Best Schools in Workington

How many schools are there in Workington?

Workington has 22 open schools: 16 state primary, 3 state secondary or all-through, 1 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Workington are rated Outstanding?

2 schools in Workington were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Ashfield Infant & Nursery School and Victoria Infant and Nursery School. Counting Good as well, 80% of the 20 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Ashfield Infant & Nursery SchoolVictoria Infant and Nursery School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Workington get the best GCSE results?

Of the 4 schools in Workington with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Workington Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 40.9 and 34% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington, with an Attainment 8 score of 36.8 and 25% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Energy Coast UTC, with an Attainment 8 score of 22.5 and 9% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Workington AcademySt Josephs Catholic High School, WorkingtonEnergy Coast UTC

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Workington have the best SATs results?

Of the 12 primary schools in Workington with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Mary's Catholic Primary School (90% in reading, 86% in maths); Beckstone Primary School (85% in reading, 75% in maths); and Derwent Vale Primary and Nursery School (83% in reading, 75% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

St Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolBeckstone Primary SchoolDerwent Vale Primary and Nursery School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Workington?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Workington selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Workington have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Workington have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Cumberland allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Workington?

Apply to Cumberland through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.