Dowdales School

Dowdales School has maintained the standards identified during its previous good inspection, reflecting its commitment to providing a supportive and effective learning environment. Pupils feel safe and valued within the school community, benefiting from a well-structured and ambitious curriculum that promotes their academic progress. The school excels in fostering positive relationships among students and staff, and many pupils engage actively in extracurricular activities, which enrich their educational experience.

Strengths

• Warm and welcoming school community.
• High expectations for pupils' achievement.
• Ambitious and well-structured curriculum.
• Positive pupil behaviour in lessons and around school.
• Strong support for pupils who struggle with reading.
• Effective behaviour management systems.
• Comprehensive careers programme preparing pupils for future pathways.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent design of learning activities limiting depth of learning.
• Occasional ineffective adaptations for pupils with SEND.
• Strategies to improve attendance have not been fully effective.

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 Dowdales School attended 90.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.9% 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, 5.2% of pupils at Dowdales School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were 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 Dowdales School had 18.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.0% 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, 26.1% of pupils at Dowdales School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.4% 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 Dowdales School received £8,132 and spent £8,099 for each of its 884 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £293,000 (-£332 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 Westmorland And Furness · Westmorland and Furness local authority: places and applications

What is Dowdales School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dowdales School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Dowdales School last inspected by Ofsted?

Dowdales School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Dowdales School have?

Dowdales School has 877 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dowdales School cover?

Dowdales School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Dowdales School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.1, and 35% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Dowdales School?

Dowdales School is at [Postcode LA15 8AH], Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA15 8AH.