Richard Rose Morton Academy

Richard Rose Morton Academy is a secondary comprehensive school within The United Learning Trust. It has improved since its previous Requires improvement judgement, with inspectors positive about the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. Pupils feel happy and safe, behave calmly, and benefit from strong pastoral care and effective safeguarding. Current pupils are progressing well through an ambitious, carefully designed curriculum, and the school has addressed earlier curriculum weaknesses that contributed to 2024 attainment being significantly below the national average in several subjects, although overall progress that year was in line with the national average. Support for pupils with SEND is a notable strength, and disadvantaged pupils are well supported. The main areas for improvement relate to teaching and reading. Pupils are sometimes moved on to new learning before they have had enough time to revisit and practise prior content, which can lead to misconceptions and hinder learning. Reading is prioritised and support programmes are effective, but reading for pleasure is not consistently championed across the curriculum, so some pupils do not read widely or often. Attendance has improved, behaviour expectations are consistently applied, and the school’s personal development, careers and governance work are effective.

Strengths

• Ambitious, carefully designed curriculum that builds on prior knowledge
• Effective identification and adaptation for pupils with SEND
• Strong support for disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND
• Teachers generally have strong subject knowledge, supported by significant training investment
• Consistent routines and teaching methods help pupils learn and remember
• Calm behaviour and positive attitudes to learning
• High-quality pastoral care and effective safeguarding arrangements
• Improved attendance through work with families
• Well-designed personal development provision that prepares pupils for modern Britain
• Thorough careers programme supporting informed future choices
• Broad key stage 4 subject choice and meaningful destinations for most pupils
• Effective trust and local governance support, with clear communication and attention to staff wellbeing

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils are sometimes moved on before consolidating prior learning, allowing misconceptions to arise
• Teachers do not consistently check for secure knowledge and address gaps before new content
• Reading for pleasure is not consistently championed across the curriculum
• Some pupils do not read widely or often enough

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 Richard Rose Morton Academy attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 15.7% 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, 6.1% of pupils at Richard Rose Morton Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 5 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 Richard Rose Morton Academy had 16.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.5% 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, 9.6% of pupils at Richard Rose Morton Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.3% 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 2024–25 Richard Rose Morton Academy received £8,502 and spent £8,310 for each of its 883 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £789,000 (£894 per pupil).

Across all 93 schools of United Learning Trust, income was £8,687 and spending £8,616 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Richard Rose Morton Academy is part of United Learning Trust, which runs 98 schools. The nearest others:

• Richard Rose Central Academy Carlisle
• Marsden Heights Community College Nelson
• The Hyndburn Academy Blackburn
• Accrington Academy Accrington
• Dukesgate Academy Salford
• The Lowry Academy Manchester
• Cravenwood Primary Academy Manchester
• Brentnall Academy Salford
• Marlborough Road Academy Salford
• The Albion Academy Salford

What is Richard Rose Morton Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Richard Rose Morton Academy is Good, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Richard Rose Morton Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Richard Rose Morton Academy was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Richard Rose Morton Academy have?

Richard Rose Morton Academy has 905 pupils on roll.

What age range does Richard Rose Morton Academy cover?

Richard Rose Morton Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Richard Rose Morton Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.5, and 32% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Richard Rose Morton Academy?

Richard Rose Morton Academy is at Wigton Road, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA2 6LB.