The Downley School
Faulkner Way, Downley, High Wycombe, HP13 5AL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- OXFORD DIOCESAN BUCKS SCHOOLS TRUST
- Headteacher
- Ms Leanne Dandridge
- Sponsor
- Oxford Diocesan Bucks Schools Trust
- Constituency
- Wycombe
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 350
- URN
- 149485
- Local authority
- Buckinghamshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01494527033
About this school
The Downley School is a primary academy in High Wycombe. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 350 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Downley School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
- Inadequate
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Requires improvement
- Personal development
- Requires improvement
- Leadership and management
- Inadequate
- Early years
- Inadequate
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Ofsted placed the school in a category of concern: special measures.
This inspection took place when the school was registered as The Downley School (URN 131908).
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 59 | 55 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 51% | 71% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 11% |
| Expected standard in reading | 80% | 93% |
| Expected standard in maths | 78% | 93% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 68% | 91% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 109.0 |
Trends over time
How The Downley 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 | Buckinghamshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 59.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 51% | 61.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 71% | 63.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 388 |
| 2024/25 | 380 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Downley School compares
The Downley School ranked 58th of 142 primary schools in Buckinghamshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 71% | 4.3% | 11.3% | 350 | — |
| Millbrook Combined School | 42% | 8.1% | 30.4% | 628 | 0.8 miles |
| The Disraeli School | 51% | 5.5% | 23.3% | 652 | 0.9 miles |
| West Wycombe School | 68% | 8.4% | 28.6% | 154 | 1.1 miles |
| Oakridge School | 64% | 7.1% | 31.3% | 452 | 1.3 miles |
| Hughenden Primary School | 64% | 6% | 16.3% | 201 | 1.6 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)
- 11.32%
- English as an additional language
- 21.3%
- Overall absence
- 4.33%
- Persistent absence
- 8.86%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Millbrook Combined School0.8 miles
Primary · High Wycombe
-
The Disraeli School0.9 miles
Primary · High Wycombe
-
West Wycombe School1.1 miles
Primary · High Wycombe
-
Oakridge School1.3 miles
Primary · High Wycombe
-
Hughenden Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · High Wycombe
Other schools in High Wycombe
The Downley School ranks 11th of the 36 ranked primary schools in High Wycombe.
- Abbey View Primary Academy Primary
- Ash Hill Primary School Primary
- Ash Hill Primary School Primary
- Beechview Academy Primary
- Bledlow Ridge School Primary
- Booker Hill Primary School & Nursery Primary
- Cadmore End CofE School Primary
- Carrington Infant School Primary
- Carrington Junior School Primary
- Castlefield School Primary
- Cedar Park School & Nursery Primary
- Chepping View Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does The Downley School teach?
- The Downley School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in High Wycombe.
- Who is the headteacher of The Downley School?
- The headteacher of The Downley School is Ms Leanne Dandridge, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Downley School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Downley 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 The Downley School?
- The Downley School has 350 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is The Downley School full?
- The Downley School has capacity for 420 pupils and 350 on roll (83%), 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 The Downley School a faith school?
- No. The Downley School has no designated religious character.
- Does The Downley School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records The Downley School as having no nursery classes.
- Is The Downley School part of an academy trust?
- The Downley School is part of OXFORD DIOCESAN BUCKS SCHOOLS TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Downley School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 51% in 2023/24 and 71% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Downley School compare with other schools in Buckinghamshire?
- The Downley School ranked 58th of 142 primary schools in Buckinghamshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Downley School's absence rate?
- The Downley School's overall absence rate is 4.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Downley School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Downley 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 10 July 2026.