High Down Infant School
Down Road, Portishead, BS20 6DY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- LIGHTHOUSE SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
- Headteacher
- Mrs Abi Oldfield
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Lighthouse Schools Partnership
- Constituency
- North Somerset
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 270
- Pupils on roll
- 198
- URN
- 143284
- Local authority
- North Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01275843969
About this school
High Down Infant School is a primary academy in Portishead. It teaches children aged 3 to 7 and has 198 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How High Down Infant 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 280 |
| 2023/24 | 252 |
| 2024/25 | 214 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How High Down Infant School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 95% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 3.3% | 4.3% | 198 | — |
| High Down Junior School | 72% | 4.5% | 11.1% | 328 | 0.0 miles |
| St Peter's Church of England Primary School | 79% | 3.8% | 5.8% | 601 | 0.9 miles |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School | — | 4.8% | 10.1% | 213 | 1.1 miles |
| Portishead Primary School | 68% | 4.6% | 7.4% | 370 | 1.2 miles |
| Trinity Anglican-Methodist Primary School | 64% | 3.6% | 9% | 413 | 1.5 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)
- 4.32%
- English as an additional language
- 6.1%
- Overall absence
- 3.3%
- Persistent absence
- 5.34%
Location
Nearby schools
-
High Down Junior School0.0 miles
Primary · Bristol
-
St Peter's Church of England Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Portishead
-
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Portishead
-
Portishead Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Portishead
-
Trinity Anglican-Methodist Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Bristol
Other schools in Portishead
- Portishead Primary School Primary
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Primary
- St Peter's Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does High Down Infant School teach?
- High Down Infant School teaches children aged 3 to 7. It is a primary school in Portishead.
- Who is the headteacher of High Down Infant School?
- The headteacher of High Down Infant School is Mrs Abi Oldfield, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was High Down Infant School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected High Down Infant 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 High Down Infant School?
- High Down Infant School has 198 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 7.
- Is High Down Infant School full?
- High Down Infant School has capacity for 270 pupils and 198 on roll (73%), so it has space against 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 High Down Infant School a faith school?
- No. High Down Infant School has no designated religious character.
- Does High Down Infant School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records High Down Infant School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs High Down Infant School?
- High Down Infant School is part of LIGHTHOUSE SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is High Down Infant School's absence rate?
- High Down Infant School's overall absence rate is 3.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does High Down Infant School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for High Down Infant School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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 2 July 2026.