School Chooser

Ysgol Bro Idris

All-through · ages 3-16Council541 pupilsGwynedd
School Chooser Score · secondary phase
72
Above
similar schools
Likely range 63 to 78
Out of 100. Better than 68% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
Best nine GCSE grades score391Wales 366
Attendance94.1%Wales 89.6%
Pupils from low-income families10%Wales 20%
Pupils with additional learning needs23%Wales 11%
Pupils on roll541
NeighbourhoodAbove-average income areaWelsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025

Ysgol Bro Idris is a council school in Dolgellau for pupils aged 3 to 16. It has 541 pupils. We give it 72 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 68% of the 50 schools most like it. Teaching is mainly in Welsh.

Dolgellau, LL40 1HY01341 424949All details

Inspection

Schools in Wales are inspected by Estyn, not Ofsted. Since September 2022 Estyn's reports describe what a school does well and what it needs to work on, without giving a grade.

Estyn's latest report, and any follow-up visits, are on Estyn's website. The only schools given a formal label are those in special measures or needing significant improvement.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

Wales scores GCSEs in points rather than counting passes. Here is how the school compares with all secondaries in Wales.

Best nine GCSE grades score391
Wales 366
Official name: Capped 9 points score (interim)
English or Welsh score41.4
Wales 39.9
Official name: Literacy points score
Maths score35.9
Wales 36.9
Official name: Numeracy points score
Science score37.5
Wales 37.0
Official name: Science points score
Trend
Best nine GCSE grades score
2023 to 2025
2023: 41441420232024: 38038020242025: 3913912025
Since 2023: -23Declining overall
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023GwyneddWales
Best nine GCSE grades scoreCapped 9 points score (interim)391380414370366
English or Welsh scoreLiteracy points score41.442.044.441.939.9
Maths scoreNumeracy points score35.935.040.036.836.9
Science scoreScience points score37.540.044.038.137.0
Welsh Baccalaureate scoreSkills Challenge Certificate points score44.743.046.237.831.6
Best nine GCSE score: low-income pupilsCapped 9, eligible for free school meals386401298308

Interim measures published by the Welsh Government; no measures were published for 2020 to 2022.

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. 1 of the 4 gaps is 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, 2024

Best nine GCSE grades scoreLow-income pupils vs all pupils
386.4379.6
Gap 6.8England 57.9
Literacy pointsLow-income pupils vs all pupils
37.642.0
Gap 4.4
Numeracy pointsLow-income pupils vs all pupils
38.835.0
Gap 3.8
Science pointsLow-income pupils vs all pupils
43.640.0
Gap 3.6
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child gets free school meals. The Welsh figures are averaged over three years, and the grey marks show Wales rather than England.

Getting a place

There is no entrance test. The council hands out the places. Brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups go first; after that, the closer you live, the better your chances.

Teaching is mainly in Welsh.

You apply through Gwynedd council, not the school.

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.

Pupils on roll541
Pupils from low-income families10%Three-year average; Wales 20%
Pupils getting extra support23%Additional learning needs; Wales 11%
Black, Asian and minority ethnic pupils3%
LanguageWelsh mediumWelsh medium school / provision (including transitional)
NeighbourhoodAbove-average income areaIf Wales's neighbourhoods were split into ten groups from poorest to wealthiest, this one is in group 7 (Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025)
How the mix of pupils has changed
Year202520242023202220212020
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals10.3%11.2%12.1%11.5%10.2%9.0%
Pupils getting extra supportAdditional learning needs (ALN)22.6%24.4%24.0%26.8%33.6%34.6%
Black, Asian and minority ethnic pupilsBAME pupils3.4%3.8%2.9%3.5%3.0%3.2%

Attendance

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.1% of the time. Across secondary schools in Wales it was 89.6%. Wales doesn't publish figures on pupils who miss a lot of school, or on exclusions, for individual schools.

Attendance94.1%
Wales 89.6%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Trend
Attendance
2019 to 2025
2019: 94.8%94.8%20192023: 92.7%92.7%20232024: 93.7%93.7%20242025: 94.1%94.1%2025
Since 2019: -0.7%Declining overall

Staff and budget

From the Welsh Government's My Local School, 2025/26.

Budget per pupil£7,0362025/26, Wales £5,956
Trend
Budget per pupil (£)
2020 to 2026
2020: 5,0625,06220202021: 5,1215,12120212022: 5,3725,37220222023: 5,5535,55320232024: 6,0896,08920242025: 6,4176,41720252026: 7,0367,0362026
Since 2020: +1,974Declining overall

The budget is the money the council gave the school to spend per pupil in 2025/26, £1,080 more than the Welsh average for secondary schools. Small and rural schools tend to get more per pupil.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m17212 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate84 per 1,000 people8% lower than the England average
Typical house price£190,000Gwynedd
Nearest bus stop80 mHospital, 9 stops within 500 m

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.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored

No other schools of this phase within 8 km.

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Ysgol Bro Idris with the 50 schools in Wales 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.

Beats68%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 72 is 12 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 8 · middle 60 · highest 97100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Ysgol Bro Idris, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Ysgol Bro HyddgenCouncil10.6 miles441Estyn, no grade81Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 72 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 72% of secondary schools in Wales. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 63 to 78. 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 atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years40%above
+0.16
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 108 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils25%above
+0.09
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 108 pupils
Attendance and behaviour20%well above
+0.30
2024/25; 541 pupils
Direction of travel over five years15%well below
-0.19
results and attendance falling year on year

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 Ysgol Bro Idris a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Ysgol Bro Idris scores 72 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 68% of the 50 schools most like it in Wales. The score could fairly be anywhere from 63 to 78, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

How many pupils does Ysgol Bro Idris have?

541 pupils aged 3 to 16.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Dolgellau, LL40 1HY
Telephone
01341 424949
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
All-through school, ages 3-16
Religious character
None
Local authority
Gwynedd
Ward
De Dolgellau
Constituency
Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Setting
Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2017 (result of amalgamation)
URN
402411 · School number 6615500 · UKPRN 10065763
Language
Welsh medium school / provision (including transitional)
Formerly
Ysgol Y Clogau, Ysgol Brithdir, Ysgol Dinas Mawddwy, Ysgol Ganllwyd, Ysgol Gynradd Llanelltyd, Ysgol Ieuan Gwynedd, Ysgol Friog, Ysgol Gynradd Dolgellau, Ysgol Y Gader

Recent changes

  • PhaseCode changed from “AllThrough” to “Other”
  • TypeCode changed from “Community school” to “Welsh establishment”
  • Pupil numbers changed from “541” to “–”
  • Free school meals % changed from “10.3” to “–”
  • ReligiousCharacter changed from “None” to “–”

Where these figures come from