West Cumbria Learning Centre

Pupil referral unit · All-through, ages 7 to 16 · Mixed

Toll Bar, Distington, Workington, CA14 4PJ

01946 834848 · School website · Map and directions

OfstedRequires improvementInspected 28 June 2023
Pupils50 Pupil numbers in January of each year: 45 in 2019, 21 in 2021, 18 in 2022, 26 in 2023, 44 in 2024, 46 in 2025, 50 in 2026. Across England, secondary state school pupil numbers were up 10% from 2019 to 2025.
Free school meals62%of pupils eligible now

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted rated this school Requires improvement at the inspection that started on 28 June 2023.

This inspection used Ofsted's older format with four grades: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Newer inspections use report cards. What changed.

AreaGrade
Quality of educationRequires improvement
Behaviour and attitudesGood
Personal developmentGood
Leadership and managementRequires improvement
SafeguardingEffective

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.

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Results

No test or exam results have been published for this school yet.

Admissions

Apply through the council where you live, even if the school is in a different council area. This school is in Cumberland. The national closing date for secondary applications is 31 October, and offers are sent on 1 March.

Admissions dates and schools in Cumberland

Pupils, staff and SEND

PupilsThis schoolCumberlandEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years 69.6% 25.6%* 28.9%
With an education, health and care plan 30.4% 4.3%* 3.1%
Receiving special educational needs support 69.6% 14.6%* 13.4%
English as an additional language 2.2% 5.0%* 19.2%
Pupils per teacher 3.8 17.2 16.7
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff) 2.2 11.6 11.8
Teachers who left during the year 9.8% 14.9%* 14.2%*

Comparisons are with secondary schools. Scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) figures. For absence and suspensions lower is better, so their scales run green to red; blue scales describe the school's pupils and staff and aren't good or bad. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25; DfE school workforce census 2025/26; DfE teacher turnover 2024/25.

Nearby secondary schools

Straight-line distance. Distance isn't the same as a catchment area.

Questions parents ask

What is West Cumbria Learning Centre's Ofsted rating?

West Cumbria Learning Centre was rated Requires improvement by Ofsted at its inspection in 28 June 2023.

Sources

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Page updated 26 September 2026.