Downderry Primary School
Downderry Road, Downham, Bromley, BR1 5QL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Dr David Gifford
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Lewisham East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 376
- Pupils on roll
- 477
- URN
- 100679
- Local authority
- Lewisham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02086985768
About this school
Downderry Primary School is a community primary school in Bromley. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 477 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Downderry Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 19 May 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Outstanding. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 58 | 58 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 78% | 74% | 80% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 17% | 12% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 91% | 86% | 85% |
| Expected standard in maths | 91% | 81% | 88% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 91% | 83% | 83% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.40 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Downderry Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Lewisham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 78% | 59.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 74% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 80% | 64.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 465 |
| 2023/24 | 460 |
| 2024/25 | 455 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Downderry Primary School compares
Downderry Primary School ranked 13th of 67 primary schools in Lewisham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 87% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 80% | 5.6% | 28.9% | 477 | — |
| Rangefield Primary School | 51% | 6.1% | 42.9% | 236 | 0.3 miles |
| Forster Park Primary School | 68% | 6.6% | 42.7% | 269 | 0.4 miles |
| Good Shepherd RC School | 67% | 6% | 30% | 201 | 0.5 miles |
| St John Baptist Southend Church of England Primary School | 68% | 4.4% | 24.3% | 177 | 0.5 miles |
| Torridon Primary School | 66% | 5.4% | 29.6% | 632 | 0.6 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 28.92%
- English as an additional language
- 42%
- Overall absence
- 5.56%
- Persistent absence
- 16.35%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Rangefield Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Bromley
-
Forster Park Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Lewisham
-
Good Shepherd RC School0.5 miles
Primary · Bromley
-
St John Baptist Southend Church of England Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Bromley
-
Torridon Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · London
Other schools in Bromley
Downderry Primary School ranks 5th of the 20 ranked primary schools in Bromley.
- Bickley Primary School Primary
- Burnt Ash Primary School Primary
- Good Shepherd RC School Primary
- Haberdashers' Knights Primary Primary
- Harris Primary Academy Shortlands Primary
- Hayes Primary School Primary
- Highfield Infants' School Primary
- Highfield Junior School Primary
- La Fontaine Academy Primary
- Launcelot Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Orion Scotts Park Primary
- Parish Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Downderry Primary School teach?
- Downderry Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Bromley.
- Who is the headteacher of Downderry Primary School?
- The headteacher of Downderry Primary School is Dr David Gifford, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Downderry Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Downderry Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Downderry Primary School?
- Downderry Primary School has 477 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Downderry Primary School full?
- Downderry Primary School has capacity for 376 pupils and 477 on roll (127%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Downderry Primary School a faith school?
- No. Downderry Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Downderry Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Downderry Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Downderry Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 78% in 2022/23 and 80% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Downderry Primary School compare with other schools in Lewisham?
- Downderry Primary School ranked 13th of 67 primary schools in Lewisham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 87% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Downderry Primary School's absence rate?
- Downderry Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Downderry Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Downderry Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.