Highlands Primary School, Ilford
Highlands Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Ilford. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 9th-highest of the 33 schools in Ilford with published results, and 1,876th of 14,452 across England. It was 97% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2019)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Redbridge (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Highlands Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 89% of Year 6 pupils at Highlands Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 89% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 84% and 85% in Redbridge and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (89% in reading, 92% in maths).
Getting a place at Highlands Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 98 families put Highlands Primary School as their first choice and 246 named it as one of their preferences, for 88 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 12 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Highlands Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Highlands Primary School are Cranbrook Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 78% reading, 78% maths); Aldersbrook Primary School (0.9 miles, Outstanding, 94% reading, 95% maths); Christchurch Primary School (1 mile, Good, 82% reading, 92% maths); and Redbridge Primary School (1 mile, Good, 77% reading, 79% maths).
Highlands Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Cranbrook Primary SchoolAldersbrook Primary SchoolChristchurch Primary SchoolRedbridge Primary School
What parents say
72 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Highlands Primary School (as of September 2025): 99% would recommend the school, 99% say their child is happy there and 81% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (81%).
Who goes there
13.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 56.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (81%) and Mixed (6%).
Getting there
The nearest Underground station is Redbridge Underground Station, about 1160 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Seymour Gardens, 300 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Highlands Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Highlands Primary School are Valentines High School (0.7 miles), The Ursuline Academy Ilford (0.7 miles) and Wanstead High School (1 mile).
Valentines High SchoolThe Ursuline Academy IlfordWanstead High School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from March 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Highlands Primary School excels at creating a welcoming, caring community where pupils are happy and proud to attend. Teachers deliver an exceptionally well-designed curriculum that builds knowledge step-by-step, helping all pupils - including those with additional needs - achieve very highly. The school places reading at the heart of learning and supports every child to succeed, preparing them thoroughly for secondary education.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional, carefully sequenced curriculum that enables all pupils, including those with SEND, to access learning successfully
- Outstanding teaching with strong subject knowledge and effective checks on pupil learning
- Reading is prioritized from Nursery onwards with well-trained staff and rapid catch-up support
- Exemplary pupil behaviour and kindness, with calm, low-disruption classrooms
- Comprehensive personal development programme teaching British values, healthy relationships, and online safety
Areas for Improvement
- Raising attendance remains an ongoing priority, though the school is taking swift action and rates are improving
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that prioritizes pupils' interests.
Extracurricular Activities
Sign language, chess, karate, well-being ambassadors, school parliamentarians, sports leaders, residential visits, museum visits, gallery visits, places of worship visits
Highlands Primary School has successfully maintained the high standards from its previous outstanding inspection. Pupils are happy, achieve very well, and benefit from an exceptional curriculum delivered by skilled teachers in a welcoming, caring community.
At a Glance
13.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
72 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 89% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 89% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 93% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.6
Avg class size
28.8
Infant (KS1)
29.0
KS2
19
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Highlands Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Highlands Primary School.
- Ilford,The Drive Kumon Centre440m away · Not yet graded
- Cranbrook HAF Kids In Charge490m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Highlands Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Redbridge. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Thursday 22 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Thursday 2 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 7 April 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Monday 24 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Train Stations
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Highlands Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Highlands Primary School is in Redbridge; for families living there:
Apply to Redbridge for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 42
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 42 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 40 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
6 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 Redbridge is 56 (the median across 94 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 Highlands Primary School
Will you get a place at Highlands Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Highlands Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Highlands Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Highlands Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Redbridge, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Highlands Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Redbridge 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
97%
Near capacity
612 pupils
630 places
18 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Ilford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Ilford
Across Redbridge council
Places available
4,215
Applications
3,417
Got 1st preference
88.2%
Got preferred school
97.8%
All primary applications across Redbridge council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
78
SEN Support
34
EHC Plans
16.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
676
Total Pupils
328
Boys
348
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
26
Teachers
26.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,512
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,295
Per pupil
£3645k
Total funding
£135k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.3%
Overall absence
17.7%
Persistent absence
564
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
Highlands Primary School
Questions parents ask about Highlands Primary School
What are SATs results like at Highlands Primary School?
Of the pupils at Highlands Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 89% reached the expected standard in reading and 89% did so in maths.
What is Highlands Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Highlands Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2019, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Highlands Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Highlands Primary School is oversubscribed, Redbridge allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Highlands Primary School?
Highlands Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 97% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Highlands Primary School?
Classes at Highlands Primary School average 27.6 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Highlands Primary School?
Highlands Primary School has around 676 pupils on roll. 14% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Highlands Primary School?
6.3% of sessions were missed at Highlands Primary School in 2024/25. 17.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Highlands Primary School?
Apply through Redbridge's coordinated admissions process, naming Highlands 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 Highlands Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Highlands Primary School: Ilford,The Drive Kumon Centre (440m away, registered, not yet graded) and Cranbrook HAF Kids In Charge (490m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Highlands Primary School's term dates?
Highlands Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Redbridge. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Thursday 22 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Thursday 2 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 7 April 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Monday 24 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Highlands Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 42 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 40 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 6 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 Redbridge is 56 (the median across 94 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Highlands Primary School?
Highlands Primary School is at Highlands Gardens, Ilford, Essex, IG1 3LE.
Sources: Redbridge term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)