Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #8 in Westmorland and Furness public Top 23% UK

John Ruskin School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

person Mr Peter Blackburn (Head teacher)

hubThe Fells Federation

location_onConiston, LA21 8EW

language Visit Website phone 01539441306

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2019

groups

Students

241

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Attainment 8

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GCSE Rank

#8 in Westmorland and Furness

#1,839 of 4,024 nationally

summarize

John Ruskin School is a Community school secondary school in Coniston, serving ages 11-16. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.1×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

John Ruskin School is a community school in Coniston, Westmorland and Furness, admitting pupils aged 11-16. The school has approximately 247 pupils on roll, of whom 11% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2026, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 46, placing the school #8 in Westmorland and Furness and #1,839 of 4,024 nationally. 37.50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 16.1% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2019. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.1× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 13.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 1.4 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2026

Attainment 8 Score

across 8 GCSE slots

Grade 5+ E&M

37.50%

Grade 4+ E&M

60.40%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)16.1%

5+ GCSEs (4+ incl. E&M)58.30%

Triple Science Entry22.90%

EBacc Slot Score14 / 30

2025

Attainment 8 Score

52.9

across 8 GCSE slots

Grade 5+ E&M

50.00%

Grade 4+ E&M

75.00%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)24.8%

Entering EBacc25.00%

EBacc APS4.67

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.5

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

48.4

Grade 5+ E&M

30.60%

Entering EBacc26.50%

EBacc APS4.22

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.42

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc20%

EBacc APS4.41

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.1

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

49.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc44%

EBacc APS4.51

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.33

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

47.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc11%

EBacc APS3.85

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.66

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

49.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc52%

EBacc APS4.44

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2026

Stayed in Education / Employment

95.9%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79.6%

Apprenticeships16.3%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)76%

Apprenticeships18%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)67%

Apprenticeships19%

Employment8%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79%

Apprenticeships7%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

100%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)78%

Apprenticeships11%

Employment11%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)0%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships7%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

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Ranking History & Trajectory

National & Local Authority position based on DfE performance data · Methodology

Year	Secondary Overall (Nat)	LA Rank	GCSE Attainment	Progress 8 Rank
2026	#1,247 / 4,024	#8	#1,839	#1
2025	#443 / 3,948	#3	#777	#1
2024	#920 / 4,450	#5	#1,378	#504
2023	#850 / 4,321	#6	#935	#606
2022	#959 / 4,199	#6	#1,556	#1,258
2019	#1,067 / 2,711	#7	#1,312	#665
2018	#537 / 2,537	#2	#882	#231

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

25 March 2025

Inspection Report

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15 October 2019

Inspection Report

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03 July 2018

Inspection Report

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24 March 2015

Inspection Report

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05 December 2013

Inspection Report

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23 May 2012

Inspection Report

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23 September 2010

Inspection Report

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27 April 2009

Inspection Report

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29 November 2007

Inspection Report

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29 March 2006

Inspection Report

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11 October 1999

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2019-10-15

S5 Inspection EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

verified_user Safeguarding: Met Latest Ungraded: Improved significantly

2018-07-03

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

2015-03-24

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Latest Ungraded: School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next

2013-12-05

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Leadership

Good

history Predecessor Link

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.8%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.8%(2 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 242 pupils. During this period, there were 2 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.8%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	242	2	0.8%	7.3%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	242	5	2.1%	7.8%
2023/24 (Summer term)	243	6	2.5%	7.4%
2023/24 (Spring term)	244	4	1.6%	7.1%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	246	0	0.0%	8.2%
2022/23 (Summer term)	241	2	0.8%	6.6%
2022/23 (Spring term)	241	4	1.7%	6.4%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	244	4	1.6%	5.9%
2021/22 (Summer term)	230	3	1.3%	4.7%
2021/22 (Spring term)	235	4	1.7%	4.9%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	236	4	1.7%	4.4%
2020/21 (Summer term)	226	1	0.4%	3.6%
2020/21 (Spring term)	228	0	0.0%	1.0%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	229	5	2.2%	3.9%
2019/20 (Summer term)	207	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	207	0	0.0%	3.2%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	209	2	1.0%	4.2%
2018/19 (Summer term)	180	5	2.8%	3.1%
2018/19 (Spring term)	171	2	1.2%	3.8%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	167	0	0.0%	3.8%
2017/18 (Summer term)	145	3	2.1%	3.4%
2017/18 (Spring term)	147	0	0.0%	3.0%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	147	2	1.4%	3.7%
2016/17 (Summer term)	145	2	1.4%	3.0%
2016/17 (Spring term)	141	1	0.7%	3.3%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	142	3	2.1%	3.1%

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Specific Learning Difficulty 80 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 24 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 9 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 5 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 5 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 5 pupils

Physical Disability 3 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

Top Secondary Schools in Westmorland and Furness

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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Needs attention

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Good

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The Queen Katherine School

Expected standard

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Good

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John Ruskin School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Ranking History & Trajectory

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Westmorland and Furness

Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith

Queen Elizabeth School

Cartmel Priory CofE School

Ulverston Victoria High School

The Queen Katherine School

Kirkbie Kendal School