Workington Academy is an 11-18 mixed academy. The main principle of admission to Workington Academy is to provide a welcoming, safe and supportive learning environment that meets the needs of young persons within the 11-18 age range, who live in Workington and the surrounding area.
The school will endeavour to provide places for students who wish to attend the Academy, provided they can be accommodated within the scope of our admissions policy. The number of places we can offer is limited by our Published Admissions Number (PAN). The PAN for Year 7 – 11 is 208.
Workington Academy participates in the Local Authority co-ordinated scheme. You can contact the local authority school.admissions@cumberland.gov.uk or visit their website for more information.
Information on how to apply for a place at Workington Academy can be found below but if you require support, please email us at office@workingtonacademy.org.
Year 7 admissions September 2025
The deadline for applications for Year 7 admissions for September 2025 closes on 31 October 2024. Appy here. If you need to speak to anyone about an application please contact the Admissions Team at Cumberland Council on 01228 221582 or by email at school.admissions@cumberland.gov.uk
On 1 March 2025 Cumberland Council will send you an email (if you applied online) or post a letter to the address you have given them (if you have applied on a paper form). The email or letter will tell you whether your child has been allocated a place at Workington Academy. If you have been unsuccessful, Cumberland Council will also explain what you must do next. Should you wish to pursue a school place via the appeals process, you must contact the Academy for a ‘Notice of Appeal Form’. The timetable for the appeal hearings is as follows:
| 1 March 2025 | Parents and carers will be notified of their child’s allocated school. |
| March 2025 | Parents and carers should notify the school of their intention to appeal and request a Notice of Appeal form. The completed Notice of Appeal form should be submitted to the Clerk to the Independent Admission Appeals Panel, Workington Academy, Stainburn Road, Workington CA14 4EB |
| 28 March 2025 | Deadline for lodging appeals with the school. |
| 23 May 2025 | Deadline for the Admission Authority (Workington Academy) to provide the Clerk with a statement giving reasons for the decision to refuse admission2. |
| 23 May 2025 | Deadline for appellants to submit further evidence not included with initial appeal. |
| 13 June 2025 | Latest date for appeal hearings. |
| 20 June 2025 | Appellants to receive notification of the Panel’s decision |
Year 7 admissions September 2026
The deadline for applications for Year 7 admissions for September 2026 is now closed. If you need to speak to anyone about an application please contact the Admissions Team at Cumberland Council on 01228 221582 or by email at school.admissions@cumberland.gov.uk
On 1 March 2026 Cumberland Council will send you an email (if you applied online) or post a letter to the address you have given them (if you have applied on a paper form). The email or letter will tell you whether your child has been allocated a place at Workington Academy. If you have been unsuccessful, Cumberland Council will also explain what you must do next. Should you wish to pursue a school place via the appeals process, you must contact the Academy for a ‘Notice of Appeal Form’. The timetable for the appeal hearings is as follows:
| 1 March 2026 | Parents and carers will be notified of their child’s allocated school. |
| March 2026 | Parents and carers should notify the school of their intention to appeal and request a Notice of Appeal form. The completed Notice of Appeal form should be submitted to the Clerk to the Independent Admission Appeals Panel, Workington Academy, Stainburn Road, Workington CA14 4EB |
| 27 March 2026 | Deadline for lodging appeals with the school. |
| 22 May 2026 | Deadline for the Admission Authority (Workington Academy) to provide the Clerk with a statement giving reasons for the decision to refuse admission2. |
| 22 May 2026 | Deadline for appellants to submit further evidence not included with initial appeal. |
| 12 June 2026 | Latest date for appeal hearings. |
| 29 June 2026 | Appellants to receive notification of the Panel’s decision |
Sixth Form admissions September 2026
For entry into West Coast Sixth Form, Workington Campus students must meet the following entry criteria.
A student will have achieved 5 grades at GCSE or equivalent at 4 or above
Students should have achieved the minimum entry requirements for each subject to be studied (see course details for information)
For further details please see the West Coast Sixth Form page: West Coast Sixth Form – Part of Cumbria Education Trust
Our admissions policy: https://www.westcoastsixthform.org/download/west-coast-sixth-form-admissions-policy/
Course details page: Course Details – West Coast Sixth Form
For specific queries please contact us via: office@westcoastsixthform.org
In year admissions
Should you wish to apply for a place at Workington Academy outside the main Year 7 intake please complete the In year admission form and send it to bhendren@workingtonacademy.org.
We will respond to all in-year admission applications within 15 school days of the application being received. In the interest of collaborative working and student tracking the outcome of all in-year applications will be shared with the Local Authority Admissions Team within 2 school days of our response.
Oversubscription criteria
Where the number of applications for admission is greater than the published admissions number, applications will be considered against the criteria below:
- a) Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) naming the academy will be admitted.
- b) Looked After Children i.e. children who are looked after by a public authority and are in public care, and previously looked after children who were adopted, or subject to a child arrangement order, or special guardianship order, immediately following having been looked after (confirmation regarding a young person’s status must be provided from the local authority) will be admitted.
- c) Children living in the catchment area of the Academy. If more children from within the catchment area apply than there are places available, places will be allocated in the following order: i. where the child lives in the academy’s catchment area, as defined by the catchment area map, and have a brother or sister (sibling) attending the academy at the time of admission1; ii. children who live nearest to the Academy measured by the shortest walking route by road using the Local Authority’s Geographical Information System, from the main entrance of the Academy to the centre of the child’s home address. The child’s home address is defined as the child’s permanent residence. In situations where a child spends equal time between two addresses, the permanent address is defined as the address at which the child is registered with a GP. Apartments/flats will be treated equally with the measurement taken to the main entrance of the block; iii. where a child attends a Cumbria Education Trust primary school; iv. children of staff members working at a Trust school;
- d) Children living outside the catchment area of the Academy. If more children from outside the catchment area apply than there are places available, places will be allocated in the following order: i) Where a child lives outside the catchment area and has a brother or sister attending the academy1; ii) children from outside the catchment area. If after applying the distance tie-breaker there are more applications than places available from the apartment/flat block furthest away, a further tie-breaker of Random Allocation will be used for the applications from this block. This will be overseen by someone independent of the Trust.
