West Lakes Academy, Egremont

Outstanding
Secondary
Academy sponsor led
Mixed
Ages 1118

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Stephen Grant
Pupils:1,017 / 1,150 capacity
LA:Cumberland
Phone:01946820356
Address:Main Street, Egremont, CA22 2DQ
Trust:CHANGING LIVES LEARNING TRUST
Admissions:Non-selective
Status:open
Opened:1 September 2008

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Inadequate

Quality of Education

Requires Improvement

Behaviour & Attitudes

Requires Improvement

Personal Development

Inadequate

Leadership & Management

Requires Improvement

Sixth Form

Inspected 17 June 2025View full report
URN:135632
UKPRN:10024151
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Whitehaven and Workington
Urban/Rural:Larger rural: Further from a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

West Lakes Academy prioritizes pupil wellbeing and has established a calm, respectful atmosphere where students feel safe and cared for. The school is taking positive action on safeguarding and has recently improved how it responds to pupil concerns. For students in the sixth form vocational programmes, the school provides well-matched learning that leads to good outcomes and positive destinations.

Key Strengths

  • Pupils feel safe and enjoy respectful relationships with caring staff
  • Recent improvements in how the school responds to pupils' concerns and safeguarding arrangements are effective
  • Some sixth-form vocational students achieve well and move to meaningful destinations
  • New leadership team has begun developing systems to address educational weaknesses

Areas for Improvement

  • Curriculum lacks coherence and doesn't build pupils' deep understanding or prepare them for future learning stages
  • Teachers don't check what pupils have learned or address gaps in knowledge effectively
  • Pupils with SEND receive weak support due to staff lacking necessary expertise, except for enhanced 'West Lakes Connect' provision
  • Low expectations of pupils' attitudes to learning and limited resilience-building support
  • Limited extracurricular activities and wider opportunities to develop talents and leadership skills

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school taking swift and appropriate action on pupil concerns.

Extracurricular Activities

Sports clubs, art clubs, music clubs, peer counseling roles, sixth-form buddy schemes

West Lakes Academy has declined significantly since its previous outstanding rating. The school's quality of education is inadequate, with particular concerns about weak curriculum delivery and low achievement for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged students.

At a Glance

28.2%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

Yes

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

239 responses
Would recommend13%
Child is happy41%
Well taught36%
Good progress38%
Feels safe48%
Well behaved13%
Bullying dealt with5%
Kept informed37%
Handles concerns22%
Wider development21%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Class Sizes

22.0

Avg class size

49

Total classes

5 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

88%

Available places

1,017 pupils

1,150 capacity

133 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Egremont

Low pressure
New homes approved:53
Projected new pupils:10

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Egremont

Admissions Demand - Cumberland

Low demand0.89x oversubscription

Places available

3,150

Applications

2,811

Got 1st preference

97.2%

Got preferred school

99.4%

Secondary admissions across Cumberland (2025/26)

Inspection History(8)

17 June 2025
Quality of EducationInadequate
Behaviour & AttitudesRequires Improvement
Personal DevelopmentRequires Improvement
Leadership & ManagementInadequate
Sixth FormRequires Improvement
25 April 2023
14 March 2017
OutstandingReport
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

9.95092%

Overall absence

24.09274%

Persistent absence

992

Enrolments

Authorised7.20325%
Unauthorised2.74767%
Persistent (10%+)24.09274%
Severe (50%+)4.53629%

Absence trend

4.51292%
18/19
4.24542%
20/21
8.95828%
21/22
9.89809%
22/23
10.17983%
23/24
9.95092%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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