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State secondary · 11 to 18 · Mixed · Roman Catholic · 990 pupils

St Benedict's Catholic High School

Red Lonning, Hensingham, Whitehaven, CA28 8UG · Cumberland
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COULD YOUR CHILD GET IN? · YEAR 7 2027

We hold no offer-day distances for this school yet. Enter your postcode to see how far it is from your home.

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Ofsted: Standards maintained · June 2025Top 16% (3/19)About one first choice per place (2026)
School website ↗Google Maps ↗Directions ↗Ofsted reports ↗DfE results ↗Government register ↗

Summary

The key facts, in one place
GCSE (key stage 4) The league rank: the school's place among its council's schools of the same phase on the newest year's DfE results, the same rank as on the Schools map. In England: 2,018th of 3,223 on the same figure. Band: Top 16%.
Top 16% (3/19)Rank among 19 Cumberland secondaries with results, 2026 results (Attainment 8)
See the Cumberland league table →
Inspection
Standards maintained, June 2025
Getting in
Not full for Year 7 2026
Results
-0.29 progress 8; 43.8 attainment 8
Size
990 pupils; 191 places a year; classes of 19
Faith
Roman Catholic
Run by
Cumberland council
Type
Voluntary aided school
Ages
11 to 18 · Mixed
Strengths, and things to check
  • Attainment 8: 43.8, against 41.4 in Cumberland.
  • English and maths, grade 5+: 40%, against 34% in Cumberland.
  • Suspensions per 100 pupils: 25.0, against 15.3 in Cumberland.
  • We hold no offer-day distances for this school: ask the council how far places went.
Schools for usRank every school near you by the measures that matter to your family, each reason shown.Rank schools →

At a glance

Against Cumberland and England
This schoolCumberlandEnglandHover or tap a bar for the figures
Academic
Progress 8How far pupils progressed between the end of primary school and GCSEs, against pupils across England who started at the same level. 0 is average; +0.5 means half a grade better in each subject.
-0.29
In line with Cumberland
Attainment 8The average GCSE score across eight subjects, including English and maths counted twice. A grade 5 in all eight would score 50.
43.8
Better than Cumberland
English and maths, grade 5+The share of pupils with grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE (a strong pass).
40%
Better than Cumberland
Attendance and behaviour
Sessions missedHalf-day sessions missed, authorised or not, as a share of all sessions in the school year (DfE pupil absence). Lower is better.
8.5%
In line with Cumberland
Persistently absentPupils who missed one session in ten or more. Lower is better.
24.5%
In line with Cumberland
Suspensions per 100 pupilsSuspensions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. Lower is better; one or two incidents move a small school a lot.
25.0
Worse than Cumberland
Pupils and classes
Average class sizeAverage pupils per class, from the school census. Shown for context, not as a score.
18.6
Context
Free school mealsPupils eligible for free school meals. Context for reading the results, not a measure of the school.
29%
Context
Pupils for each teacherPupils on roll for each full-time teacher, from the school workforce census. Shown for context.
15.6
Context
Demand for places
First choices per placeFamilies who put this school first, for each Year 7 place in 2026 (DfE applications and offers). Above 1 means more first choices than places.
1.0
In line with Cumberland
Cumberland and England: DfE's own averages for results. For the rest, the middle state secondary school of the same phase, from every school we hold, since DfE publishes no council figure we hold.Where these figures come from →

Overview

Getting in

  • A Roman Catholic school: its admissions policy may give priority by faith. DfE, Get Information about Schools
  • 187 families put it first for 191 places; 185 of them got in DfE, school applications and offers · Year 7 2026
  • We hold no catchment map for this school, so we can't say which addresses are inside it.
  • We can't tell how far Year 7 places reached: we hold no offer-day figures for this school. Ask the council or the school for the last distance offered.

Quality

  • Standards maintained Ofsted · inspected 4 June 2025
  • Progress 8: -0.29 (England +0.01) (county -0.27) DfE school performance tables · 2023/2024
  • Attainment 8: 43.8 (England 47.4) (county 41.4) DfE school performance tables · 2025/2026
  • English and maths grade 5 or above: 40% (England 48%) (county 34%) DfE school performance tables · 2025/2026
  • Progress, set against pupils who started with the same results: below average DfE school performance tables · 2023/2024

Daily life

  • Absence: 8.5% of sessions missed; 24% of pupils miss 1 in 10 or more. Schools with a similar intake: 8.5% and 24% DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level · 2024/25
  • Suspensions: 25 per 100 pupils (schools with a similar intake: 17); 0 permanent exclusions DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level · 2024/25
  • Classes average 18.6 pupils; 14% of classes have more than 30 DfE, school workforce and pupil census · 2025/26
  • 15.6 pupils for each teacher DfE, school workforce · November 2025
  • Nearest stops, in a straight line: bus 74 m DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes) · within 800 m
  • 12 police-reported road collisions within 500 m (0 fatal, 2 serious) DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years · 2021 to 2025
  • Air: nitrogen dioxide 2.8 µg/m³, PM2.5 4.2 (1 km square, background level) DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps · 2024

Who runs it

  • Voluntary aided school is run by its local council (Cumberland), not by an academy trust. DfE, Get Information about Schools

Getting in

How far offers reached

How far away the last child offered a place under the distance rule lived, as the council measures it. It changes every year with who applies: a record, not a promise. Children with a higher priority can be offered places from further away.

