Cockermouth School
Castlegate Drive, Cockermouth, CA13 9HF
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- LEARNING FOR LIFE TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Richard King
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Penrith and Solway
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,363
- Pupils on roll
- 1,254
- URN
- 142306
- Local authority
- Cumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01900898888
About this school
Cockermouth School is a secondary academy in Cockermouth. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,254 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Cockermouth 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 8 February 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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 | 210 | 216 | 223 |
| Attainment 8 score | 53.6 | 51.4 | 51.9 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.41 +0.22 to +0.60 | +0.23 +0.04 to +0.42 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 60% | 54.6% | 57.8% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 78% | 76.4% | 73.1% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 50% | 51.4% | 53.4% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.8 |
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 Cockermouth 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 | 53.6 | 36.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 51.4 | 34.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 51.9 | 36 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,322 |
| 2023/24 | 1,285 |
| 2024/25 | 1,285 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Cockermouth School compares
Cockermouth School ranked 2nd of 19 secondary schools in Cumberland for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 81% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 12% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 51.9 | 9% | 15.4% | 1,254 | — |
| Netherhall School | 39.7 | 6.6% | 39% | 894 | 6.5 miles |
| Beacon Hill Community School | 28.8 | 9.6% | 37.2% | 135 | 6.7 miles |
| Workington Academy | 40.5 | 7.3% | 31.3% | 1,234 | 7.5 miles |
| Energy Coast UTC | 24.2 | 10.3% | 33% | 383 | 7.6 miles |
| St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington | 37.4 | 7.4% | 43.7% | 539 | 8.0 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)
- 15.35%
- English as an additional language
- 3.2%
- Overall absence
- 8.95%
- Persistent absence
- 23.99%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Netherhall School6.5 miles
Secondary · Maryport
-
Beacon Hill Community School6.7 miles
Secondary · Wigton
-
Workington Academy7.5 miles
Secondary · Workington
-
Energy Coast UTC7.6 miles
Secondary · Workington
-
St Josephs Catholic High School, Workington8.0 miles
Secondary · Workington
Other schools in Cockermouth
- All Saints' CofE School Primary
- Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School Primary
- Broughton Primary School Primary
- Eaglesfield Paddle CofE Primary Academy Primary
- Fairfield Primary School Primary
- Lorton School Primary
- St Bridget's CofE School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Cockermouth School teach?
- Cockermouth School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Cockermouth.
- Who is the headteacher of Cockermouth School?
- The headteacher of Cockermouth School is Mr Richard King, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Cockermouth School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Cockermouth 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 Cockermouth School?
- Cockermouth School has 1,254 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Cockermouth School full?
- Cockermouth School has capacity for 1,363 pupils and 1,254 on roll (92%), 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 Cockermouth School a faith school?
- No. Cockermouth School has no designated religious character.
- Is Cockermouth School a selective school?
- No. Cockermouth School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Cockermouth School part of an academy trust?
- Cockermouth School is part of LEARNING FOR LIFE TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Cockermouth School have?
- The schools register lists Cockermouth School's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Cockermouth School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 53.6 in 2022/23 and 51.9 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Cockermouth School compare with other schools in Cumberland?
- Cockermouth School ranked 2nd of 19 secondary schools in Cumberland for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 81% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 12% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Cockermouth School's absence rate?
- Cockermouth School's overall absence rate is 9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Cockermouth School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Cockermouth 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 2 July 2026.