High Down Junior School
Down Road, Portishead, Bristol, BS20 6DY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 7 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- LIGHTHOUSE SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
- Headteacher
- Mrs Abi Oldfield
- Sponsor
- Lighthouse Schools Partnership
- Constituency
- North Somerset
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 330
- Pupils on roll
- 328
- URN
- 143286
- Local authority
- North Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01275843969
About this school
High Down Junior School is a primary academy in Bristol. It teaches children aged 7 to 11 and has 328 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected High Down Junior 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 6 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 | 89 | 88 | 78 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 72% | 75% | 72% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 13% | 17% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 81% | 85% | 82% |
| Expected standard in maths | 84% | 83% | 86% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | 83% | 87% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.20 | - | - |
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 High Down Junior 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 | North Somerset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 72% | 59.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 75% | 59.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 72% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 342 |
| 2023/24 | 342 |
| 2024/25 | 341 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How High Down Junior School compares
High Down Junior School ranked 16th of 57 primary schools in North Somerset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 72% | 4.5% | 11.1% | 328 | — |
| High Down Infant School | — | 3.3% | 4.3% | 198 | 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 | 1.0 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)
- 11.14%
- English as an additional language
- 5%
- Overall absence
- 4.46%
- Persistent absence
- 8.41%
Location
Nearby schools
-
High Down Infant School0.0 miles
Primary · Portishead
-
St Peter's Church of England Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Portishead
-
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Portishead
-
Portishead Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Portishead
-
Trinity Anglican-Methodist Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Bristol
Other schools in Bristol
High Down Junior School ranks 46th of the 198 ranked primary schools in Bristol.
- Abbotswood Primary School Primary
- Air Balloon Hill Primary School Primary
- Ashley Down Primary School Primary
- Ashton Gate Primary School Primary
- Ashton Vale Primary School Primary
- Avanti Gardens School Primary
- Avonmouth Church of England Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Backwell Church of England Junior School Primary
- Badocks Wood E-ACT Academy Primary
- Bailey's Court Primary School Primary
- Barley Close Community Primary School Primary
- Barrs Court Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does High Down Junior School teach?
- High Down Junior School teaches children aged 7 to 11. It is a primary school in Bristol.
- Who is the headteacher of High Down Junior School?
- The headteacher of High Down Junior School is Mrs Abi Oldfield, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has High Down Junior School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected High Down Junior 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 High Down Junior School?
- High Down Junior School has 328 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 7 to 11.
- Is High Down Junior School full?
- High Down Junior School has capacity for 330 pupils and 328 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. 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 Junior School a faith school?
- No. High Down Junior School has no designated religious character.
- Does High Down Junior School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records High Down Junior School as having no nursery classes.
- Is High Down Junior School part of an academy trust?
- High Down Junior 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.
- How have High Down Junior School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 72% in 2022/23 and 72% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does High Down Junior School compare with other schools in North Somerset?
- High Down Junior School ranked 16th of 57 primary schools in North Somerset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is High Down Junior School's absence rate?
- High Down Junior School's overall absence rate is 4.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are High Down Junior School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, High Down Junior 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 2 July 2026.