Hillside Primary School, Reading
Hillside Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Reading, part of Orchard Learning Alliance. It was 97% full in 2025.
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Wokingham (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Hillside Primary School in detail
Results
Hillside Primary School has no published results of its own yet. Before it took its current form in 2025, under its previous registration (URN 109930), 85% of its Year 6 pupils reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths in the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments.
Getting a place at Hillside Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 46 families put Hillside Primary School as their first choice and 125 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Hillside Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Hillside Primary School are Whiteknights Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 97% reading, 98% maths); The Ridgeway Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 72% reading, 69% maths); Radstock Primary School (0.6 miles); and Christ The King Catholic Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 77% reading, 70% maths).
Whiteknights Primary SchoolThe Ridgeway Primary SchoolRadstock Primary SchoolChrist The King Catholic Primary School
The trust
Hillside Primary School is one of 10 schools run by Orchard Learning Alliance, an academy trust.
Who goes there
6.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 33.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (43%), Asian (21%) and Mixed (12%).
In 2026, 6 pupils (1.3%) received SEN support and 12 (2.7%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Earley Rail Station, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Rosemary Avenue (adjacent), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Hillside Primary School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Hillside Primary School are Hartland High School (1 mile), Maiden Erlegh School (1.1 miles), Reading Girls' School (1.3 miles) and Oakbank School (1.8 miles).
Hartland High SchoolMaiden Erlegh SchoolReading Girls' SchoolOakbank School
Sources: DfE school performance data; GIAS establishment links; 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
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
Hillside Primary School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in April 2025. Before that, as Hillside Primary School (URN 109930), it was rated Good in July 2014.
At a Glance
6.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
29.7
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
30.6
KS2
15
Total classes
6 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
Results at Hillside Primary School before it took its current form in 2025 (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25Published under the school's previous registration (URN 109930). There are no figures for it in its current form yet, so these are shown separately.
KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 85% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 87% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 82% (2024 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Hillside Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Hillside Primary School.
- Reading Earley Kumon Centre490m away · Not yet graded
- Ultimate Activity Camps At Crosfields School580m away · Not yet graded
- Funtastic Kids @ The Ridgeway790m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Hillside Primary School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Wokingham's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Hillside Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Hillside Primary School is in Wokingham; for families living there:
Apply to Wokingham for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 8 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot.
5 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 Wokingham is 7 (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 Hillside Primary School
Will you get a place at Hillside Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Hillside Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Hillside Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Hillside Primary School.
- Wokingham publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Hillside Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Hillside Primary School for 2026 entry.
- How many families in Wokingham 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
408 pupils
420 places
12 spare places 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 Wokingham council
Places available
2,172
Applications
1,832
Got 1st preference
87.5%
Got preferred school
98.0%
All primary applications across Wokingham council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
6
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
4.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
450
Total Pupils
232
Boys
218
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
20.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,190
Mean salary
2026 data
Absence at Hillside Primary School before it took its current form in 20252024/25
Published under the school's previous registration (URN 109930). There are no figures for it in its current form yet, so these are shown separately.
3.9%
Overall absence
6.6%
Persistent absence
377
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
Hillside Primary School
Questions parents ask about Hillside Primary School
Are there exam results for Hillside Primary School?
Hillside Primary School has no published results of its own yet. Before it took its current form in 2025, under its previous registration (URN 109930), 85% of its Year 6 pupils reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths in the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments.
What is Hillside Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Hillside Primary School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in April 2025. Before that, as Hillside Primary School (URN 109930), it was rated Good in July 2014.
What is the catchment area for Hillside Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Hillside Primary School is oversubscribed, Wokingham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Hillside Primary School?
Hillside Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 97% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Hillside Primary School?
Classes at Hillside Primary School average 29.7 pupils (2025/26). 6 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Hillside Primary School?
Hillside Primary School has around 450 pupils on roll. 6% are eligible for free school meals.
How do I apply to Hillside Primary School?
Apply through Wokingham's coordinated admissions process, naming Hillside 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 Hillside Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Hillside Primary School: Reading Earley Kumon Centre (490m away, registered, not yet graded), Ultimate Activity Camps At Crosfields School (580m away, registered, not yet graded) and Funtastic Kids @ The Ridgeway (790m away, 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 Hillside Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 8 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot. 5 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 Wokingham is 7 (the median across 85 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Hillside Primary School?
Hillside Primary School is at Rushey Way, Lower Earley, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 4HQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)