1
Keswick School
Keswick • Cumbria • CA12 5QB
1
9 Jun 2024
Top 10 Secondary schools in Cumberland
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2022)
This Top 10 showcases secondary schools in the district of Cumberland. It’s built from the latest graded Ofsted inspections. We rank Outstanding (grade 1) above Good (grade 2), then prioritise newer inspections. As tie-breakers, we consider the “Quality of education” sub-judgement (where available), then %FSM and school size.
Total secondary schools
19
Outstanding
2
Good
12
Median inspection year
2022
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 12% · G: 71% · RI: 18% · I: 0%
2
West Lakes Academy
Egremont • Cumbria • CA22 2DQ
1
10 Apr 2017
3
The Nelson Thomlinson School
Wigton • Cumbria • CA7 9PX
2
3 Dec 2023
4
The Whitehaven Academy
Whitehaven • Cumbria • CA28 8TY
2
12 Jul 2023
5
Energy Coast UTC
Workington • Cumbria • CA14 4JW
2
9 May 2023
6
Caldew School
Carlisle • Cumbria • CA5 7NN
2
21 Sep 2022
7
Millom School
Millom • Cumbria • LA18 5AB
2
14 Jul 2022
8
St John Henry Newman Catholic School
Carlisle • CA2 4NL
2
14 Jul 2022
9
Workington Academy
Workington • Cumbria • CA14 4EB
2
17 May 2022
10
Beacon Hill Community School
Wigton • Cumbria • CA7 3EZ
2
27 Jan 2020
How we rank these schools
- Headline Ofsted grade: Outstanding (1) outranks Good (2), then RI (3), then Inadequate (4).
- More recent graded inspection dates rank higher.
- Where available, we use the Quality of education sub-judgement as a tie-breaker.
- Lower free school meals (%) may break remaining ties.
- Larger roll (pupil count) is a final tie-breaker.
Only the ten highest-ranked schools are shown; we also list “near misses” just below.
About Ofsted grades
- Outstanding (1): Highest judgement across key areas.
- Good (2): Strong effectiveness; meets standards consistently.
- Requires improvement (3): Not yet good; clear areas to improve.
- Inadequate (4): Significant weaknesses found.
Ungraded Section 8 visits check whether the previous graded judgement still stands, but they don’t replace it.
Data freshness & coverage
We refresh inspections and school snapshots regularly. If a school was inspected very recently, its report may not yet appear here.
Top-10 pages only appear for areas with at least 10 secondary schools that have a graded Ofsted inspection.
Map of the Top 10
Also highly rated nearby
- William Howard School 2 • May 2019
- Netherhall School 2 • Mar 2018
- St Benedict's Catholic High School 2 • Oct 2014
- Cockermouth School 2 • Jun 2012
- St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington 3 • Jan 2024
- Richard Rose Morton Academy 3 • Jan 2023
- Richard Rose Central Academy 3 • Oct 2022
- Solway Community School Not judged • Jan 2025
- Trinity School Not judged • Jan 2025