and 1st locally for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), Appleby Grammar School’s position reflects a broadly typical national profile with local strength.

Looking at the underlying GCSE indicators, Attainment 8 is 45.5, which is close to the England average value shown. Progress 8 is 0.01, essentially in line with the national baseline, which indicates that, on average, students make about the progress expected from their starting points. The EBacc-related measures are more muted, with an average EBacc APS of 3.96 and 11.9% achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc measure shown.

At A-level, the picture is more challenging. The A-level ranking places the sixth form below England average overall, and the grade profile is lower than the England averages included alongside it. Ranked 2028th in England and 1st locally for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the sixth form sits below the typical England profile.

In the reported A-level grade distribution, 5.63% of grades are A*, 8.45% are A, and 28.17% are A* to B combined, compared with England averages of 23.6% A*/A and 47.2% A* to B. For families, the implication is that the sixth form offer is likely to be driven as much by pastoral fit, continuity, and subject availability as by a headline “high grades” narrative.

The most recent full inspection describes an ambitious curriculum, including for students with special educational needs and disabilities, and notes deliberate sequencing of knowledge and skills. It also highlights a structured approach to identifying SEND needs and communicating barriers to staff, which matters in a small school where consistency across classrooms has an outsized impact.

A key positive is the emphasis on students remembering what they have learned and achieving well, paired with a clear improvement point: assessment practice is not consistently strong across all teachers, so misconceptions are not always identified early enough. In practical terms, this is the difference between a school where feedback loops are tight in every classroom, and one where some students may need to be proactive about seeking clarification before gaps widen.

Curriculum breadth also shows a deliberate intent. The inspection records that all pupils have access to the full suite of English Baccalaureate subjects, and that leaders encourage EBacc study where appropriate, within the constraints a small school faces. That approach is generally parent-friendly. It keeps pathways open at GCSE, even for students who are still developing their longer-term interests.

Because published Russell Group or Oxbridge figures are not provided in the available official material reviewed here, the clearest outcomes picture comes from the DfE 16 to 18 destinations dataset provided. For the 2023/24 leavers cohort (cohort size 26), 23% progressed to university, 12% to further education, 4% to apprenticeships, and 38% to employment.

The immediate implication is that this is a sixth form serving a mixed set of post-16 destinations, with a meaningful proportion heading directly into work and a smaller university progression share than many larger sixth forms. It is a reminder to parents to ask detailed questions about guidance, work experience, and the support available for different pathways, not only UCAS.

The sixth form’s own description leans into the advantages of a small setting. It highlights a sixth form common room, a degree of independence around lunchtime and timetable gaps (including permission to leave at 12.25pm if there are no further lessons), and a smart-casual dress code. For some students, that structured freedom, paired with staff knowing students well, can be exactly what helps them settle into the more independent learning style A-levels demand.

Secondary transfer is coordinated through the local authority. For September 2026 Year 7 entry in Westmorland and Furness, applications open on 03 September 2025 and close on 31 October 2025. Offers for secondary places are issued on 01 March, or the next working day if 01 March falls on a weekend or bank holiday; for 2026, that points to Monday 02 March 2026.

For Appleby Grammar School specifically, the published admission number for September 2026 is 90. The local authority’s booklet also sets out the oversubscription framework used if applications exceed places, starting with looked-after and previously looked-after children, then moving through catchment priorities, siblings, and distance-based measures. The criteria include catchment-area prioritisation and a mix of walking-route distance and straight-line measurement depending on whether the applicant is inside or outside catchment.

The school is described as oversubscribed in the most recently available admissions snapshot provided, with 96 applications and 60 offers in that cycle, equivalent to 1.6 applications per place in that year. Those numbers can change materially from one year to the next, especially in small rural areas, so families should treat a single-year figure as an indicator rather than a promise.

For sixth form entry (Year 12), the school publishes a direct application route via an online form for September 2026 entry, and states that external students are welcome to apply. Exact closing dates are not stated on the published page, so applicants should plan early in the autumn term and confirm timelines directly.

