Downsway Primary School, Reading
Downsway Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Reading. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 62nd-highest of the 85 schools in Reading with published results, and 10,359th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.6 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 102% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- 1.6 first choices per place
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to West Berkshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Downsway Primary School in detail
Downsway Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Children are able to start at Downsway in the September following their 4th birthday as Foundation Stage pupils, where they have their own classroom and secure outdoor play area. The area traditionally served by the school is shown here you may have to enter Downsway into the search box)."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils at Downsway Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 73% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 71% in West Berkshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 83% in reading and 80% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Downsway Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 47 families put Downsway Primary School as their first choice and 99 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.6 first choices for every place. 18 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Downsway Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Downsway Primary School are Westwood Farm Junior School (0.4 miles, Good, 68% reading, 74% maths); Westwood Farm Infant School (0.4 miles, Good); Long Lane Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 72% reading, 62% maths); and Purley CofE Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 77% reading, 77% maths).
Downsway Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Westwood Farm Junior SchoolWestwood Farm Infant SchoolLong Lane Primary SchoolPurley CofE Primary School
Who goes there
6.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 5.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (82%) and Mixed (10%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Tilehurst Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Addiscombe Chase (opposite), 180 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Downsway Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 7th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 90 crimes within a mile of the school, most often shoplifting, violence and sexual offences and other theft. That is well above the typical figure around schools in West Berkshire (26), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Downsway Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Downsway Primary School are Denefield School (0.2 miles) and Little Heath School (1.2 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from February 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2013 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
6.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 83% to 67% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 80% to 73% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.4
Avg class size
29.7
Infant (KS1)
31.0
KS2
7
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Downsway Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Downsway Primary School.
- Mighty Allstars at DownswayAt the school · Not yet graded
- Mighty Allstars740m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Downsway Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Downsway Primary School is in West Berkshire; for families living there:
Apply to West Berkshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in West Berkshire is 3 (the median across 99 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Downsway Primary School
Will you get a place at Downsway Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Downsway Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Downsway Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Downsway Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from West Berkshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Downsway Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in West Berkshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
102%
Over capacity
215 pupils
210 places
5 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Reading
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Reading
Across West Berkshire council
Places available
2,024
Applications
1,547
Got 1st preference
90.8%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All primary applications across West Berkshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: 1.6 first choices per place
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
26
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
16.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
213
Total Pupils
115
Boys
98
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
16.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,117
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,254
Per pupil
£1204k
Total funding
£20k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
11.2%
Persistent absence
187
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Downsway Primary School
Questions parents ask about Downsway Primary School
What are SATs results like at Downsway Primary School?
Of the pupils at Downsway Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 67% reached the expected standard in reading and 73% did so in maths.
What is Downsway Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Downsway Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Downsway Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Downsway Primary School is oversubscribed, West Berkshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Downsway Primary School?
Downsway Primary School was full in 2025, at 102% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Downsway Primary School?
Classes at Downsway Primary School average 30.4 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Downsway Primary School?
Downsway Primary School has around 213 pupils on roll. 7% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Downsway Primary School?
4.7% of sessions were missed at Downsway Primary School in 2024/25. 11.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Downsway Primary School?
Apply through West Berkshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Downsway Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Downsway Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Mighty Allstars at Downsway (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Downsway Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in West Berkshire is 3 (the median across 99 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Downsway Primary School?
Downsway Primary School is at Warbreck Drive, Tilehurst, Reading, Berkshire, RG31 6FE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)