The Dales School
Cowpen Road, Blyth, NE24 4RE
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Community special school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Head Teacher
- Dr Sue Fisher
- SEN provision
- SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, VI - Visual Impairment, OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, HI - Hearing Impairment, SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Blyth and Ashington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 230
- Pupils on roll
- 236
- URN
- 122388
- Local authority
- Northumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01670352556
About this school
The Dales School is a community special school in Blyth. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 236 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Dales School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 1 February 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Outstanding. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 39 | 37 | 37 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | - |
| Reading progress | -12.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -10.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -12.20 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Dales School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Northumberland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 0% | 54.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 52.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 56% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 188 |
| 2023/24 | 193 |
| 2024/25 | 212 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 61.79%
- English as an additional language
- 1.4%
- Overall absence
- 7.55%
- Persistent absence
- 19.7%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Gilbert Ward Academy1.2 miles
Free Schools · Blyth
-
The Apex Academy1.8 miles
Special schools · East Hartford
-
Cleaswell Hill School3.0 miles
Special schools · Choppington
-
Howard House School3.0 miles
Special schools · Netherton Colliery
-
Cramlington Hillcrest School3.2 miles
Special schools · Cramlington
Other schools in Blyth
- Gilbert Ward Academy Free Schools
- Cambois Primary School Primary
- Croftway Academy Primary
- Horton Grange Primary School Primary
- Malvin's Close Academy Primary
- Morpeth Road Academy Primary
- New Delaval Primary School Primary
- Newsham Primary School Primary
- St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School Primary
- The Blyth Academy Secondary
- Bede Academy All-through
Common questions
- What ages does The Dales School teach?
- The Dales School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a special school in Blyth.
- Who is the head teacher of The Dales School?
- The head teacher of The Dales School is Dr Sue Fisher, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Dales School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Dales School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at The Dales School?
- The Dales School has 236 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is The Dales School full?
- The Dales School has capacity for 230 pupils and 236 on roll (103%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The Dales School a faith school?
- No. The Dales School has no designated religious character.
- What SEN provision does The Dales School have?
- The schools register lists The Dales School's special educational needs provision as: SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty; VI - Visual Impairment; OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability; HI - Hearing Impairment; SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health; MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty; SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty; PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have The Dales School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is The Dales School's absence rate?
- The Dales School's overall absence rate is 7.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Dales School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Dales School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.