Netherhall School

Netherhall School is a happy and well-supported secondary school where pupils and sixth-form students behave well, feel safe and enjoy a wide range of activities, trips and responsibilities. Personal development and behaviour are strengths: careers education, work experience and support for healthy relationships are strong, and safeguarding is effective. Attendance is improving and reading support for pupils who struggle is now more effective.

Strengths

• Pupils and sixth-form students feel safe, happy and well supported.
• Pupils behave well in lessons and during social times.
• Sixth-form students act as excellent role models for younger pupils.
• Pupils take part in an extensive range of activities, trips and responsibilities.
• Attendance strategies are improving pupils' rates of attendance.
• Reading support helps pupils in Years 7 to 10 catch up quickly.
• The curriculum is ambitious and the proportion taking the EBacc is rising.
• Staff subject knowledge is secure and training has been used well.
• SEND needs are identified promptly and generally used to adapt teaching.
• Personal development is strong, including healthy relationships and respect for others.
• Careers education is high-quality and includes meaningful work experience.
• Staff feel the school is considerate of their well-being and workload.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some revised subject curriculums are not fully embedded, leaving gaps in pupils' prior learning.
• Staff do not consistently choose the most appropriate activities to deliver the intended curriculum.
• Assessment is not used consistently well enough to check understanding and address gaps.
• Some pupils, including those with SEND, and sixth-form students do not achieve as well as they should.
• Sixth-form provision requires improvement.
• Governors do not consistently challenge the school or hold it fully to account.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Netherhall School attended 93.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.8% of pupils at Netherhall School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Netherhall School had 33.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 63.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 24.6% of pupils at Netherhall School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Netherhall School received £9,034 and spent £9,122 for each of its 897 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £2,491,000 (-£2,777 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Maryport · Cumberland local authority: places and applications

What is Netherhall School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Netherhall School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Netherhall School last inspected by Ofsted?

Netherhall School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Netherhall School have?

Netherhall School has 894 pupils on roll.

What age range does Netherhall School cover?

Netherhall School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Netherhall School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.7, and 28% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Netherhall School?

Netherhall School is at Netherhall Road, Maryport, Cumbria, CA15 6NT.