Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #11 in Cumberland public Top 34% UK

St Benedict's Catholic High School

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

personMrs Emma Jackson

location_onWhitehaven, CA28 8UG

language Visit Website phone 1946692275

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2014

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Students

1,086

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Attainment 8

41.2

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GCSE Rank

#10 in Cumberland

#2,374 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

St Benedict's Catholic High School is a Voluntary aided school secondary school in Whitehaven, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

St Benedict's Catholic High School is a voluntary aided school in Whitehaven, Cumberland, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. The school has approximately 992 pupils on roll, of whom 31% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 41.2, placing the school #10 in Cumberland and #2,374 of 3,216 nationally. 32.90% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 10.7% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 15 A-level subjects. 33.6% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 12.1% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.45 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2014. The school's current overall rating is Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.9× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 15.9:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 8.4 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

41.2

Grade 5+ E&M

32.90%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)10.7%

Entering EBacc19.50%

EBacc APS3.46

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.29

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc15.80%

EBacc APS3.59

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.26

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc20%

EBacc APS3.78

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.34

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc26%

EBacc APS4.03

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc16%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.14

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc20%

EBacc APS3.6

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.26

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc21%

EBacc APS3.74

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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.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)75%

Apprenticeships13%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)80%

Apprenticeships13%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

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

Apprenticeships10%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)74%

Apprenticeships13%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.45

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*1.3%

Achieving A*–A12.1%

Achieving A*–B33.6%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate87.9%

A-level subjects offered15

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.43

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate85.30%

2023

Avg Grade

D+

Students

Retention rate98.50%

2022

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate92.1%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

No digital report timeline available.

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2014-09-16

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2013-03-05

None EIF

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

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

8.6%per term

warning Above Average

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

4.4%(44 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 992 pupils. During this period, there were 85 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 8.6%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	992	85	8.6%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	986	81	8.2%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,033	94	9.1%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,039	93	9.0%	7.1%	2
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,041	103	9.9%	8.2%	2
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,086	33	3.0%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,086	52	4.8%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,082	51	4.7%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,088	34	3.1%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,100	38	3.5%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,100	17	1.5%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,115	15	1.3%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,119	7	0.6%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,122	36	3.2%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,109	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,109	20	1.8%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,112	17	1.5%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,068	26	2.4%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,070	41	3.8%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,077	56	5.2%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,031	59	5.7%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,034	42	4.1%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,038	28	2.7%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	997	35	3.5%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	998	36	3.6%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	990	34	3.4%	3.1%	0

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.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 77 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 27 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 24 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 23 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 7 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 5 pupils

Visual Impairment 3 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 2 pupils

Physical Disability 1 pupils

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St Benedict's Catholic High School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Roman Catholic)

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 Cumberland

Keswick School

Cockermouth School

The Nelson Thomlinson School

William Howard School

Caldew School

Millom School