Richard Rose Central Academy

About Richard Rose Central Academy

Richard Rose Central Academy’s Progress 8 score of -0.33 sits above the Cumberland local authority average of -0.44, meaning that while pupils here make less progress than the national average, they are doing slightly better than the typical secondary school in the area. That gap is modest but worth noting: the school ranks 11th out of 20 similar schools in Cumberland, placing it just below the middle of the pack. Its Attainment 8 score of 41.7 and EBacc average point score of 3.76 reflect a solid, if unspectacular, baseline. The school is oversubscribed — 411 applications for 200 places in 2025/26, with 193 first-preference offers — suggesting local families see value here. And in its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2025, the school was rated Good across every category, including behaviour, personal development, and leadership, a clear step up from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2022.

Academically, the picture is mixed. At GCSE, 59.5% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, but that drops to 39.6% at grade 5 or above. The EBacc entry rate is 27.5%, and only 20.3% of pupils entered the EBacc achieved a grade 4 or above. Progress 8 breakdowns show the weakest area is open subjects (-0.62), while maths progress (-0.12) is closer to the national average. At A-level, the school’s value-added score of 0.09 is rated Average, with a points per entry of 30 (grade C) and a best three A-levels grade of B-. The sixth form is small — just 32 pupils in the data — but it holds a Good Ofsted rating. The school’s ranking nationally by Progress 8 places it in the bottom 50% of schools, at the 74th percentile, which is a useful reality check for parents weighing up options.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a swimming pool, theatre, astro turf, and a sixth form centre. Sports on offer include hockey, rugby, basketball, and gymnastics, while clubs range from Model UN and Debate to Gardening and Eco Club. SEND provision covers specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulty, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language needs, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses from 93 families are overwhelmingly positive: 85% would recommend the school, 85% agree their child is happy, and 88% agree their child does well. However, only 74% of parents felt SEND children get the support they need, and 27% disagreed with that statement — a notable minority. This is a school that suits families who want a Good-rated, oversubscribed secondary with a strong sixth form and decent local performance, but who are realistic about its below-average national progress scores.

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