Houstone School
Parkside Drive, Dunstable, LU5 5PX
765 pupils · 85% of 900 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 11–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- ADVANTAGE SCHOOLS
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Free school meals
- 28.3%
Ofsted
No overall grade (2025) — Inspected 2024–2025 — no overall grade under the interim framework
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 20 May 2025, published 26 June 2025. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 55.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 77.1% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 27.1% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 1.14 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 184 | 209 | 322 | 183 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 8 | 12 | 30 | 8 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 19 | 20 | 35 | 19 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 7 | 7 | 15 | 7 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- The Chalk Hills Academy 2.1 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- Lealands High School 2.2 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- All Saints Academy Dunstable 2.8 km · No overall grade (2024)
- Challney High School for Girls 2.9 km · Outstanding (2020) · previous system
- Challney High School for Boys 3.2 km · Outstanding (2023) · previous system
- Lea Manor High School 3.5 km · Most areas: Strong standard (2026)
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.