Walney Academy

State school · Mixed · ages 11–16 · no sixth formWestmorland and Furness, Barrow-in-Furness LA14school website

About half of Year 11 leavers stay in education, well below the England rate; most to a further education college (48%).

Where this school leads
52%

of Year 11 leavers stayed in education · Westmorland and Furness 78% · England 86% · DfE destination measures, pupils who left in 2023

Knowledge sphere of Walney Academy: fields of knowledge mapped by the subjects taken here, by ISCED levelLanguage & Communication · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Language & Communication · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 33%Language & Communication · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 40%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Natural Sciences · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 41%Natural Sciences · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 2%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 41%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Health & Safety · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 40%Health & Safety · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Business & Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 2%Business & Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 27%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 13%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 16%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Transversal Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 20%Transversal Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 52%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%LanguageMathsScienceICTEngineeringHealthBusinessLawSocialArtsTransversalGreen
Ofsted
Inspected
Places
—
Pupils
468
Free school meals
27.8%

Ofsted: Short inspection, 7 May 2025: see the report · report. Places: the last distance at which places were offered is not on file (it comes from Westmorland and Furness’s allocation statistics). Pupils: of 900 places. Free school meals: pupils eligible, a measure of family income.

Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Walney School (URN 112389, until 27 June 2014).

After Year 11 · age 16

Where do pupils go at 16?

52%stayed in education after Year 11
This school52%
Westmorland and Furness78%
England86%

DfE Key Stage 4 destination measures · 99 pupils who left Year 11 in 2023

Walney Academy has no sixth form. Of the 99 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, none moved to a sixth form college, 48% to a further education college and 36% started an apprenticeship.

Stayed in education — counted only if the pupil was still there for two terms of the next year; apprenticeships and jobs are counted the same way.

Full breakdown11
MeasureWalney AcademyWestmorland and FurnessEngland
Pupils in the cohort992,451607,348
Any sustained destination93%95%92%
Stayed in education52%78%86%
— school sixth form2%32%34%
— sixth form college0%—13%
— further education college48%45%37%
— other education1%2%2%
Apprenticeship36%11%3%
Employment5%5%3%
No sustained destination6%4%6%
Destination unknown1%1%3%
GCSE · Year 11 · 2025

How do GCSE results compare?

38.7Attainment 8 score, out of 90
This school38.7
Westmorland and Furness45.4
England46.1

Attainment 8 — average GCSE points across eight subjects, English and maths counted twice; grade 5 in everything scores 50.

DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · 114 pupils in Year 11

21% of pupils here are disadvantaged (England 28%). Disadvantaged pupils here scored 27.4 — below disadvantaged pupils across England (34.9).

22% got grade 5 or above in both English and maths (Westmorland and Furness 42%, England 45%).

Grade 5 — a “strong pass”; grade 4 is a “standard pass”. Progress 8 is not published for 2025: this cohort had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020–21, so there is no baseline.

All GCSE measures10
MeasureWalney AcademyWestmorland and FurnessEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)38.745.446.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths22%42%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths41%63%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects7%24%41%
EBacc average point score3.193.904.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort21%17%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils27.434.134.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils41.747.750.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)———
English as an additional language3%5%19%
Subjects · 2025

What do pupils study?

63.76%of the Key Stage 3 and GCSE curriculum mapped by the subjects taken here

Mapped — the share of the 2,029 learning outcomes the Department for Education sets for these stages that the subjects taken here cover, weighted by how many pupils take each.

DfE subject entries 2025 · curriculum catalogue by sch.today

Statistics stands out at GCSE — 36% of the year group took it, against 5% across England.

Green & Sustainability52%
Natural Sciences41%
Engineering & Manufacturing41%
Health & Safety40%
Mathematics & Statistics40%

Fields of knowledge — twelve fields the curriculum catalogue sorts every learning outcome into; the bars show the GCSE and A level ring.

