Ellowes Hall Sports College

About Ellowes Hall Sports College

Ellowes Hall Sports College is a mixed state secondary and sixth form in Dudley, West Midlands, serving 1,065 pupils aged 11 to 18. Within the local authority, it ranks 15th out of 17 schools of the same type by Progress 8 score, placing it in the bottom half of Dudley’s secondary landscape. The top-performing peers in the area are Old Swinford Hospital, Pegasus Academy, and Redhill School, all of which post significantly stronger progress scores. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Beacon Hill Academy, just 1.5 km away. Ellowes Hall itself was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2019. The inspection report awarded Good across all categories, including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership. The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 362 applications for 214 places and 169 first-preference offers from 170 first-preference applications, suggesting solid local demand despite its middling league table position.

Academically, the school’s Progress 8 score of -0.46 is below the Dudley average of -0.08 and places it in the bottom 50 nationally. This means pupils typically achieve nearly half a grade less per subject than the national average. Attainment 8 sits at 41.1, and the basics measure — pupils achieving a grade 5 or above in English and maths — stands at 34.6%, with a grade 4 or above rate of 56.7%. EBacc entry is low at 7.7%, and only 1.9% of pupils achieved the full EBacc at grade 5 or above. Progress in English is the strongest subject area at -0.18, while maths and EBacc subjects are weaker at -0.51 and -0.82 respectively. The sixth form was also rated Good by Ofsted, though no separate A-level or vocational outcomes are available in the data. The school’s EBacc average point score of 3.28 reflects a narrow academic curriculum for most pupils.

The school offers a wide range of facilities including a swimming pool, astro turf, theatre, and sports hall, with sports on offer such as swimming, rugby, netball, and martial arts. Clubs include coding, debate, Model UN, and Young Enterprise, alongside an orchestra and art club. SEND provisions cover nine categories including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health support. With 27.6% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a relatively disadvantaged intake. It is oversubscribed, so families applying will need to consider admission criteria carefully. Ellowes Hall suits families who value a broad extracurricular offer and a school that has improved its Ofsted rating, but who are comfortable with below-average academic progress compared to the local authority and national benchmarks.

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