Year 7. Distance of the last child offered a place on offer day. What the last distance means →

Applications and offers, DfE

EntryYearPlacesFirst choicesAny choiceFirst choices offered
Year 72026191187358185
Year 72025163160349160
Year 72024177156318156
Year 72023178179333178
Year 72022190211393183
Year 72021175177302172
Year 72020185171360171
Year 72019186240382180
Year 72018195216359188
Year 72017210247379206

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school level, Open Government Licence), 2014 to 2026. Families name up to three schools, so most applications are somebody's second or third choice.

Could you get in?Enter a home or postcode: we set it against every year's last offer and this school's rules.

Results

Results

MeasureThis schoolEnglandCouncilYear
Progress 8-0.29+0.01-0.272023/2024
Attainment 843.847.441.42025/2026
English and maths grade 5 or above40%48%34%2025/2026
Average A level gradeD+——2022/2023

Source: DfE school performance tables, 2022/2023, 2023/2024, 2025/2026.

League table place

TableLeague rank
GCSE (key stage 4)Top 16% (3/19)
A level (16 to 18)Top 50% (6/12)

Source: DfE school performance tables: the newest year's results, place among the council's schools of the same phase.

Inspections

DateKindOutcome
4 June 2025Ungraded visitStandards maintained

Source: Ofsted, 2025.

Where leavers go

StageLeavers inPupilsIn a sustained placeOf which
After GCSEs2023/2416590%In education 70%; Apprenticeship 18%; Employment 2.4%
After GCSEs2022/2318492%In education 75%; Apprenticeship 13%; Employment 4.3%
After GCSEs2021/2220594%In education 80%; Apprenticeship 13%; Employment 2.0%
After sixth form2023/248395%Further education 1.2%; Apprenticeship 31%; Employment 16%
After sixth form2022/237490%Further education 0.0%; Apprenticeship 30%; Employment 16%
After sixth form2021/227196%Further education 0.0%; Apprenticeship 24%; Employment 9.9%

Source: DfE, destination measures. A figure DfE hides for a small group is left out, not shown as nought. The newest year may be provisional.

Cumberland league tableEvery school of this phase in the council on these results.See the table →

Daily life

Absence

YearSessions missedAuthorisedUnauthorisedPupils missing 1 in 10Pupils missing 1 in 2
2024/258.5%5.9%2.6%24%3.3%
2023/248.5%6.3%2.1%27%2.7%
2022/238.5%5.8%2.6%31%1.3%
Schools with a similar intake8.5%24%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level, 2024-25. Similar intake: state schools of the same phase with free school meals in the same band (20-30%), the median of 896 schools.

Suspensions and exclusions

YearSuspensions per 100 pupilsPupils suspendedSuspensionsPermanent exclusions
2024/2525.07.9%2480
2023/2427.99.1%2904
2022/2312.56.6%1360
Schools with a similar intake16.8

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level, 2024-25.

Class sizes and staff

MeasureFigureYear
Average class size18.62025/26
Classes over 30 pupils14%2025/26
Pupils for each teacher15.6November 2025

Source: DfE, school workforce; school census, 2025/26.

Stops nearby

KindNearest (metres, straight line)
bus74

Source: DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes), current. A stop across a railway or main road may be a long walk. Bus frequency is not held.

Road collisions within 500 m

YearCollisions
20252
20240
20236
20223
20211

Source: DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years, 2021 to 2025. 2 serious and 0 fatal in all; 3 involved a pedestrian, 2 a cyclist. Only collisions with an injury reported to police are counted.

Air quality

PollutantAnnual mean (µg/m³)Year
NO22.82024
PM107.22024
PM254.22024

Source: DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps. A 1 km background figure: not the air at the school gate beside a busy road.

Pupils

Who goes there

MeasureShare of pupilsYear
Eligible for free school meals29%2025/26
First language other than English6.5%2025/26
SEN support12%2025/26
Education, health and care plan6.8%2025/26
Girls50%2025/26

Source: DfE, schools, pupils and their characteristics; special educational needs, 2025/26.

Who runs it

Who runs it

  • Voluntary aided school is run by its local council (Cumberland), not by an academy trust. DfE, Get Information about Schools

Area

Homes in reach of this schoolLook up any home near here: its sales, an open-data valuation, and which schools it keeps in reach.Search homes →

Sources

  • DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps
  • DfE school performance tables
  • DfE school performance tables: the newest year's results, place among the council's schools of the same phase
  • DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school level, Open Government Licence)
  • DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level
  • DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level
  • DfE, destination measures
  • DfE, school workforce; school census
  • DfE, schools, pupils and their characteristics; special educational needs
  • DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes)
  • DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years
  • Ofsted
  • School register: DfE Get Information about Schools (this school)
  • How we check these figures: How we know

More in schools in Whitehaven and the Cumberland league table. School register: DfE Get Information about Schools, updated 17 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources are named beside each figure. How we know · All sources.