Branthwaite Academy, Workington
Branthwaite Academy is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 19 in Workington, part of The Eden Academy.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Branthwaite Academy in detail
The trust
Branthwaite Academy is one of 9 schools run by The Eden Academy, an academy trust.
What parents say
24 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Branthwaite Academy (as of September 2025): 83% would recommend the school, 83% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (63%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 6 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 83% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 17% to an apprenticeship.
Who goes there
41.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 1.4% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at Branthwaite Academy has an education, health and care plan (74 of 74 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Branthwaite Academy has a SEN unit for autism: 56 places, 74 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Station Entrance, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Westlands Hotel (outside), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Branthwaite Academy stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 11 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and drug offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Cumberland (22).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Branthwaite Academy issued 1 suspension, 1.5 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are welcomed to this school with a warm smile and a friendly greeting. They know that staff care for them deeply and that there is always an adult there for them when needed. Consequently, pupils feel happy and know that they are in safe hands here.
The school expects all pupils, all of whom have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve well. However, there are weaknesses in how well the curriculum for pupils across school, including students in the sixth form, is designed, and delivered, in several subjects. This means that some pupils do not achieve as well as they should.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
This school has been through a period of turmoil. This had affected how safe pupils felt in school, as well as their behaviour. The new leadership team, including the trust, have acted rapidly to make improvements. The school is again a stable and caring place to be. However, this recent instability has meant that the school has not been able to develop the curriculum as much as it would have liked.
In the subjects that are designed well, the school has given careful thought to the important knowledge that pupils should learn. However, curriculum thinking in other subjects, including in the sixth form, is less well developed. In these subjects, the school has not set out the order of knowledge that it wants pupils to learn as clearly as it should. This means that teachers are not always clear about what to teach and when. As a result, in these subjects, some pupils do not learn as well as they could. Nevertheless, by the time that pupils leave school at the end of the sixth form, many are well prepared for their next steps in education, with some achieving qualifications, including GCSEs.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
At a Glance
41.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
SEN unit: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
24 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby school
Keep up with Branthwaite Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Branthwaite Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Branthwaite Academy is in Cumberland; for families living there:
- Cumberland's school travel policy: Step by step guide of the Home to School Travel Assistance Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Cumberland is 5 (the median across 179 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
132%
Over capacity
74 pupils
56 places
18 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Workington
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Workington
Across Cumberland council
Places available
3,164
Applications
2,751
Got 1st preference
95.3%
Got preferred school
98.9%
All secondary applications across Cumberland council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
74
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Branthwaite Academy has a SEN unit for autism: 56 places, 74 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
74
Total Pupils
59
Boys
15
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
5.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,834
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
14.8%
Overall absence
27.1%
Persistent absence
59
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Branthwaite Academy
What are GCSE results like at Branthwaite Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Branthwaite Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 1. 0% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is the catchment area for Branthwaite Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Branthwaite Academy is oversubscribed, Cumberland allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Branthwaite Academy?
Branthwaite Academy has around 74 pupils on roll. 42% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Branthwaite Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Branthwaite Academy has a SEN unit for autism: 56 places, 74 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Branthwaite Academy?
14.8% of sessions were missed at Branthwaite Academy in 2024/25. 27.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Branthwaite Academy?
Apply through Cumberland's coordinated admissions process, naming Branthwaite Academy on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Branthwaite Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Cumberland is 5 (the median across 179 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Branthwaite Academy?
Branthwaite Academy is at Branthwaite Road, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 4SS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)