Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre

Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre has maintained its status as a good school, emphasizing high expectations for both behavior and academic achievement. Pupils demonstrate politeness and respect, actively contributing to a positive school culture. The school excels in fostering pupils' character development and provides an impressive array of opportunities for broader learning experiences. The curriculum is ambitious and caters to diverse student needs, ensuring that even those with special educational needs and disabilities are adequately supported. However, the school's leadership acknowledges that there are areas, particularly the achievement of disadvantaged pupils, which require focused improvement.

Strengths

• High expectations for pupil behaviour and academic achievement.
• Pupils contribute enthusiastically to each other's well-being.
• Strong support for weaker readers, enhancing their confidence.
• Effective character development through meaningful roles and activities.
• High levels of staff expertise and commitment are evident.
• School's work for pupils' wider development is highly effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent support for disadvantaged pupils affects their overall achievement.
• Pedagogical choices do not always deepen pupils' learning sufficiently.

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 Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre attended 91.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 21.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 5.0% of pupils at Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre had 16.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 12.7% of pupils at Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 3 pupils.

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2023–24 Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre received £7,119 and spent £7,114 for each of its 1,562 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £3,291,000 (£2,107 per pupil).

Across all 42 schools of Glf Schools, income was £7,152 and spending £7,021 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Reading · Reading local authority: places and applications

Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre is part of Glf Schools, which runs 43 schools. The nearest others:

• Wheatfield Primary School and Nursery Winnersh
• Windmill Primary School and Nursery Wokingham
• Floreat Montague Park Primary School and Nursery Wokingham
• Frogmore Junior School Camberley
• Lorraine Infant School & Nursery Camberley
• Cordwalles Junior School Camberley
• Pine Ridge Infant School & Nursery Camberley
• Manor Primary School Didcot
• Aureus Primary School Didcot
• Aureus School Didcot

What is Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre last inspected by Ofsted?

Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre have?

Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre has 1,537 pupils on roll.

What age range does Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre cover?

Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 54.9, and 64% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre?

Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre is at Surley Row, Emmer Green, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8LR.