Windermere, Ulverston schools and places to live

[Saphire04]

Hi all, I wondered if any of you have informtion about the schools in Windermere or Ulverston please. We are moving to Lake District due to the change in job based at Furness Hospital. I am looking to find a place to live which will be based upon finding a school for my 13years old son. Are there any rough areas that I ned to avoid? Is Windermere School is good? I appreciate your views and comments please.

Ulverston doesn't really have rough areas........well there's an estate called the honeypot. It's a bit rough around the edges in terms of Ulverston but certainly not crime ridden.

The high school is excellent and not too big........I certainly wouldn't commute into Windermere for the sake of schools. When there's such a good one on your doorstep. For a start the roads can be an absolute nightmare it will have a real impact on your day.

Regarding housing depends on your budget I guess, the croftlands is a good base if you aren't wanting to be within town. Nice houses with large gardens overlooking farmlands and with plenty of woods to wander in but 20 minutes walk ittnto town.........I don't live in Ulverston but visit often. It's a really, lovely place with plenty going on for everyone. Will be there this weekend for the Dickensian festival !

Thank you for the reply. The school have no spaces for his current year group hence we are looking to find good ones.

Queen Katherine school in Kendal may be a better bet than Windermere, there's a frequent bus service and the distance is roughly the same. Again it's an excellent school. As is John Ruskin.

Windermere School and the local schools are quite different beasts, since Windermere School is fee paying. If you want a good comp then Ulverston Victoria is decent. Avoid Barrow schools. QKS is Kendal is OK but it is not a good commute from Ulverston; there's no direct train (you'd have to go to Lancaster and change) and the 6 or X6 bus takes forever and doesn't come often.

John Ruskin is in Coniston! That'd also be a right faff.

The traffic round Windermere will be awful in the summer.

Bobbin, the number 6 bus to Kendal is every hour and takes just under an hour. It's not a bad journey at all.

John Ruskin had its own school bus which goes from Ulverston (( my friend's son goes )) so both viable options that won't involve driving into the hell that is Windermere.

Another good school is Dowdales in Dalton. Which would be on the ops route into work or is about 10 minutes on the bus.

Keep away from the Lakes school Windermere.
There's also a dreadful estate near the train station at Windermere that is crime central.
I lived at Windermere for a time. I got a huge shock at the drug scene.
It's not what people believe it to be. Beneath the picture-postcard beauty lies a dark underbelly.

Agree Dowdales would make more sense (subject to what Ofsted have to say about it)

Spied I absolutely hate Windermere. It's an awful place over run with stags and hen parties. Basically a green Blackpool.........Not the place I remember as a child at all.

St Bernards and Chetwynde are also worth a look.......yes it's in Barrow but they're both good schools and more towards Dalton. Chetwynde was a private school until recently and has retained most of the old staff. It's not an overly big school either.

Once an hour, taking an hour is not a good bus service.

Thank you so much all for your replies and information. After I applied for schools, Ulverston high have no spaces for year 9 as it was our first choice. They offered either Cartmel or Dawdles? I don't know which one is better in terms of teaching and pastural care. If any of you is aware of any issues, please let me know. My son is very sensitive and he has been bullied in previous schools and I am very worried that he gets the same. He already has been offered a place at windermere, but too expensive and no idea if the education is good? if anyone who has their kids at Windermere School , please let me have some information about the school's culture and education. I am moving from south of the country so it is a huge change for us. How is Cumbria to live in please? I have no idea what am I expecting and if its going to be a huge change for us? I don't know where to look for living, to be convenient in rush hours both for school and my work at the hospital. I would like to live somewhere were I feel safe for both of us. I am unsure whether to chose to live in Kendal, Ulverston, windermere or any other town or village, the most important is not to be isolated and worried. Please if you have more information to let me know. Thanks in advance for all of your comments.

My sister lives in Grasmere, she loves it. The lakes are very safe. However the roads round the main tourist hot spots are awful in the summer. Ambleside's one way system is a bottle neck. The bus fares are eye watering, so something to consider if commuting do school.

Ulverston / Dalton are both good bases.......Barrow is Barrow. It's seen a lot of improvement over recent years with all of the money that's been pumped into it due to Bae. It has its social issues but absolutely nothing compared to areas in the South 🥺.......as a general rule the better end is actually by the hospital. And definitely look at Chetwynde if your son struggles with confidence. I know a lot of kids who have Autism that are able to attend because it's such a nurturing school..........and again John Ruskin which has a bus to the school. Less than 200 pupils and a focus on getting out into the outdoors. They gave my friend's son a future, he had no confidence due to having dyslexia and bullying. He's now off and studying at uni.

I feel a bit sad of outsiders views of Barrow (( I'm from there but don't live in that area anymore )) they're happy to go there and earn often inflated wages contracting but won't spend their money there. It's definitely added to the deprivation in certain parts as the money doesn't trickle down so to speak. Things are changing for the better though and incomers are staying. Huge estates of new houses are popping up, new hotels are being built so more jobs in hospitality and cleaning etc . It's really good to see. It is Barrow tho and doesnt have much going on.

Ulverston is a busy little market down, there are events on frequently (( check out the Facebook pages )) trains towards Manchester run frequently, it doesn't really have any bad areas or crime. There was a fight there about 3 years ago when some guy from the gin club punched another and people are still talking about it.

It's a great place for a teenager to live, plenty of youth and sports clubs. Theres the usual skate parks etc. But above all it's safe, without being stupidly isolated.

There's a place I stay at when we visit called rose cottage. It's on air B&B and is a good base if you wanted to stay for a few days and get a feel of the place.

I was born and bred in Ulverston, left aged 27. It was a nice enough place, and until my parents died a few years ago I went back fairly regularly.

The people are friendly, the Lakes is 30 mins away or less, eg nice walks from Newby Bridge only 20 mins away.

Big pub culture, and because it's a small town you will always bump into someone you know once you've been there for a while.

House prices are dirt cheap compared to SE where I am now.

My DC is a considered and guiet child who joined Windermere School in September and loves it so far. Confidence and assertiveness is improving and the pastoral care is good. The staff are also very helpful and respond quickly to any queries. Have you visited the school to get a feel whether it might suit him? I think they run a school bus from Barrow. I don't know anything about the schools near FGH, but I always find Ulverston a nice place to visit and I wouldn't fancy commuting from Windermere to Barrow every day.