SCHOOL PROFILE

The Dormston School

Secondary Community school URN 103855
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,120 Published school capacity
Capacity used 100.7% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

8 June 2022
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Community school
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Dudley
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,128 1,128 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 557 49.4% of pupils
Male pupils 571 50.6% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

27.1%
2.3 pts above England
School 27.1%
Dudley 27.8%
West Midlands 30.6%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

3.4%
16.9 pts below England
School 3.4%
Dudley 13.2%
West Midlands 22.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.1%
0.9 pts below England
School 0.1%
Dudley 0.2%
West Midlands 0.6%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
86.6%
977
White and Black Caribbean
4.2%
47
Indian
2.3%
26
Any other Mixed background
1.6%
18
Any other White background
1.4%
16
White and Asian
0.8%
9
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 23.0% 259 of 1,128 pupils
2.1 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 23.0%
Dudley 20.7%
West Midlands 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 20.2% 228 pupils
England 14.8% 5.4 pts above
EHC plans 2.8% 31 pupils
England 6.0% 3.3 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Specific learning difficulty 125
Social, emotional & mental health 66
Speech, language & communication 39
Other difficulty or disability 23
Autistic spectrum disorder 6

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

42.1 2.9 pts above England
School 42.1
Dudley 36.2
West Midlands 38.3
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 42.5% England 36.0% 6.5 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 61.2% England 51.4% 9.8 pts above England
EBacc entry 11.0% England 30.6% 19.6 pts below England
EBacc average point score 3.44 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.44 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

7.43%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

1.21 pts higher than England
School 7.43%
Dudley 6.50%
West Midlands 6.28%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

21.23%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

5.42 pts higher than England
School 21.23%
Dudley 17.87%
West Midlands 16.42%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

3.51%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.71 pts higher than England
School 3.51%
Dudley 2.10%
West Midlands 1.82%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

100.7% 8.4 pts above England
The Dormston School
100.7%
Dudley
95.0%
West Midlands
94.1%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information