Victoria Junior School, Workington
Victoria Junior School is a primary school for pupils aged 7 to 11 in Workington. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 9th-highest of the 12 schools in Workington with published results, and 13,877th of 14,452 across England. It was 94% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Capacity
- 94% full
- Attendance
- In line with England
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
Victoria Junior School in detail
Results
In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils at Victoria Junior School reached the expected standard in reading and 49% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 70% in Cumberland and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (60% in reading, 37% in maths).
Getting a place at Victoria Junior School
Across Cumberland, 98% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 100% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Cumberland lodged 13 appeals against primary school offers; 7 reached a hearing and 3 succeeded (42.9% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Victoria Junior School are Victoria Infant and Nursery School (0.1 miles, Outstanding); St Michael's Nursery and Infant School (0.4 miles, Good); St Patrick's Catholic Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 75% reading, 78% maths); and Ashfield Infant & Nursery School (0.6 miles, Outstanding).
Victoria Infant and Nursery SchoolSt Michael's Nursery and Infant SchoolSt Patrick's Catholic Primary SchoolAshfield Infant & Nursery School
What parents say
25 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Victoria Junior School (as of September 2025): 72% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 38% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (38%).
Who goes there
35.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 12.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (80%) and Black (7%).
In 2026, 67 pupils (21.5%) received SEN support and 16 (5.1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Workington Rail Station, about 790 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Victoria Junior School (outside), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 263 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cumberland (22), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Victoria Junior School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Victoria Junior School are St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington (0.4 miles); and Workington Academy (0.9 miles).
St Josephs Catholic High School, WorkingtonWorkington Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from October 2018, 8 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Victoria Junior School provides a warm, welcoming environment where pupils thrive socially and emotionally. The school excels at supporting children who find reading difficult and those with additional needs. Pupils develop into confident, independent young people who make positive contributions to their community.
Key Strengths
- Strong relationships between staff and pupils, with a respectful and welcoming school environment
- Effective support for pupils with reading difficulties and those with special educational needs
- Good behaviour and regular attendance, with well-considered support for pupils who need help managing behaviour
- Broad range of enrichment activities and trips that deepen pupils' understanding
- Strong provision for personal development, including understanding democracy and staying safe online
Areas for Improvement
- In some subjects, staff lack clarity about the most important knowledge pupils should learn, which hinders pupil progress
- Learning activities in some subjects do not help pupils develop sufficient depth of knowledge and understanding
- Assessment systems do not accurately identify gaps in pupils' knowledge, meaning pupils move on before they are ready
- School lacks sufficient oversight of how recent curriculum changes are impacting pupil achievement
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports clubs, music clubs, robotics club, choir, museum visits, outdoor and adventurous activities during residential stays, creative enterprise projects
Victoria Junior School is a junior school in Workington where pupils are happy, polite and well-behaved, but the quality of education requires improvement as some pupils are not achieving as well as they should.
At a Glance
35.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
25 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 60% to 52% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 37% to 49% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 35% to 31% (2024 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Victoria Junior School
Before and after school care
Victoria Junior School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Cumberland
Nurseries
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to Victoria Junior School, with their latest published grades:
- Toddler Town Nursery Ltd - Day nursery, 0.4 milesOfsted, 11 October 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Learning Land Nursery - Day nursery, 0.6 miles
- Footsteps Nursery - Day nursery, 0.7 milesOfsted, 25 October 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Little Stars (Workington) Limited - Day nursery, 1.7 milesOfsted, 19 July 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Happy Hours Private Day Nursery - Day nursery, 2.1 milesOfsted, 25 August 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Term dates
Victoria Junior School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Cumberland. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Tuesday 5 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Friday 16 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Monday 6 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Wednesday 5 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Thursday 20 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Victoria Junior School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Victoria Junior School 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
- 25
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 19 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
5 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 are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
94%
Near capacity
309 pupils
330 places
21 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Across Cumberland council
Places available
3,537
Applications
2,352
Got 1st preference
98.2%
Got preferred school
99.7%
All primary applications across Cumberland council (2026/27), not just this school.
Future places in the local planning area
DfE estimates the Workington Primary planning area (Cumberland) will have 506 spare primary places in 2027/28.
Source: Department for Education, School capacity: Academic year 2024/25 (published 19 March 2026), estimates of future school place demand by planning area. Council pupil forecasts against reported places, counting places councils and DfE plan to add or remove; rounded to whole places. Explore Education Statistics
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
67
SEN Support
16
EHC Plans
26.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
311
Total Pupils
157
Boys
154
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
16.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,707
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,961
Per pupil
£2082k
Total funding
£180k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.0%
Overall absence
11.3%
Persistent absence
319
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Victoria Junior School
Questions parents ask about Victoria Junior School
What are SATs results like at Victoria Junior School?
Of the pupils at Victoria Junior School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 52% reached the expected standard in reading and 49% did so in maths.
What is Victoria Junior School's Ofsted rating?
Victoria Junior School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded. At its last graded inspection, in October 2018, it was rated Good.
Is it hard to get a place at Victoria Junior School?
Victoria Junior School was not full in 2025: it ran at 94% of its 330 places.
How many pupils go to Victoria Junior School?
Victoria Junior School has around 311 pupils on roll. 35% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Victoria Junior School?
5% of sessions were missed at Victoria Junior School in 2024/25. 11.3% of pupils were persistently absent.
Does Victoria Junior School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Victoria Junior School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026).
What are Victoria Junior School's term dates?
Victoria Junior School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Cumberland. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Tuesday 5 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Friday 16 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Monday 6 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Wednesday 5 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Thursday 20 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Victoria Junior School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 19 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 5 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 Victoria Junior School?
Victoria Junior School is at Victoria Road, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 2RE.
Sources: Cumberland term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)