Dowdales SchoolFurness Academy
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
Dowdales School and Furness Academy are secondary schools.
Dowdales School scores 53 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and Furness Academy scores 52 out of 100 (grade D, below average). Dowdales School is ahead on our composite score.
Dowdales School was judged Good and Furness Academy was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 41.1 for Dowdales School and 40.8 for Furness Academy.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Dowdales School (44.5 in 2021-22, 41.1 in 2025-26) and has fallen at Furness Academy (45.7 in 2021-22, 40.8 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | Dalton-in-FurnessDowdales School | Barrow-in-FurnessFurness Academy | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D53/100Stronger figure | D52/100 | |
| Local ranking | 14th of 20 in Westmorland and Furness Stronger figure | 16th of 20 in Westmorland and Furness | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Community school | Academy sponsor led | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 877 | 1,187 | |
| Capacity | 1,050 | 1,200 | |
| Location | Dalton-in-Furness, LA15 8AH | Barrow-in-Furness, LA13 9BB | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 41.1 Stronger figure | 40.8 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 34.5% Stronger figure | 31.7% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 51.4% | 52.9% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 148 | 221 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 827 | 1,188 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 21.2% | 29.9% | |
| English as an additional language | 2.9% | 1.9% | |
| SEN support | 19.6% | 10.9% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 4.8% | 6.5% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 9.5% | 9.3% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 26.9% | 25.7% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Dowdales School
Furness Academy
Full profiles: Dowdales School · Furness Academy