Selective special school in Kendal, Westmorland and Furness
Appletree School
Natland, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 7QS
Ofsted
Ofsted has not published an inspection outcome for this school.
This is usual for schools that have opened recently, and for most independent schools, which are inspected by ISI or another approved body rather than Ofsted.
Exam results
Special schools serve pupils whose needs the standard measures were not designed to describe, so results are not shown or ranked here.
Pupils
- Pupils on roll
- 12
- Places
- 18
- How full
- 67% full — 12 of 18 places taken, so places are likely to be available
- Girls / boys
- 1 / 11
- Free school meals, last 6 years
- 0%
- English as an additional language
- Not published
- With an EHC plan
- 67%
- On SEN support
- 33%
England 25.7%
England 3.5%
England 15%
The neighbourhood around the school
Census 2021 figures for South Lakeland 010D, the statistical neighbourhood the school sits in — roughly 1,500 residents. It describes the area, not the pupils, who may travel in from further away.
- Adults with a degree
- 48%
- Adults with no qualifications
- 9%
- Households owning their home
- 85%
- Households in social housing
- 3%
- Households with no car
- 6%
- Adults economically inactive
- 48%
England 33.8%
England 18.3%
England 62.7%
England 17%
England 21.9%
England 39.9%
School details
- Type
- Other independent special school
- Phase
- Special
- Ages
- Ages 6–12
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Selective (entrance test)
- Religious character
- None
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- No
- Boarding
- Boarding school
- Headteacher
- Headteacher: Rowan Knapton
- Local authority
- Westmorland and Furness
- Ward
- Kendal South
- Constituency
- Westmorland and Lonsdale
- URN
- 130367
The unique reference number used in all official school data.
Nearest special schools
| School | Ofsted | Attainment 8 | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Lakes AcademyOther independent special school | No grade | — | 2.3 mi |
| Sandgate SchoolCommunity special school | Good 2023 | — | 2.6 mi |
| Cambian Whinfell SchoolOther independent special school | No grade | — | 3 mi |
| Oversands SchoolOther independent special school | No grade | — | 5.4 mi |
| SwitchED2Other independent special school | No grade | — | 6.3 mi |
| Cairn Education CICOther independent special school | No grade | — | 6.5 mi |
| Underley Garden SchoolOther independent special school | No grade | — | 7.9 mi |
| Fell House SchoolOther independent special school | No grade | — | 9.9 mi |
Where these figures come from
- School details, address and pupil numbers — Get Information About Schools, the DfE register, as at 14 August 2026.
- Exam results — DfE performance tables, 2024/25.
- Free school meals, EAL and SEN — school census, 2024/25.
- Ofsted — Ofsted management information, latest inspections as at 30 June 2026.
- Neighbourhood figures — ONS Census 2021, lower layer super output area.
All published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. If something here looks wrong, the school's own website is the authority on admissions and open days.