St Benedict's Catholic High School
Red Lonning, Hensingham, Whitehaven, CA28 8UG
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Executive Headteacher
- Mrs Emma Jackson
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lancaster
- Constituency
- Whitehaven and Workington
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,194
- Pupils on roll
- 990
- URN
- 112398
- Local authority
- Cumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01946692275
About this school
St Benedict's Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided secondary school in Whitehaven. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 990 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Benedict's Catholic High School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 4 June 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 184 | 165 | 149 |
| Attainment 8 score | 44.4 | 42.6 | 41.2 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.26 -0.46 to -0.05 | -0.29 -0.51 to -0.07 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 37% | 29.7% | 32.9% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 65% | 55.2% | 53% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 20% | 15.8% | 19.5% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.5 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Benedict's Catholic High School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Cumberland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 44.4 | 36.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 42.6 | 34.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 41.2 | 36 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,086 |
| 2023/24 | 1,039 |
| 2024/25 | 992 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Benedict's Catholic High School compares
St Benedict's Catholic High School ranked 10th of 19 secondary schools in Cumberland for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 43% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 13% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 41.2 | 8.5% | 30.5% | 990 | — |
| The Whitehaven Academy | 39.7 | 8.7% | 32.2% | 859 | 0.3 miles |
| West Lakes Academy | 40.8 | 10% | 27.7% | 1,017 | 4.3 miles |
| Energy Coast UTC | 24.2 | 10.3% | 33% | 383 | 5.3 miles |
| St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington | 37.4 | 7.4% | 43.7% | 539 | 6.7 miles |
| Workington Academy | 40.5 | 7.3% | 31.3% | 1,234 | 6.9 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 30.53%
- English as an additional language
- 5.4%
- Overall absence
- 8.54%
- Persistent absence
- 24.5%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Whitehaven Academy0.3 miles
Secondary · Whitehaven
-
West Lakes Academy4.3 miles
Secondary · Egremont
-
Energy Coast UTC5.3 miles
Secondary · Workington
-
St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington6.7 miles
Secondary · Workington
-
Workington Academy6.9 miles
Secondary · Workington
Other schools in Whitehaven
- The Whitehaven Academy Secondary
- Bransty Primary School Primary
- Hensingham Primary School Primary
- Jericho Primary School Primary
- Kells Infant School Primary
- Lowca Community School Primary
- Monkwray Junior School Primary
- Moresby Primary School Primary
- St Begh's Catholic Junior School Primary
- St Bridget's CofE School Primary
- St Gregory and St Patrick's Catholic Infant School Primary
- St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Benedict's Catholic High School teach?
- St Benedict's Catholic High School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Whitehaven.
- Who is the executive headteacher of St Benedict's Catholic High School?
- The executive headteacher of St Benedict's Catholic High School is Mrs Emma Jackson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Benedict's Catholic High School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Benedict's Catholic High School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at St Benedict's Catholic High School?
- St Benedict's Catholic High School has 990 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is St Benedict's Catholic High School full?
- St Benedict's Catholic High School has capacity for 1,194 pupils and 990 on roll (83%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Benedict's Catholic High School a faith school?
- Yes. St Benedict's Catholic High School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Lancaster.
- Is St Benedict's Catholic High School a selective school?
- No. St Benedict's Catholic High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have St Benedict's Catholic High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 44.4 in 2022/23 and 41.2 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Benedict's Catholic High School compare with other schools in Cumberland?
- St Benedict's Catholic High School ranked 10th of 19 secondary schools in Cumberland for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 43% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 13% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Benedict's Catholic High School's absence rate?
- St Benedict's Catholic High School's overall absence rate is 8.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Benedict's Catholic High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Benedict's Catholic High School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.