Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #14 in Cumberland public Top 37% UK

The Whitehaven Academy

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

personMr Nigel Youngman

corporate_fareCUMBRIA EDUCATION TRUST

location_onWhitehaven, CA28 8TY

language Visit Website phone 1946595400

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2023

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Students

665

trending_up

Attainment 8

39.7

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GCSE Rank

#14 in Cumberland

#2,575 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

The Whitehaven Academy is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in Whitehaven, 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

The Whitehaven Academy is an academy sponsor led in Whitehaven, 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 810 pupils on roll, of whom 32% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 39.7, placing the school #14 in Cumberland and #2,575 of 3,216 nationally. 32.50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 10.3% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. 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 18.8:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 2 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 10.2 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

39.7

Grade 5+ E&M

32.50%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)10.3%

Entering EBacc8.70%

EBacc APS3.26

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.24

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc18.10%

EBacc APS3.54

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.98

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

34.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc17%

EBacc APS2.82

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.72

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

38.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc6%

EBacc APS3.16

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc3%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc-%

EBacc APS-

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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

87%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)9%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)66%

Apprenticeships7%

Employment16%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)11%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

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

Apprenticeships11%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)9%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)88%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

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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

2024

2023

2022

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

23 May 2023

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2023-05-23

Academy First Section 5 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2016-10-19

Academy First Section 5 EIF

Inadequate

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Inadequate

2013-05-08

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

9.1%per term

warning Above Average

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

5.1%(41 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

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 810 pupils. During this period, there were 74 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 9.1%, 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)	810	74	9.1%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	807	91	11.3%	7.8%	1
2023/24 (Summer term)	749	62	8.3%	7.4%	1
2023/24 (Spring term)	760	51	6.7%	7.1%	3
2023/24 (Autumn term)	763	44	5.8%	8.2%	2
2022/23 (Summer term)	665	36	5.4%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	665	29	4.4%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	665	28	4.2%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	591	20	3.4%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	584	16	2.7%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	581	21	3.6%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	545	9	1.7%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	531	0	0.0%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	532	28	5.3%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	509	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	509	21	4.1%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	512	41	8.0%	4.2%	2
2018/19 (Summer term)	496	33	6.7%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	497	51	10.3%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	0	9	-	3.8%	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 59 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 38 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 22 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 13 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 10 pupils

Hearing Impairment 5 pupils

Physical Disability 5 pupils

Visual Impairment 3 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

87.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

91.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

17.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree45%

agree39%

disagree10%

strongly disagree3%

don't know4%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree33%

agree42%

disagree19%

strongly disagree3%

don't know3%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree41%

agree17%

disagree13%

strongly disagree8%

don't know2%

not applicable19%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes17%

no83%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree37%

agree42%

disagree11%

strongly disagree11%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree53%

agree32%

disagree6%

strongly disagree3%

don't know6%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree50%

agree38%

disagree7%

strongly disagree4%

don't know2%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree40%

agree39%

disagree15%

strongly disagree5%

don't know2%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree61%

agree37%

disagree3%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree67%

agree27%

disagree4%

don't know3%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree51%

agree31%

disagree11%

strongly disagree3%

don't know4%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes87%

no13%

Top Secondary Schools in Cumberland

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Keswick School

Outstanding

location_on Keswick, CA12 5QB

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Cockermouth School

Good

location_on Cockermouth, CA13 9HF

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The Nelson Thomlinson School

Good

location_on Wigton, CA7 9PX

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William Howard School

Good

location_on Brampton, CA8 1AR

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Caldew School

Good

location_on Carlisle, CA5 7NN

emoji_events #5 in LA

Millom School

Good

location_on Millom, LA18 5AB

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View all schools in Cumberland arrow_forward

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)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

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