Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #13 in Cumberland public Top 34% UK

Workington Academy

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

personMr Mark Bedford

corporate_fareCUMBRIA EDUCATION TRUST

location_onWorkington, CA14 4EB

language Visit Website phone 1900873926

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2022

groups

Students

1,187

trending_up

Attainment 8

40.5

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GCSE Rank

#13 in Cumberland

#2,472 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Workington Academy is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in Workington, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.2×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Workington Academy is an academy sponsor led in Workington, Cumberland, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of CUMBRIA EDUCATION TRUST. The school has approximately 1,266 pupils on roll, of whom 31% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 40.5, placing the school #13 in Cumberland and #2,472 of 3,216 nationally. 33.50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 9.4% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 14 A-level subjects. 40.0% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 17.1% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.31 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2022. 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 1.2× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 4 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 9.8 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)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

40.5

Grade 5+ E&M

33.50%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)9.4%

Entering EBacc38.60%

EBacc APS3.56

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.19

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

39.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc47.00%

EBacc APS3.6

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.15

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc46%

EBacc APS3.86

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.17

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc47%

EBacc APS3.84

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc34%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.47

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

40.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc22%

EBacc APS3.38

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.5

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc38%

EBacc APS3.61

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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

85%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)69%

Apprenticeships12%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)11%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

90%

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

Apprenticeships7%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)9%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)77%

Apprenticeships7%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)9%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)84%

Apprenticeships8%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)81%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment5%

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

-0.31

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*5.7%

Achieving A*–A17.1%

Achieving A*–B40.0%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate80.0%

A-level subjects offered14

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.15

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate84.60%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate87.50%

2022

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate100.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

29 March 2022

Inspection Report

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10 March 2020

Inspection Report

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22 May 2018

Inspection Report

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24 May 2016

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2022-03-29

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2020-03-10

None EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2018-05-22

Academy First Section 5 Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

Good

2016-05-24

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

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

8.2%per term

warning Above Average

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

4.6%(58 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

2pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,266 pupils. During this period, there were 104 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 8.2%, 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)	1,266	104	8.2%	7.3%	2
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,271	145	11.4%	7.8%	2
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,268	142	11.2%	7.4%	4
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,276	132	10.3%	7.1%	2
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,280	114	8.9%	8.2%	2
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,187	86	7.2%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,187	64	5.4%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,194	73	6.1%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,091	62	5.7%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,089	43	3.9%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,091	45	4.1%	4.4%	2
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,003	45	4.5%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,010	7	0.7%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,014	54	5.3%	3.9%	2
2019/20 (Summer term)	885	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	885	42	4.7%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	883	41	4.6%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	813	32	3.9%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	816	37	4.5%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	826	45	5.4%	3.8%	2
2017/18 (Summer term)	800	55	6.9%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	792	44	5.6%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	812	38	4.7%	3.7%	1
2016/17 (Summer term)	819	45	5.5%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	830	14	1.7%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	845	10	1.2%	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 56 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 55 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 23 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 18 pupils

Physical Disability 16 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 15 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 8 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 8 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

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Workington Academy

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

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