SecondaryState · Academy converter

St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington

Harrington Road, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 3EE ·

Ofsted:Requires improvement· 2023Roman Catholic

At a glance

A state Roman Catholic secondary academy for ages 11–16 in Workington. Rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection (November 2023). GCSE results are well below the England average (Attainment 8: 37.4 vs 46.1, 2024/25). Oversubscribed: 124 families put it first for 118 places (September 2026 entry).

Ages: 11–16
Pupils: 539
Gender: Mixed
Sixth form: No
Admissions: Non-selective
Local authority: Cumberland
Academy trust: MATER CHRISTI MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
Headteacher: Mr Ian Nevitt
Opened: Sept 2021

School website 01900873290 Explore the area

Inspection

Ofsted (framework in use until November 2025)

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Graded inspection 28 Nov 2023

Requires improvementOverall effectiveness

Quality of education: Requires improvement
Behaviour and attitudes: Requires improvement
Personal development: Requires improvement
Leadership and management: Requires improvement

Safeguarding effective: Yes

Inspection reports describe the school on the day. Read the full report and visit the school before deciding.

Exam results

Department for Education performance tables

GCSE results, 2024/25 · 93 pupils

Attainment 8

37.4

England 46.1

Grade 5+ Eng & maths

31.2%

England 45.4%

Grade 4+ Eng & maths

48.4%

England 64.8%

Progress 8

-0.63

2023/24 · CI -0.9 to -0.35

This school

37.4

Cumberland

42.3

England

46.1

Attainment 8 over time

Earlier years include results published for this school's predecessor (URN 112401), for example before it converted to an academy.

Progress 8 isn't published for 2024/25 because those pupils had no KS2 test results (tests were cancelled in 2020). Exams were not held in 2019/20 or 2020/21.

Admissions

Demand for places and how places are allocated

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Year 7 entry, September 2026 (national offer day data)

Offers made

118

1st preferences

124

All applications

238

1st prefs per place

1.05

More first choices than places

118 of 124 first-preference applicants were offered a place (95%).

Oversubscribed with first preferences

Earlier years include data recorded for this school's predecessor.

Catchment area

We don't have an official catchment boundary for this school. Many schools don't have one, and few councils publish boundaries as open data. We don't estimate catchments. Check the school's admissions policy or the council's admissions booklet.

Last distance offered

Not published nationally. Many councils publish the furthest distance offered for each school in their annual allocation reports. Past distances vary year to year with demand and sibling numbers, so they are not a guarantee.

How places are allocated: you apply through your home council. When a school has more applicants than places, it applies its published oversubscription criteria in order. These usually start with looked-after children, then siblings, then catchment or distance; faith schools may prioritise church attendance. Children with an EHC plan naming the school are admitted first. Apply on GOV.UK

Pupils

School census 2024/25

Pupils

517

Capacity

615

88% full

Girls / boys

59/41

Mixed

Eligible for free school meals (last 6 years)43.7%
English as an additional language12.6%
SEN support20.5%
Education, Health and Care plan4.5%
The black tick shows the median for state-funded secondary schools in England.