Find the best secondary schools in Lancaster. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas, GCSE results and Progress 8.
Lancaster has 8 secondary schools, all in Lancashire council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 8, 3 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, and 2 select by ability through the 11-plus, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Lancaster secondary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Lancaster Royal Grammar School | Christian, selective, sixth form | 4.5 / 5 |
| Lancaster Girls' Grammar School | girls, selective, sixth form | 4.5 / 5 |
| Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy | Church of England, sixth form | 4.4 / 5 |
| Bay Leadership Academy | sixth form | 3.1 / 5 |
| Lancaster High School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Morecambe Bay Academy | sixth form | 3.1 / 5 |
| Carnforth High School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| Our Lady's Catholic College | Roman Catholic, sixth form |
There are 8 secondary schools in Lancaster.
Apply by 31 October in your child's Year 6, for a place starting the following September. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. If you live in Lancaster, that council is Lancashire. Offers are sent on 1 March, or the next working day.
Yes, 2 secondary schools in Lancaster select pupils by ability: Lancaster Royal Grammar School and Lancaster Girls' Grammar School. Entry is by the 11-plus, usually sat in September of Year 6. You register for the test separately, normally in the summer term of Year 5, and still name the school on your council application by 31 October.
Of the 8 secondary schools in Lancaster, 6 have a sixth form. Students at a school that stops at 16 apply separately for sixth form, either at another school or at a college.
Of the 8 secondary schools in Lancaster, 3 have a religious character: 1 Christian, 1 Church of England and 1 Roman Catholic. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
Yes, Lancaster has 1 girls' school. The other 7 are mixed. Some single-sex schools take both boys and girls into the sixth form.
| 2.8 / 5 |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Lancaster Royal Grammar School (4.5), Lancaster Girls' Grammar School (4.5), Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy (4.4), Bay Leadership Academy (3.1) and Lancaster High School (3.1). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and GCSE results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. All 8 schools here have a rating.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you.