Highlands Primary School
Highlands Gardens, Ilford, IG1 3LE
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Dr Kulvarn Atwal
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Ilford North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 630
- Pupils on roll
- 676
- URN
- 131013
- Local authority
- Redbridge
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02085540044
About this school
Highlands Primary School is a community primary school in Ilford. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 676 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 27 November 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 90 | 87 | 82 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 71% | 83% | 87% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 12% | 14% | 21% |
| Expected standard in reading | 78% | 89% | 89% |
| Expected standard in maths | 84% | 92% | 89% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 76% | 85% | 83% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 107.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 108.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.40 | - | - |
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 Highlands 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 | Redbridge average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 71% | 67.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 83% | 71.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 87% | 72% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 689 |
| 2023/24 | 693 |
| 2024/25 | 665 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Highlands Primary School compares
Highlands Primary School ranked 11th of 53 primary schools in Redbridge for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 35% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 87% | 6.3% | 15.3% | 676 | — |
| Cranbrook Primary School | 70% | 6.2% | 22% | 786 | 0.2 miles |
| Aldersbrook Primary School | 90% | 3.7% | 10.7% | 667 | 0.9 miles |
| Christchurch Primary School | 79% | 6.2% | 15.2% | 1,084 | 1.0 miles |
| Redbridge Primary School | 72% | 6.3% | 12.8% | 808 | 1.0 miles |
| Sheringham Primary School | 63% | 6.3% | 42% | 585 | 1.0 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)
- 15.33%
- English as an additional language
- 62.9%
- Overall absence
- 6.29%
- Persistent absence
- 17.73%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Cranbrook Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Ilford
-
Aldersbrook Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · London
-
Christchurch Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Ilford
-
Redbridge Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Ilford
-
Sheringham Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · London
Other schools in Ilford
Highlands Primary School ranks 5th of the 33 ranked primary schools in Ilford.
- Al-Noor Voluntary Aided Muslim Primary School Primary
- Aldborough Primary School Primary
- Christchurch Primary School Primary
- Cleveland Road Primary School Primary
- Clore Tikva School Primary
- Cranbrook Primary School Primary
- Downshall Primary School Primary
- Fairlop Primary School Primary
- Farnham Green Primary School Primary
- Fullwood Primary School Primary
- Gearies Primary School Primary
- Gilbert Colvin Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Highlands Primary School teach?
- Highlands Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Ilford.
- Who is the headteacher of Highlands Primary School?
- The headteacher of Highlands Primary School is Dr Kulvarn Atwal, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Highlands Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Highlands 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 big is Highlands Primary School?
- Highlands Primary School has 676 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Highlands Primary School full?
- Highlands Primary School has capacity for 630 pupils and 676 on roll (107%), 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 Highlands Primary School a faith school?
- No. Highlands Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Highlands Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Highlands Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Highlands Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 71% in 2022/23 and 87% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Highlands Primary School rank locally?
- Highlands Primary School ranked 11th of 53 primary schools in Redbridge for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 35% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Highlands Primary School's absence rate?
- Highlands Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Highlands Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Highlands 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 30 June 2026.