GCSE subjects18

Entries as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEnglandGrades 7–9EnglandGrades 4–9
English Language114100%89%4%20%54%
Mathematics114100%88%4%22%52%
English Literature11298%86%5%21%50%
Citizenship Studies11197%3%3%19%45%
Geography8373%41%7%25%49%
Combined Science8171%65%1%9%35%
History4338%41%16%26%60%
Statistics4136%5%17%20%93%
Physics3329%23%12%46%88%
Design and Technology3329%11%12%23%33%
Biology3329%23%6%45%70%
Chemistry3329%23%9%47%76%
Fine Art2018%9%5%28%85%
Photography109%6%50%19%100%
French98%18%0%29%44%
Drama87%7%0%27%50%
Polish11%1%—84%—
Turkish11%0%—71%—
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications3
SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Health Studies40——
Sports Studies17——
Hospitality / Catering Studies12——
Fields of knowledge, all stages12
Green & Sustainability61%
Natural Sciences53%
Health & Safety51%
Language & Communication48%
Mathematics & Statistics46%
Engineering & Manufacturing46%
Law & Public Administration32%
Transversal Skills32%
Arts & Humanities24%
Social & Cultural Skills17%
Digital & ICT Skills17%
Business & Administration5%

Ideas pupils meet most, weighted by the share of the cohort taking the subjects that teach them:

fraction 16.0ratio 11.3percentage 11.1gradient 9.3vocabulary 8.3reflection 8.0power 7.8equation 7.4particle model 7.3translation 7.2root 7.0grammar 7.0scale 6.8audience 6.8standard form 6.6energy transfer 6.6area 6.5formulae 6.0evidence 6.0impact 5.9change of state 5.5context 5.5percentage change 5.5presentation 5.5

Coverage counts a subject’s outcomes in proportion to the share of the cohort entered for it; Combined Science counts as two thirds of the three separate sciences. Levels follow ISCED 2011 as UNESCO maps it for the UK: Key Stage 3 is ISCED 2; GCSE and A level are both ISCED 3. Methodology: about the data.

Careers

Which jobs use what’s taught here?

12apprenticeship standards closely match the subjects pupils take

A match of what’s taught, not of entry requirements: the standards whose knowledge and skills share the most ideas with the GCSEs and A levels taken here, weighted by how many pupils take each subject.

Level 3 / Level 6 — England’s qualification levels: 3 is A level standard, 4–5 are higher apprenticeships, 6 is a bachelor’s degree.

Skills England apprenticeship standards (Open Government Licence v3.0) · ESCO occupations, © European Union, matched by sch.today · how the match works

Water industry asset maintenance technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses ratio, area, unit conversion from Biology, Chemistry, Design and Technology and 7 more · jobs: consumer electronics repair technician, industrial electrician, electrician
Process industry manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses pressure, conservation of mass, energy change from Chemistry, Design and Technology, Mathematics and 4 more · jobs: chemical engineering technician, chemical manufacturing quality technician, chemical production manager
ScientistLevel 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses conclusion, data interpretation, sampling technique from Biology, Chemistry, Geography and 4 more · jobs: physicist, analytical chemist, geneticist
More apprenticeships9
Geoscientist (integrated degree)Level 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses data interpretation, data collection, climate change from Biology, Chemistry, Geography and 4 more · jobs: geologist, geological engineer, exploration geologist
Science manufacturing technician 2023Level 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses unit conversion, graph, pressure from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and 2 more · jobs: pharmaceutical engineer, chemical manufacturing quality technician, pharmacy technician
Battery manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses area, unit conversion, volume from Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and 2 more · jobs: battery test technician
Data technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · digital · uses mean, integer, presentation from English Language, Geography, Mathematics and 3 more · jobs: data analyst, database administrator, data scientist
Non-destructive technologies technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses ratio, measurement, data interpretation from Biology, Design and Technology, Geography and 4 more
Water industry network technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses standard form, unit conversion, volume from Chemistry, Design and Technology, Mathematics and 3 more · jobs: sewerage network operative, product quality inspector, sewerage maintenance technician
Artificial intelligence (AI) data specialistLevel 7 degree apprenticeship · digital · uses presentation, bias, data collection from Biology, English Language, Geography and 3 more · jobs: ICT intelligent systems designer
Production assistant - screen and audioLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses spelling, punctuation, grammar from English Literature, English, Modern Foreign Language · jobs: factory hand, supply chain assistant, management assistant
Public health practitioner - integrated degreeLevel 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses effectiveness, evaluation, democratic system from Biology, Chemistry, Citizenship Studies and 1 more · jobs: social worker, health and safety officer, community development social worker
Admissions

How do you get a place?

The last distance at which Walney Academy offered Year 7 places is not yet on file; it comes from Westmorland and Furness’s allocation statistics.

  1. 31 OctApply to Westmorland and Furness in Year 6 for a Year 7 place
  2. 1 MarNational Offer Day
Westmorland and Furness

Compare with nearby schools

Stayed in education at 16 · Attainment 8 · pupils

Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.