Dunraven School

About Dunraven School

Dunraven School is a large all-through state school in Lambeth, currently home to 1,789 pupils against a capacity of 1,767, meaning it is operating just above its official limit. The school serves a notably diverse intake: 39.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average and a clear reflection of the local community it draws from. Demand is extremely high — for the 2025/26 secondary intake, the school received 1,130 applications for just 148 places, an oversubscription ratio of 7.64. Of those, 211 families put Dunraven as their first preference, and 104 first-preference offers were made. This level of competition suggests the school is a popular choice among Lambeth parents, despite being one of 23 secondary schools in the borough and sitting 11th in the local Progress 8 rankings. Its nearest outstanding-rated school, Bishop Thomas Grant Catholic Secondary School, is just 0.9 km away, so families in the area have strong alternatives to consider.

Academically, Dunraven presents a mixed picture. At Key Stage 4, its Progress 8 score is -0.23, placing it in the 'below average' band nationally and ranking it 11th out of 15 schools in Lambeth. The local authority average Progress 8 is 0.07, so Dunraven sits below that benchmark. Attainment 8 stands at 48.7, with 72.4% of pupils achieving a grade 4 or above in English and maths, and 49.3% achieving a grade 5 or above. The EBacc entry rate is 44.8%, with 32% achieving the EBacc at grade 4 or above. At A-level, the picture is stronger: the school's value-added score of 0.13 is rated 'above average', and the average points per entry is 37.06, equivalent to a B- grade. The sixth form provision was judged Outstanding by Ofsted in the most recent 2023 inspection, while the overall school effectiveness was rated Good. The previous 2014 inspection had awarded Outstanding across the board, so the 2023 result represents a downgrade in overall effectiveness, though personal development and sixth form provision remain Outstanding.

Dunraven is well equipped for a school of its size, with facilities including a sports hall, astro turf, tennis courts, playing fields, science labs, art studios, music rooms, and a dedicated sixth form centre. The school offers a wide range of clubs — coding, debate, drama, choir, Young Enterprise, and a newspaper club — and sports include basketball, rowing, rugby, netball, and martial arts. Its SEND provision is comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder, with a resourced provision on site. Given the high oversubscription, families applying should be prepared for strong competition, particularly for first-preference places. This school will suit families who value a large, diverse, all-through setting with a strong sixth form and a broad extracurricular offer, but who are comfortable with academic outcomes that sit below the local average at GCSE level.

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