Westborough High School

Westborough High School is a larger-than-average secondary school serving a highly deprived area, with a significantly higher proportion of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEN support than national averages. The school is judged to be performing at the expected standard across all areas. Leaders are committed to inclusion, and pupils are generally well behaved, feel safe, and benefit from positive relationships with staff. Attendance is improving, and disadvantaged pupils make progress that is above national averages for similar pupils, although overall attainment, particularly in English and maths, remains below national averages. The curriculum is well designed, but teaching quality and the use of feedback are not yet fully embedded across all subjects, which limits achievement for some pupils. Persistent absence, while reducing, remains well above national levels, and leaders' monitoring systems are not yet sharply focused enough to drive systematic improvements. Safeguarding standards are met.

Strengths

• Commitment to inclusion ensures pupils are well supported to achieve.
• Disadvantaged pupils make secure progress and achieve outcomes in line with their peers nationally.
• Pupils, including those with SEND, demonstrate interest and confidence in their learning.
• New systems are improving attendance, with disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND attending close to national averages.
• Leaders and staff have high expectations, and disruption in lessons is minimal.
• The curriculum is well designed and supports pupils to know and remember more over time.
• Teachers use secure subject knowledge to deliver information clearly and adapt work for vulnerable pupils.
• Inclusion is at the heart of leaders' work, with effective use of pupil passports and targeted support.
• Leaders use pupil premium funding effectively to support disadvantaged pupils.
• Governors fulfil their statutory duties effectively and provide thoughtful support and challenge.
• Staff feel supported by leaders who consider workload and wellbeing.
• The personal development programme is coherent, tailored to the local context, and includes a strong careers programme.
• Pupils feel safe and know how to seek support when needed.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching is not yet highly effective across all subjects and year groups, limiting achievement.
• Approaches to providing feedback are not fully embedded across all subjects.
• Some pupils, such as those who speak English as an additional language, lack the breadth of vocabulary needed to access the curriculum fully.
• The effectiveness of monitoring the impact of support for pupils with SEND is variable.
• Leaders do not always draw monitoring information together systematically, so improvement actions are not sharply focused.
• Persistent absence remains high compared to national averages, though reducing.
• Overall absence is above national average.
• Attainment in English and maths GCSE (grade 5 or above) is below national average.
• Pupils' knowledge of different religions and faiths is more secure for some pupils than others.
• Destinations after key stage 4 are below national average for the most recent leavers.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Westborough High School attended 90.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 30.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 8.9% of pupils at Westborough High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Westborough High School had 14.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 22.1% of pupils at Westborough High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Westborough High School received £8,797 and spent £8,817 for each of its 902 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £125,000 (£139 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Dewsbury · Kirklees local authority: places and applications

What is Westborough High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Westborough High School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Westborough High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Westborough High School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Westborough High School have?

Westborough High School has 900 pupils on roll.

What age range does Westborough High School cover?

Westborough High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Westborough High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.1, and 37% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Westborough High School?

Westborough High School is at Stockhill Street, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, WF13 2JE.