Westborough High School, Dewsbury

Ofsted's report card from its 16 June 2026 inspection grades Westborough High School on 6 areas: 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "The school's commitment to inclusion ensures that pupils are supported well to achieve."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "New systems are supporting leaders to have a deeper understanding of attendance."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have ensured that the school has a well-designed curriculum."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Inclusion sits at the heart of leaders' work."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders, including those responsible for governance, understand the school's context and the community which it serves."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Throughout school, there is a clear focus on building pupils' knowledge, providing effective pastoral care and broadening pupils' horizons."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that highly effective teaching is embedded across all subjects and year groups so that pupils' achievement further improves"; "Leaders should continue to rigorously identify and tackle barriers to attendance to further improve attendance for pupils, including those who are persistently absent"; "Leaders should draw together their many strands of monitoring, so that they are better placed to adjust provision systematically and skilfully for pupils".

In 2026, pupils at Westborough High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 42.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Kirklees and 47 across England.

37% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 46% in Kirklees and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 42.6.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.17: pupils made above 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 36.8, against 46.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.1 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Sports Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 132 families put Westborough High School as their first choice and 320 named it as one of their preferences, for 175 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Westborough High School are St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy (0.2 miles, Inadequate, Attainment 8 34.9); Manor Croft Academy (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.9); Heckmondwike Grammar School (1.3 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 78.9); and Castle Hall Academy (1.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.1).

Westborough High School's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

Westborough High School is run by its own single-school academy trust.

13 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Westborough High School (as of April 2026): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (92%).

Of the 187 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 83% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 46% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.

48.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 41.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are Asian (76%), White British (11%) and Mixed (6%).

In 2026, 199 pupils (22.1%) received SEN support and 16 (1.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest railway station is Dewsbury Rail Station, about 930 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Westborough High School (adjacent), 150 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Westborough High School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 367 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Kirklees (153), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Westborough High School issued 166 suspensions, 18.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Westborough High School are St John’s CE Primary School (0.1 miles), Westmoor Primary School (0.3 miles), St Joseph's Catholic Primary Academy (0.5 miles) and St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.