High Down Infant School, Portishead
High Down Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Portishead, part of Lighthouse Schools Partnership. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2022. It was 68% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to North Somerset (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
High Down Infant School in detail
Getting a place at High Down Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 40 families put High Down Infant School as their first choice and 68 named it as one of their preferences, for 40 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at High Down Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to High Down Infant School are High Down Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 82% reading, 86% maths); St Peter's Church of England Primary School (0.9 miles, Outstanding, 82% reading, 89% maths); St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (1.1 miles); and Portishead Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 77% reading, 81% maths).
High Down Junior SchoolSt Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolPortishead Primary School
The trust
High Down Infant School is one of 34 schools run by Lighthouse Schools Partnership, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
4.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (88%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 13 pupils (6.6%) received SEN support and 4 (2%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
High Down Infant School had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of High Down Infant School.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is High Down Schools (w-bound), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood High Down Infant School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
High Down Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2022 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
4.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
28.3
Avg class size
28.7
Infant (KS1)
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with High Down Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near High Down Infant School.
- Future Stars Coaching at High Down Primary SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
High Down Infant School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see North Somerset's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to High Down Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. High Down Infant School is in North Somerset; for families living there:
Apply to North Somerset for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 North Somerset is 5 (the median across 85 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 High Down Infant School
Will you get a place at High Down Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against High Down Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for High Down Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to High Down Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from North Somerset, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at High Down Infant School for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in North Somerset 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
68%
Available places
184 pupils
270 places
86 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Portishead
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Portishead
Across North Somerset council
Places available
2,490
Applications
1,984
Got 1st preference
96.8%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across North Somerset council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
13
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
8.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
198
Total Pupils
98
Boys
100
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
15.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,737
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,116
Per pupil
£1063k
Total funding
£12k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.3%
Overall absence
5.3%
Persistent absence
131
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
High Down Infant School
Questions parents ask about High Down Infant School
What is High Down Infant School's Ofsted rating?
High Down Infant School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2022. At its previous graded inspection in 2008 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for High Down Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When High Down Infant School is oversubscribed, North Somerset allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at High Down Infant School?
High Down Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 68% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at High Down Infant School?
Classes at High Down Infant School average 28.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to High Down Infant School?
High Down Infant School has around 198 pupils on roll. 5% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at High Down Infant School?
3.3% of sessions were missed at High Down Infant School in 2024/25. 5.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to High Down Infant School?
Apply through North Somerset's coordinated admissions process, naming High Down Infant 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 High Down Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Future Stars Coaching at High Down Primary School (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near High Down Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 North Somerset is 5 (the median across 85 schools, same distance and years).
Where is High Down Infant School?
High Down Infant School is at Down Road, Portishead, Somerset, BS20 6DY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)