Dowdales School

About Dowdales School

Dowdales School is a mixed 11-16 secondary in Westmorland and Furness, currently home to 827 pupils against a capacity of 1,050, so there is some room to grow. The proportion of students eligible for free school meals stands at 20.1%, a figure that gives a clear sense of the school's intake in a local authority where the average Progress 8 score sits at -0.12. Demand is strong: for the 2025/26 admissions cycle, the school received 374 applications for 189 places, an oversubscription ratio of 1.98, with 168 first-preference offers made. That level of interest suggests Dowdales is a popular choice among local families, even if it isn't the highest-ranked school in the area. The headteacher is Emma Aubrey, and the school has no religious character, no sixth form, and no nursery provision.

Academically, Dowdales' most recent Progress 8 score was -0.29, which places it in the 'below average' banding nationally. That is below the Westmorland and Furness local authority average of -0.12, and the school ranks 13th out of 19 secondary schools in the LA on this measure. The Attainment 8 score is 44.1, and 58.9% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, though the figure drops to 35.6% at grade 5 or above. EBacc entry is low at 17.8%, with only 7.2% achieving the EBacc at grade 4 or above. In its most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in February 2025, the school was rated Good overall, with leadership and management also judged Good. The previous graded inspection in 2019 also awarded Good, and the 2025 ungraded inspection confirmed that standards were maintained. Parent feedback is largely positive: 91% of respondents to the Parent View survey would recommend the school, and strong majorities agreed that their child is happy, feels safe, and does well.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, ICT suite, science labs, gymnasium, swimming pool, tennis courts, and playing fields. Sports on offer include rugby, rowing, cricket, and athletics, while clubs range from Debate and Orchestra to Model UN, DofE, and Young Enterprise. SEND provisions are broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. The Parent View data shows that 80% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the school gives SEND children the support they need. With 26% of responding parents indicating their child has SEND, this is clearly a school that caters to a wide range of needs. Dowdales is a good fit for families in the Dalton-in-Furness area who want a well-subscribed, Good-rated secondary with strong pastoral support and a broad extracurricular offer, even if its academic outcomes sit slightly below the local average.

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