The Whitehaven Academy, Whitehaven

From the headteacher's welcome: "As a proud member of Cumbria Education Trust, we enjoy the benefits of being part of a family of schools who are all committed to the core values of Respect, Responsibility, and Resilience."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include coding, eco club and Duke of Edinburgh.

In 2026, pupils at The Whitehaven Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 43, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 40.4 in Cumberland and 47 across England.

38% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 32% in Cumberland and 47% in England.

That is up from 39.7 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.24: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 29.6, against 49.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 20.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 180 families put The Whitehaven Academy as their first choice and 356 named it as one of their preferences, for 170 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 11 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to The Whitehaven Academy are St Benedict's Catholic High School (0.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.8); and West Lakes Academy (3.9 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 39.6).

The Whitehaven Academy's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 2 schools.

The Whitehaven Academy is one of 17 schools run by Cumbria Education Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 42.2 in 2024/25.

Of the 127 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 72% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 34% to a further education college, 11% to an apprenticeship and 5% into work.

Of the 9 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 0% went on to university or other higher education, 44% to apprenticeships and 22% into work.

1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The nearest railway station is Corkickle Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.

16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Whitehaven School (near), 40 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 44 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cumberland (22), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, The Whitehaven Academy issued 248 suspensions, 30.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Whitehaven Academy are Hensingham Primary School (0.3 miles), Jericho Primary School (0.5 miles), St Gregory and St Patrick's Catholic Infant School (0.8 miles) and Valley Primary School and Nursery (1.1 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.