The Whitehaven Academy

The Whitehaven Academy has made notable progress since its conversion to an academy in 2014, achieving a 'Good' rating in its first full inspection. The school maintains high expectations of students, fostering a respectful atmosphere where kindness and consideration are prevalent. Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum that prepares most pupils well for further education and the world of work, and the school's effective support systems ensure that even those with special educational needs thrive within the school's inclusive environment.

Strengths

• Pupils exhibit kindness and consideration towards one another.
• There is a strong and respectful atmosphere in the school.
• Most teachers effectively use their subject knowledge to reinforce pupil learning.
• Leaders have established an ambitious and relevant curriculum.
• Reading is prioritized, enabling less-confident readers to become fluent quickly.
• Pupils enjoy various clubs and leadership roles, which enhance their confidence and resilience.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects lack depth in activities that hinder sufficient understanding of key concepts.

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 The Whitehaven Academy attended 91.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.7% 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, 9.6% of pupils at The Whitehaven Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 The Whitehaven Academy had 18.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 2.5% 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, 17.0% of pupils at The Whitehaven Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.8% 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 The Whitehaven Academy received £8,081 and spent £7,776 for each of its 816 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £577,000 (£707 per pupil).

Across all 17 schools of Cumbria Education Trust, income was £7,121 and spending £7,168 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 Whitehaven · Cumberland local authority: places and applications

The Whitehaven Academy is part of Cumbria Education Trust, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

• Hensingham Primary School Whitehaven
• Workington Academy Workington
• Northside Primary School Workington
• Yanwath Primary School Penrith
• Yewdale School Carlisle
• Newtown Primary School Carlisle
• Caldew Lea School Carlisle
• Petteril Bank School Carlisle
• Stramongate Primary School Kendal
• The Queen Katherine School Kendal

What is The Whitehaven Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Whitehaven Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was The Whitehaven Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Whitehaven Academy was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does The Whitehaven Academy have?

The Whitehaven Academy has 859 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Whitehaven Academy cover?

The Whitehaven Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Whitehaven Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.0, and 38% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Whitehaven Academy?

The Whitehaven Academy is at Cleator Moor Road, Whitehaven, Cumbria, CA28 8TY.