A practical tip: if you are weighing catchment-based criteria, use FindMySchool’s Map Search to check your home location against the school and sense-check travel time and likely priority banding before finalising preferences.

The most recent inspection paints a generally positive pastoral picture, including students reporting that staff know them well, and that they feel safe. Safeguarding is addressed directly in the same report, which states that safeguarding arrangements are effective and describes staff awareness and referral systems, plus work with external agencies.

Behaviour and anti-bullying are described with a balanced tone. Most students behave well and most staff challenge low-level disruption, but there is a stated improvement need around a minority of teachers not holding consistently high expectations, and a small minority of pupils whose behaviour can disrupt learning at times. For families, the right question is not whether any disruption exists, but how consistently it is handled across subjects, and what escalation looks like when patterns repeat.

Practical support structures show up in day-to-day provision. The school runs a lunchtime Homework Club (12.25pm to 1.25pm) in the library and adjacent computer room, supervised by learning support staff. This is the kind of small, targeted intervention that can matter, particularly for students who benefit from a quiet study base or ready access to help.

Music is one of the clearest named strands in the school’s published material. The music department describes extracurricular opportunities including the school orchestra, concert band, jazz band, and choir, alongside school theatrical performances, and references practice rooms and a departmental block with a computer suite. For students who enjoy ensemble work, this is a concrete pathway into regular, structured participation rather than a loose “music club” offer.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is another explicit element. The inspection report notes students’ enjoyment of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and references trips abroad, including to South Africa. The school’s own page confirms that there is an enrolment fee and that expedition activity runs seasonally between Easter and October, with support available where costs pose a barrier.

Student voice is also formalised through the School Council, which is described as having elected members from each form and meeting regularly to discuss improvements to school life. In a small school, that can have a more direct feel than in a larger setting, as the loop between suggestion and implementation is often shorter.

Transport and access also sit within “beyond the classroom” in a rural context. In February 2025 the school took delivery of its first minibus, funded through a blend of grants and local support organisations. That is a practical asset for fixtures, trips, and enrichment, and it tends to broaden what is feasible for a small school.

The school operates a five-period day with 60-minute lessons. Form time and registration run from 08.50 to 09.10, and the final period ends at 15.30. The school also states that staff take responsibility for students from 08.30 and until 15.40, and that there is no supervision outside those times. For working families, that is a key practical point: this is not a school structured around formal breakfast club or after-school wraparound in the way many primaries are.

For rail travel, Appleby station (APP) is the obvious local anchor for families using public transport, with services on the Settle to Carlisle line. Families should also ask about the current pattern of school transport arrangements for their specific village or route, and whether any post-16 travel schemes apply for sixth form students.

• A-level outcomes are below typical England levels. The A-level grade profile in the published dataset is lower than the England averages shown alongside it, so students aiming for very high tariff courses should ask detailed questions about subject-by-subject support and cohort size.

• Small sixth form means trade-offs. The inspection notes that one challenge of a small sixth form is limited breadth of qualifications available to some students, even though many choose to stay because of tailored care and support.

• Behaviour expectations are not fully consistent across classrooms. The inspection identifies an improvement need around a minority of teachers not upholding the same high expectations, which can lead to occasional low-level disruption.

• Rebuilding brings opportunity and disruption. The planned new building and refurbishment programme should improve facilities materially, but construction phases can affect routines, access, and space allocation for a period.

Appleby Grammar School is a small, community-oriented state secondary with a Good inspection profile and a clear values framework. The strongest fit is for families who want a rural 11 to 18 school where staff know students well, enrichment is real rather than symbolic, and continuity into a sixth form can be supported in a familiar setting. It suits students who benefit from close pastoral oversight and are prepared to be proactive about making the most of course and enrichment options in a smaller cohort. The key decision point is whether the sixth form’s outcomes and subject breadth align with a student’s post-16 ambitions.