Workington Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 29 March 2022

Without exception, pupils, and students in the sixth form, are immensely proud of their school. Pupils are polite and courteous. They are eager to share with visitors all that the school has to offer. The extensive personal development curriculum provides pupils with a plethora of opportunities that enable them to flourish. Leaders and teachers have high expectations for pupils' behaviour. Pupils readily sign the school pledge to demonstrate their commitment to upholding leaders' high standards. Pupils were unanimous in their view that discriminatory behaviour is not tolerated by anyone in the school community. The mantra, 'not in our school' permeates classrooms, the assembly hall and corridors. This helps to ensure that the school is a safe, happy place where pupils are accepted for who they are. Staff deal with rare incidents of bullying swiftly and resolutely. Teachers expect all pupils to succeed. Pupils and students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from a well-thought-out curriculum. They achieve well. Pupils and students spoke passionately about the support that they receive from staff in relation to their mental health and well-being. Pupils said that if they have any concerns, staff tackle these worries quickly.

What the school should improve

• In Years 8 and 9, the assessment systems do not give teachers the same quality of information as they do in Year 7. This sometimes makes it more difficult for teachers to identify misconceptions or pinpoint where pupils have missing knowledge. As a result, a small number of pupils do not progress through the curriculums as well as they should. Leaders should roll out their new assessment systems across key stage 3 to ensure that approaches to assessment are linked to the knowledge within the curriculum and that teachers use these approaches consistently well.
• Leaders are in the early stages of implementing their reading curriculum across the school. This means that in some subject areas, leaders and teachers do not confidently know how to address pupils' missing reading knowledge. Consequently, some older pupils continue to find reading difficult. Leaders should ensure that staff are fully trained in how to deliver the reading curriculum effectively.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)