Dowdales SchoolSt Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
Dowdales School and St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow are secondary schools.
Dowdales School scores 53 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow scores 47 out of 100 (grade D, below average). Dowdales School is ahead on our composite score.
Dowdales School was judged Good and St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 41.1 for Dowdales School and 38.5 for St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Dowdales School (44.5 in 2021-22, 41.1 in 2025-26) and has fallen at St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow (43.3 in 2021-22, 38.5 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | Dalton-in-FurnessDowdales School | Barrow-in-FurnessSt Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D53/100Stronger figure | D47/100 | |
| Local ranking | 14th of 20 in Westmorland and Furness Stronger figure | 18th of 20 in Westmorland and Furness | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Community school | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 877 | 624 | |
| Capacity | 1,050 | 916 | |
| Location | Dalton-in-Furness, LA15 8AH | Barrow-in-Furness, LA13 9LE | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 41.1 Stronger figure | 38.5 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 34.5% Stronger figure | 32.8% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 51.4% | 54.3% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 148 | 116 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 827 | 674 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 21.2% | 29.1% | |
| English as an additional language | 2.9% | 9.5% | |
| SEN support | 19.6% | 17.7% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 4.8% | 5.8% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 9.5% Stronger figure | 9.8% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 26.9% Stronger figure | 27.4% | 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
St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow
Full profiles: Dowdales School · St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow