SCHOOL PROFILE

St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington

Secondary Academy converter URN 148703
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 615 Published school capacity
Capacity used 87.6% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

28 November 2023
Latest published outcome Requires improvement
OEIF
Quality of education Requires improvement
Behaviour & attitudes Requires improvement
Personal development Requires improvement
Leadership & management Requires improvement
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Roman Catholic
Local authority Cumberland
Trust MATER CHRISTI MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 539 539 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 318 59.0% of pupils
Male pupils 221 41.0% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

42.9%
18.1 pts above England
School 42.9%
Cumberland 21.7%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

12.6%
7.7 pts below England
School 12.6%
Cumberland 6.2%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.9%
0.1 pts below England
School 0.9%
Cumberland 0.4%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
82.7%
446
African
6.3%
34
Indian
3.5%
19
Any other White background
2.6%
14
Any other Mixed background
0.9%
5
Any other ethnic group
0.9%
5
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 26.9% 145 of 539 pupils
6.1 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 26.9%
Cumberland 20.3%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 22.5% 121 pupils
England 14.8% 7.7 pts above
EHC plans 4.5% 24 pupils
England 6.0% 1.6 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 40
Social, emotional & mental health 29
Specific learning difficulty 26
Moderate learning difficulty 21
Speech, language & communication 19
Other difficulty or disability 3

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

37.4 1.8 pts below England
School 37.4
Cumberland 36.0
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 31.2% England 36.0% 4.8 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 48.4% England 51.4% 3.0 pts below England
EBacc entry 7.5% England 30.6% 23.1 pts below England
EBacc average point score 3.08 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.63 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

7.42%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

1.20 pts higher than England
School 7.42%
Cumberland 5.32%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

16.95%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

1.13 pts higher than England
School 16.95%
Cumberland 11.73%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

3.72%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.92 pts higher than England
School 3.72%
Cumberland 0.99%
North West 1.75%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

87.6% 4.7 pts below England
St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington
87.6%
Cumberland
81.8%
North West
91.8%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information