Downe Primary School

Downe Primary School is a small, inclusive primary within The Pioneer Academy trust, with a specially resourced provision for pupils with autism spectrum disorder. This full inspection found the school performing at a strong standard across all evaluated areas, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils achieve highly in national tests and across the wider curriculum, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, and they make sustained progress from varied starting points. Behaviour is exemplary, attendance has improved notably, and the curriculum is broad, ambitious and coherently sequenced from early years to Year 6.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve consistently highly in national tests and across the wider curriculum.
• Disadvantaged pupils attain strongly, matching or exceeding their peers.
• Pupils with SEND make sustained and strong progress from varied starting points.
• Teachers build precise foundational knowledge and adapt teaching sharply.
• Attendance has improved notably, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.
• Behaviour is exemplary, with respectful and resilient attitudes to learning.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and coherently sequenced.
• Phonics teaching is consistently strong and develops confident readers.
• Early years provision is language-rich, purposeful and inclusive.
• Inclusive SEND support and adaptive teaching remove barriers to learning.
• The specially resourced provision helps pupils with autism to thrive.
• Leadership, governance and trust support are highly effective.
• Personal development, character and wellbeing are excellent.
• Pupils feel safe and valued, and bullying is rare and addressed swiftly.
• Parents speak highly of leadership, teaching, communication and inclusion.

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 Downe Primary School attended 93.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 23.0% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Downe Primary 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 Downe Primary School had 13.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 27.1% 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, 22.4% of pupils at Downe Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 18.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 8 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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Downe Primary School received £12,597 and spent £12,067 for each of its 66 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £27,000 (£411 per pupil).

Across all 22 schools of The Pioneer Academy, income was £7,355 and spending £7,206 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 Bromley · Bromley local authority: places and applications

Downe Primary School is part of The Pioneer Academy, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:

• Halstead Community Primary School Sevenoaks
• Southborough Primary School Bromley
• Shoreham Village School Sevenoaks
• Red Hill Primary School Chislehurst
• Stewart Fleming Primary School London
• South Norwood Primary London
• Burnt Oak Junior School Sidcup
• Broadmead Primary School Croydon
• The Crescent Primary School Croydon
• Holland Junior School Oxted

What is Downe Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Downe Primary School is Strong standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Downe Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Downe Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Downe Primary School have?

Downe Primary School has 85 pupils on roll.

What age range does Downe Primary School cover?

Downe Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

Where is Downe Primary School?

Downe Primary School is at High Elms Road, Downe, High Elms Road, Orpington, Kent, BR6 7JN.