Seaton Academy

Seaton Academy is performing well overall. Inspectors found strong standards in early years, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing, with safeguarding requirements met. The early years provision is particularly strong: children flourish, build independence, and are highly prepared for key stage 1. Leadership is highly effective, trustees are rigorous in their monitoring, and the school has made significant improvements since its last inspection. In achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, and inclusion, the school meets expected standards. Attendance is above the national average, persistent absence is well below average, pupils generally behave well, and inclusion support is effective. Phonics outcomes are above national average. However, pupils do not consistently develop a detailed understanding across all subjects, and lesson tasks are sometimes not sharply focused on the intended learning. Pupils are not always given enough opportunity to apply their knowledge independently and in depth. Seaton Academy is a stand-alone academy overseen by a board of trustees and is a mainstream primary school with 216 pupils. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals, with EHC plans, or receiving SEN support is below average. The inspection was a full section 5 inspection, and the school's next steps focus on deepening pupils' understanding and independent application of knowledge across the curriculum.

Strengths

• High-quality early years provision where children flourish and become fiercely independent.
• Highly effective leadership and governance with a precise, aspirational vision.
• Rigorous trustee monitoring and strong attention to staff wellbeing.
• Highly ambitious personal development programme that prepares pupils well for life beyond school.
• Pupils develop a detailed understanding of British values, diversity, health and safety.
• Extensive enrichment, clubs, trips, and leadership roles for pupils.
• Attendance is above the national average and persistent absence is well below average.
• Pupils behave well, build respectful friendships, and feel safe.
• Effective inclusion and support for pupils with SEND or other barriers to learning.
• Phonics outcomes in Year 1 are above the national average.
• Children in early years make rapid gains and achieve highly.
• The curriculum is well designed, progressive, and identifies key knowledge and vocabulary.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not secure a consistently detailed understanding of what they have been taught across the curriculum.
• Some pupils lack confidence to apply their knowledge independently or show deeper knowledge in their work.
• At times, lesson tasks do not focus sharply on the key learning staff intend.
• Lesson activities do not consistently enable pupils to apply what they know independently and in depth.

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 Seaton Academy attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 0.0% of pupils at Seaton Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 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 Seaton Academy had 21.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 12.2% of pupils at Seaton Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Seaton Academy received £6,442 and spent £273 for each of its 213 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £325,000 (£1,529 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 Workington · Cumberland local authority: places and applications

What is Seaton Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Seaton Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Seaton Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Seaton Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Seaton Academy have?

Seaton Academy has 197 pupils on roll.

What age range does Seaton Academy cover?

Seaton Academy for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Seaton Academy?

Seaton Academy is at High Seaton, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 1NP.