Dowdales School - The School Companion

Dowdales School

General Information

Phone: 01229469800
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Ms Emma Aubrey
Age range: 11-16 years
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Number of pupils: 877
School capacity: 1050
Pupils eligible for free school meals: 182
% eligible for free school meals: 20.8%
Nursery provision: No

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Behaviour information for this school has not been added yet.

Attendance

Overall absence: 9.5%
Persistently absent pupils: 26.9%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

SEN provision information for this school has not been added yet.

Pupils on SEN Support: 26.1%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 6.4%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Specific learning difficulty: 104 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 53 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 38 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 15 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 8 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 23 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 17 pupils
Physical disability: 6 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 4 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 3 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

Behaviour

–

Openness

–

Teaching Quality

–

School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

–

Would recommend –

Give this school your first review

Educational Attainment

No overall grade given 2025 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted stopped giving single overall grades for a period between September 2024 and November 2025 - this school's most recent inspection falls in that window, so there's no single rating to show, even though it was inspected. The full report (linked below) still has the detail.

Educational attainment data for this school has not been added yet.

Attainment 8 score: 41.8
Data year: 2024/25

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

Ranked #13 of 19 Attainment 8 schools of this type in the area

#11Settlebeck School44.0
#12Furness Academy42.4
#13Dowdales School41.8
#14Ullswater Community College41.0
#15Appleby Grammar School40.7

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

#1Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith64.8
#2Queen Elizabeth School59.6
#3John Ruskin School52.9
#4Kirkbie Kendal School50.1
#5The Queen Katherine School48.8
#6Kirkby Stephen Grammar School47.7
#7Cartmel Priory CofE School47.2
#8The Lakes School46.8
#9Ulverston Victoria High School46.8
#10Dallam School44.1
#11Settlebeck School44.0
#12Furness Academy42.4
#13Dowdales School41.8
#14Ullswater Community College41.0
#15Appleby Grammar School40.7
#16Walney Academy38.7
#17Queen Elizabeth Studio School37.8
#18St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow34.6
#19Samuel King's School30.2

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 93.0%
Went into further education: 70.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

Maths (General)
English Literature
English Language
Science Double Award
Geography
History
Art & Design
Chemistry (General)
Physics (General)
Biology
Media Studies
German
D & T
Food Technology
Community Development
Dance: General
Computer Science
French Language
Speech & Drama
Music Studies (General)

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Financial summary information for this school has not been added yet.

Spending per pupil: £8,408 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

Ranked #7 of 17 Spending Per Pupil schools of this type in the area

#5Cartmel Priory CofE School£8,616
#6Furness Academy£8,476
#7Dowdales School£8,408
#8Ulverston Victoria High School£8,103
#9Appleby Grammar School£8,022

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

#1Samuel King's School£11,064
#2John Ruskin School£10,022
#3Dallam School£9,884
#4Queen Elizabeth Studio School£9,048
#5Cartmel Priory CofE School£8,616
#6Furness Academy£8,476
#7Dowdales School£8,408
#8Ulverston Victoria High School£8,103
#9Appleby Grammar School£8,022
#10The Lakes School£7,896
#11St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow£7,889
#12Ullswater Community College£7,633
#13Kirkbie Kendal School£7,377
#14Queen Elizabeth School£7,346
#15The Queen Katherine School£5,232
#16Walney Academy£2,857
#17Kirkby Stephen Grammar School£381

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

General Information

Behaviour

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered