Houstone School, Dunstable

In its own words: "Advantage Schools is different, and hence working for Houstone School will be very different! We expect our staff to be aligned with the Advantage Schools values of Aspiration, Respect, Honesty as these really do drive what we do across the Trust. We also expect our pupils and staff to 'go the extra mile'."

From the headteacher's welcome: "We are very proud of our academic ethos and curriculum, and enabling our pupils to achieve their potential is of paramount importance to us. We deliver a traditional curriculum to an exceptionally high standard to ensure good results."

In 2026, pupils at Houstone School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 48.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.7 in Central Bedfordshire and 47 across England.

57% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 41% in Central Bedfordshire and 47% in England.

That is up from 46.1 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.74: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 43.2, against 51 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 7.8 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 17 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Spanish.

For September 2026 entry, 209 families put Houstone School as their first choice and 322 named it as one of their preferences, for 184 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 32 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Houstone School are The Chalk Hills Academy (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.8); Lealands High School (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.7); All Saints Academy Dunstable (1.7 miles, Inadequate, Attainment 8 35.7); and Challney High School for Girls (1.8 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 51.5).

Houstone School's 2026 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

Houstone School is one of 10 schools run by Advantage Schools, an academy trust.

154 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Houstone School (as of September 2025): 55% would recommend the school, 58% say their child is happy there and 54% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (77%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (44%).

Of the 52 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 81% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 67% to a further education college and 2% to an apprenticeship.

35.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (40%), Black (13%) and Mixed (11%).

The nearest railway station is Leagrave Rail Station, about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Houstone School (outside), 330 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 174 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Central Bedfordshire (47), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Houstone School issued 271 suspensions, 41.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Houstone School are Lime Tree Primary Academy (0.3 miles), Thornhill Primary School (0.4 miles), St Vincent's Catholic Primary School (0.6 miles) and Chalton Lower School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.