Dowdales School
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Dowdales School is a council school in Dalton-in-Furness for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 877 pupils and room for 1,050. About 21 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 23 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 10% of the 50 schools most like it.
Dalton-in-Furness, LA15 8AH01229 469800dowdalesschool.co.ukMs Emma Aubrey headteacherAll details
Ofsted
Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
150 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Westmorland and Furness | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 150 | 180 | 178 | 188 | 195 | 181 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 41.8 | 44.1 | 43.6 | 44.5 | 46.4 | 46.4 | 45.2 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.29 | -0.40 | -0.48 | -0.04 | -0.12 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 26% | 36% | 29% | 33% | 39% | 36% | 41% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 52% | 59% | 62% | 59% | 63% | 68% | 61% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.41 | 3.67 | 3.72 | 3.90 | 4.06 | 3.99 | 3.85 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 20% | 18% | 11% | 34% | 33% | 19% | 22% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 35.8 | 30.9 | 31.3 | 34.7 | 34.7 | 29.2 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 42.9 | 46.8 | 44.9 | 46.2 | 48.7 | 48.5 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 25.6 | 30.8 | 33.2 | 23.1 | 30.1 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 59.9 | 59.3 | 58.5 | 58.3 | 55.6 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 20 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Physics (50% here, 82% across England), Chemistry (53% here, 81% across England), French (33% here, 60% across England), Computer Science (29% here, 56% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 147 | 7% | 33% | 59% | 53% | 2,831 of 3,211 |
| English Literature | 147 | 10% | 45% | 68% | 58% | 2,409 of 3,202 |
| English Language | 147 | 6% | 44% | 67% | 54% | 2,313 of 3,210 |
| Combined Science | 107 | 5% | 24% | 54% | 36% | 2,299 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 69 | 12% | 35% | 45% | 51% | 2,407 of 3,116 |
| History | 63 | 10% | 38% | 48% | 52% | 2,364 of 3,126 |
| Art and Design | 51 | 22% | 75% | 84% | 58% | 668 of 2,818 |
| Chemistry | 40 | 18% | 53% | 68% | 81% | 2,299 of 2,537 |
| Physics | 40 | 18% | 50% | 78% | 82% | 2,372 of 2,546 |
| Biology | 39 | 18% | 56% | 74% | 82% | 2,305 of 2,570 |
| Media / Film / TV | 29 | 10% | 41% | 52% | 55% | 435 of 580 |
| German | 29 | 10% | 38% | 83% | 63% | 491 of 571 |
| Design & Technology | 28 | 7% | 54% | 61% | 50% | 617 of 1,478 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 22 | 23% | 73% | 82% | 52% | 195 of 1,098 |
| Social Studies | 21 | 0% | 38% | 86% | 54% | 826 of 1,043 |
| Dance | 17 | 12% | 47% | 59% | 58% | – |
| Computer Science | 17 | 18% | 29% | 47% | 56% | – |
| French | 15 | 13% | 33% | 60% | 60% | – |
| Drama | 14 | 14% | 79% | 93% | 60% | – |
| Music | 8 | 0% | 38% | 63% | 61% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
234 places were empty (22% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (174 offers for 210 places).
| Entry | Places | Applied at all | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Secondary | 210 | 174 | 174 | – all offered | LA |
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Specific learning difficulty (107), emotional and mental health (70), language and communications needs (61), Other difficulty or disability (15), Moderate learning difficulty (12), Autistic spectrum disorder (9).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 877 | 827 | 792 | 797 | 819 | 887 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 21% | 20% | 18% | 14% | 12% | 9% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 2% | 3% | 2% | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 20% | 18% | 11% | 10% | 10% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 5% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 9.5% | 10.1% | 9.5% | 9.4% | 5.6% | 6.5% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 7.7% | 8.3% | 8.5% | 8.5% | 4.9% | 5.5% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.1% | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.0% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 26.9% | 28.8% | 34.9% | 31.6% | 16.7% | 18.5% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 8.2 | 7.1 | 13.6 | 15.9 | 12.2 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 178 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 89%, compared with 93% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 93% | 94% | 92% | 95% |
| Education | 70% | 70% | 65% | 75% |
| Apprenticeship | 18% | 18% | 19% | 12% |
| Work | 4% | 5% | 8% | 8% |
| Not in education, work or training | 6% | 5% | 6% | 4% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chetwynde School | Free school | 2.0 miles | 508 | Good 2023 | 39 | Compare |
| St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow | Academy | 2.1 miles | 624 | Good 2022 | 14 | Compare |
| Furness Academy | Academy | 3.1 miles | 1,187 | Good 2023 | 31 | Compare |
| Ulverston Victoria High School | Council | 4.2 miles | 1,319 | No overall grade 2025 | 40 | Compare |
| Walney Academy | Academy | 4.8 miles | 468 | No overall grade 2025 | 5 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Dowdales School with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 23 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 23% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 18 to 32. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | below | -0.13 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 150 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 0% | no data | – | |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | below | -0.12 | DfE progress measure; 150 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | below | -0.05 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | -0.02 | 2024/25; 844 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | well below | -0.15 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 150 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | in line | +0.02 | 178 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Dowdales School a good school?
The figures are weak. Dowdales School scores 23 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 10% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 18 to 32, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
How good are Dowdales School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 26% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 41.8, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about half a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Dowdales School have?
877 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,050 places, so it is 84% full.
Is Dowdales School oversubscribed?
Probably not. 234 places were empty in 2024/25 (22% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Dowdales School?
Pupils were in school 90.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 27% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Dowdales School?
The average class had 26.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 6% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Dowdales School have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 93% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Dalton-in-Furness, LA15 8AH
- Telephone
- 01229 469800
- Website
- www.dowdalesschool.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Ms Emma Aubrey
- Type of school
- Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Local authority
- Westmorland and Furness
- Ward
- Dalton North
- Constituency
- Barrow and Furness
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- URN
- 112383 · LAESTAB 9434150 · UKPRN 10015410
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Westmorland and Furness council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.