The Downs Primary School and Nursery, Harlow
The Downs Primary School and Nursery is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Harlow, part of The Passmores Co-Operative Learning Community. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2023. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 26th-highest of the 30 schools in Harlow with published results, and 11,866th of 14,452 across England. It was 86% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
The Downs Primary School and Nursery in detail
The Downs Primary School and Nursery in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include dance, cooking and art.
The school runs a breakfast club.
Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils at The Downs Primary School and Nursery reached the expected standard in reading and 59% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (70% in reading, 61% in maths).
Getting a place at The Downs Primary School and Nursery
For September 2026 entry, 35 families put The Downs Primary School and Nursery as their first choice and 73 named it as one of their preferences, for 39 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 The Downs Primary School and Nursery
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Downs Primary School and Nursery are Freshwaters Primary Academy (0.3 miles, Good, 88% reading, 88% maths); St Alban's Catholic Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 73% reading, 80% maths); Pemberley Academy (0.7 miles, Good, 70% reading, 67% maths); and William Martin Church of England Junior School (0.7 miles, Good, 72% reading, 70% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than The Downs Primary School and Nursery.
Freshwaters Primary AcademySt Alban's Catholic AcademyPemberley AcademyWilliam Martin Church of England Junior School
The trust
The Downs Primary School and Nursery is one of 6 schools run by The Passmores Co-Operative Learning Community, an academy trust.
All 6 schools in The Passmores Co-Operative Learning Community
What parents say
40 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Downs Primary School and Nursery (as of September 2025): 90% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 64% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (95%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (64%).
Who goes there
45% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (36%), Asian (20%) and Black (16%).
In 2026, 67 pupils (18.5%) received SEN support and 10 (2.8%) 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 Harlow Town Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
21 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Leisure Centre (opposite), 280 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 525 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Essex (97), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Downs Primary School and Nursery issued 13 suspensions, 3.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to The Downs Primary School and Nursery are Bmat Stem Academy (under 0.1 miles), St Mark's West Essex Catholic School (0.4 miles), Burnt Mill Academy (0.6 miles) and Sir Frederick Gibberd College (0.7 miles).
Bmat Stem AcademySt Mark's West Essex Catholic SchoolBurnt Mill AcademySir Frederick Gibberd College
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); 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 · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The Downs provides a warm, respectful environment where children thrive academically and socially. The school excels at teaching reading and offers a rich, broad curriculum with plenty of enrichment activities. Children develop real leadership skills and a strong understanding of the diverse world around them.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with consistent, high-quality phonics teaching that helps pupils learn to read quickly
- Well-planned, coherent curriculum with clear identification of key knowledge and skills from early years to Year 6
- Positive relationships between staff and pupils, creating a safe and happy learning environment
- Meaningful leadership roles for pupils such as house captains and play leaders
- Effective safeguarding arrangements and strong engagement with parents and staff
Areas for Improvement
- Individual support plans for pupils with special educational needs do not always reflect their precise needs, affecting consistency of support in lessons
- Occasionally, staff expectations in early years are not high enough, which can affect children's engagement and learning
- Supporting pupils who join mid-year to catch up with the curriculum from the start of their formal education
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with school leaders creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Victory in Europe day celebrations, singing performances, community visitors including local rabbi, trips, visits, assemblies, whole-school themed events, playleader activities, before-school childcare
The Downs Primary School and Nursery is a Good school that has made rapid progress since its previous 'Requires improvement' rating. Pupils are polite, respectful, and engaged in learning across a broad and balanced curriculum.
At a Glance
24.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
40 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 71% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 59% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 70% to 57% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.7
Avg class size
26.6
Infant (KS1)
23.6
KS2
14
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with The Downs Primary School and Nursery
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Downs Primary School and Nursery from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Downs Primary School and Nursery is in Essex; for families living there:
- Essex's school travel policy: Education Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 38
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 38 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 31 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
7 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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 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 The Downs Primary School and Nursery
Will you get a place at The Downs Primary School and Nursery? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Downs Primary School and Nursery's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Downs Primary School and Nursery:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Downs Primary School and Nursery.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Downs Primary School and Nursery for 2019 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Essex 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
86%
Available places
363 pupils
420 places
57 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Harlow
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Harlow
Across Essex council
Places available
17,932
Applications
15,737
Got 1st preference
90.3%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Essex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
67
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
21.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
362
Total Pupils
180
Boys
182
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
19.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,361
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,688
Per pupil
£2434k
Total funding
£168k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.8%
Overall absence
15.0%
Persistent absence
359
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
The Downs Primary School and Nursery
Questions parents ask about The Downs Primary School and Nursery
What are SATs results like at The Downs Primary School and Nursery?
Of the pupils at The Downs Primary School and Nursery who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 71% reached the expected standard in reading and 59% did so in maths.
What is The Downs Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?
The Downs Primary School and Nursery's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2023, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for The Downs Primary School and Nursery?
No fixed boundary. When The Downs Primary School and Nursery is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Downs Primary School and Nursery?
The Downs Primary School and Nursery was not full in 2025: it ran at 86% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at The Downs Primary School and Nursery?
Classes at The Downs Primary School and Nursery average 24.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Downs Primary School and Nursery?
The Downs Primary School and Nursery has around 362 pupils on roll. 25% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Downs Primary School and Nursery?
5.8% of sessions were missed at The Downs Primary School and Nursery in 2024/25. 15% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Downs Primary School and Nursery?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming The Downs Primary School and Nursery 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.
How many road collisions happen near The Downs Primary School and Nursery?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 38 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 31 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 7 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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Downs Primary School and Nursery?
The Downs Primary School and Nursery is at The Hides, Harlow, Essex, CM20 3RB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)