St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington

Secondary Ages 11-16 539 pupils Workington
Ofsted: Needs attention
All schools in Workington

St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington is an academy converter in Workington for pupils aged 11 to 16. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It has 539 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026. In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 36.8, and 25% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Ofsted inspection: September 2026. GCSE results: 2026.

Type Secondary / Academy converter
Age Range 11-16
Religion Roman Catholic
Address Harrington Road
Workington
Cumbria
CA14 3EE
Phone 01900873290
Reference Number 148703

General Makeup

Number of pupils 539
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 41%
Girls: 59%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 42.9%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 12.6%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 20

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
7 55 67 122
8 52 66 118
9 35 67 102
10 33 50 83
11 46 68 114

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 82.7%
African 6.3%
Indian 3.5%
White, Other 2.6%
Mixed, Other 0.9%
White & Black (Caribbean) 0.7%
White & Asian 0.6%
Unclassified 0.4%
White & Black (African) 0.4%
Asian, Other 0.4%

Overall Ofsted Rating Needs attention
 >  Leadership & Governance Expected standard
 >  Personal Development & Wellbeing Expected standard
 >  Achievement Needs attention
 >  Attendance & Behaviour Expected standard
 >  Curriculum & Teaching Needs attention
 >  Inclusion Expected standard
Last Report Date 30 Jun 2026
Date Report
30 Jun 2026 School inspection
28 Nov 2023 School inspection
09 Sep 2021 Academy conversion letter
21 Apr 2016 Full inspection:
Previously as St Joseph's Catholic High School, Business and Enterprise College
28 Jan 2014 Monitoring visit
12 Nov 2013 Full inspection:
21 May 2012 Full inspection:
08 Feb 2011 Curriculum and development visit
24 Mar 2009 Full inspection:
08 Nov 2007 Curriculum and development visit
21 Nov 2005 Full inspection:
11 Oct 1999 Full inspection

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

  • English
  • Maths
  • 3 subjects from qualifications that count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), like sciences, language and history
  • 3 more GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or technical awards from a list approved by the Department for Education

Each grade a pupil gets is assigned a point score from 9 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). These scores are added up, with English and maths counted twice.

School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
36.8

GCSE Results

Metric School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 25.4%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4 (or A-C) 43.9%

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

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GCSE Results

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Year 7 admissions, 2026 entry

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 103 0
Third Preference 11 0
From another Local Authority 0 0

Previous years

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Places and pupil numbers

In 2024–25 St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington had 522 pupils for 750 places. 228 places (30.4%) were unfilled.

Pupils and places

Year 7 intake in the “Central Cumberland” planning area

Cumberland counted 1,148 Year 7 pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 980 in 2031–32, down 15%.

2022202320242025
Places 750750750750
Pupils 596562515522
Unfilled 20.5%25.1%31.3%30.4%

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 St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington attended 92.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 16.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

2022202320242025
Authorised absence 9.1%9.2%7.0%4.1%
Unauthorised absence 2.8%3.8%3.5%3.3%
Severely absent pupils 4.6%6.5%6.0%3.7%

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, 5.4% of pupils at St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

2022202320242025
Suspensions per 100 pupils 16.516.120.415.7
Permanent exclusions 2760

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 St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington had 15.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

20222023202420252026
Pupils per adult 9.99.910.910.910.2
Teachers who left state teaching 7.3%17.2%10.5%8.1%–
Teachers who took any sick leave –73.9%68.9%75.0%–
Sick days per teacher –10.58.67.4–

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, 22.4% of pupils at St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington 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

SEN support EHC plan
Autistic spectrum disorder 28 12
Social, emotional and mental health 23 6
Specific learning difficulty 25 1
Moderate learning difficulty 21 0
Speech, language and communication needs 16 3
Other difficulty or disability 3 0
Severe learning difficulty 2 1
Hearing impairment 2 0
Physical disability 1 1

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 St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington received £8,796 and spent £9,055 for each of its 517 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £494,000 (£955 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of Mater Christi Multi-Academy Trust, income was £8,234 and spending £8,275 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

2022202320242025
Revenue reserve £359,000£736,000£732,000£494,000
per pupil £598£1,222£1,421£955
In-year balance £572,000-£1,000£362,000-£134,000
per pupil £952-£1£702-£259

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.

Name Distance
Ashfield Infant & Nursery School
Newlands Lane, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 3JG
0.18 miles
Ashfield Junior School
High Street, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 4ES
0.27 miles
Victoria Junior School
Victoria Road, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 2RE
0.4 miles
Victoria Infant and Nursery School
Islay Place, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 3XB
0.42 miles
St Patrick's Catholic Primary School
Derwent Street, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 2DW
0.51 miles
St Michael's Nursery and Infant School
Station Road, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 2UY
0.57 miles
St Gregory's Catholic Primary School, Workington
Furness Road, Westfield, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 3PD
0.66 miles
Westfield Nursery and Primary School
Nilsson Drive, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 5BD
0.91 miles
Northside Primary School
Northside Road, Northside, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 1BD
0.97 miles
Seaton St. Paul's CofE Junior School
Seaton Park, Seaton, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 1HA
1.5 miles
St Mary's Catholic Primary School
Holden Road, Salterbeck, Harrington, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 5LN
1.58 miles
Seaton Academy
High Seaton, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 1NP
1.8 miles
Beckstone Primary School
Eadie Street, Beckstone Primary School, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 5PX
1.92 miles
Derwent Vale Primary and Nursery School
William Street, Great Clifton, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 1WA
2.57 miles
Distington Community School
Church Road, Distington, Church Rd, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 5TE
2.93 miles
Flimby Primary School
Rye Hill Road, Flimby, Maryport, Cumbria, CA15 8PJ
3.81 miles
Lowca Community School
Lowca, Whitehaven, Cumbria, CA28 6QS
4.08 miles
Dean CofE School
Dean, Workington, CA14 4TH
4.51 miles
Broughton Moor Primary School
Broughton Moor, Maryport, Cumbria, CA15 7RZ
4.54 miles
Broughton Primary School
Moor Road, Great Broughton, Cockermouth, Cumbria, CA13 0YT
4.77 miles
Name Distance
Workington Academy
Stainburn Road, Stainburn, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 4EB
0.48 miles
Branthwaite Academy
Branthwaite Road, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 4SS
1.45 miles
Energy Coast UTC
Blackwood Road, Lillyhall, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 4JW
1.91 miles
Lakes College - West Cumbria
Hallwood Road, Lillyhall Business Park, Lillyhall, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 4JN
2.4 miles

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

What is St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington last inspected by Ofsted?

St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington have?

St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington has 539 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington cover?

St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 36.8, and 25% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington?

St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington is at Harrington Road, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 3EE.

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