Downs Infant School

Downs Infant School is a warm, nurturing and highly inclusive infant school where children learn and play happily. Parents are unanimously positive, and pupils, including those with SEND, feel valued and welcomed; one parent described the school as a 'beacon of inclusivity'. Behaviour and personal development are strong, with a clear PSHE programme, high-quality play and a strong reading culture. The curriculum has been carefully developed, especially in early years, and staff feel well supported. Most pupils achieve well, but the school recognises that more needs to be done in some curriculum areas to ensure success for every child. The main concerns centre on early identification and support for pupils who fall behind. Children do not always get enough practice in spelling and handwriting, and the school is not always quick enough to identify younger children who are falling behind, affecting writing fluency and access to Year 1. Teachers do not consistently adapt the curriculum for pupils with SEND to secure the best academic outcomes, and some staff lack expertise in teaching early reading, which slows reading fluency for the weakest readers, including those with SEND. Some pupils also need repeated reminders about moving sensibly around the building between lessons. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. It has a relatively new substantive headteacher and chair of governors, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The governing body brings strong expertise, and staff feel well supported through professional development.

Strengths

• Warm, nurturing and inclusive school community
• Parents are unanimously positive about the school
• Pupils, including those with SEND, feel valued and welcomed
• High expectations for behaviour and pupils behave well in class
• Comprehensive PSHE curriculum that teaches pupils to regulate emotions
• Strong culture of reading across the school
• High-quality play opportunities from early years through key stage 1
• Curriculum carefully developed with young children's needs at heart
• Communication and language development is a top priority in Reception
• Pupils typically make strong progress once foundational knowledge is secured
• Effective support for staff through professional development
• Governing body has wide-ranging expertise and carries out its roles effectively
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Some staff lack expertise to support the weakest readers, including pupils with SEND
• Some pupils do not get enough practice in spelling and handwriting
• The school is not always quick enough to identify younger children falling behind
• Teachers do not consistently adapt the curriculum for pupils with SEND to secure the best academic outcomes
• Interventions are not consistently quick enough when pupils are not learning key foundational knowledge
• Some pupils find it harder to move around the building sensibly between lessons
• A small number of pupils have attended less well over time

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Downs Infant School attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 3.1% of pupils at Downs Infant School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Downs Infant School had 22.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 17.0% of pupils at Downs Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Downs Infant School received £7,534 and spent £7,612 for each of its 289 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £73,000 (£251 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Brighton · Brighton and Hove local authority: places and applications

What is Downs Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Downs Infant School is Good, from an inspection in October 2024.

When was Downs Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Downs Infant School was last inspected in October 2024.

How many pupils does Downs Infant School have?

Downs Infant School has 289 pupils on roll.

What age range does Downs Infant School cover?

Downs Infant School for pupils aged 5 to 7.

Where is Downs Infant School?

Downs Infant School is at Ditchling Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 6JA.