SchoolFacts.uk

Downs Infant School

Primary · Brighton · BN1 6JA

Data updated

⇄ Compare with another school
Good

SchoolFacts estimate: Ofsted awarded no overall grade at this inspection

We show the lowest of the four areas Ofsted did judge, listed below. Why some schools have no overall grade →

Quality of education: GoodBehaviour & attitudes: GoodPersonal development: GoodLeadership & management: GoodSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 24 September 2024

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

289 pupils · 96% of 300 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Community school
Age range
5–7
Gender
Mixed
Free school meals
11.8% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
10.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
5.3% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
4.7% of pupils (2024/2025)
Website
https://www.downsinf.brighton-hove.sch.uk/
URN
114367

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 80 families named it first for 90 Reception places, 0.89 first choices per place. Its last Reception place offered on distance for 2026 entry went to 1888.26 m (≈1.17 mi); distance decided places in 2 of the 4 years of Reception rounds we hold, 2022 to 2026. At its inspection on 24 September 2024 Ofsted awarded no overall grade; the lowest of the four areas it judged was Good. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 4.6% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Reception entry, September 2026

0.89 first-choice applications per place

90 places offered · 80 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Places by distance, last offered at 1888.26 m (≈1.17 mi) for 2026 entry.

Admissions cutoff distance: Reception

Last child offered a place under the distance criterion (2026 entry) lived within 1888.26 m (≈1.17 mi)

measured by shortest walking route.

Would you have got in? Check your postcode

One free check a month, no account needed: your postcode against this school's cutoff history. Premium adds unlimited checks, the nearby schools you would be inside, and the address check across every school at once.

Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →

Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 70% (Brighton and Hove 66%, England 60%) · Any other White background 10% (Brighton and Hove 9%, England 7%) · Mixed White and Asian 6% (Brighton and Hove 3%, England 2%) · Any other Mixed background 3% (Brighton and Hove 4%, England 3%) · Asian Indian 2% (Brighton and Hove 2%, England 4%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 2% (Brighton and Hove 2%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Black African 2% (Brighton and Hove 2%, England 1%) · Any other ethnic group 1% (Brighton and Hove 4%, England 3%) · Asian Bangladeshi 1% (Brighton and Hove 1%, England 2%) · Black African 1% (Brighton and Hove 3%, England 5%) · White Irish 1% (Brighton and Hove 1%, England 0%) · other groups together 1%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
4.6%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
9.6%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

6.83 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, primary schools: 2.47 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Brighton and Hove: 2.91 suspensions and 0.00 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

Suspensions and exclusions, last three years Premium

Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.

Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →

Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
22.2
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

93% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 7% moved to another state school

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, council-maintained primaries: 0.18% vacant, 0.36% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

81.3% of teachers took sickness absence, 5.3 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £50,927; 11.8% on the leadership pay range · England, primary schools: £50,856, 17.3%

Vacancies, sickness and pay, last three years Premium

Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.

Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →

Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2025-26)

This school£7,612
Typical primary school£7,202

Where the money went (2025-26)

Share of spending, with the median for primary schools in brackets: Staff 84% (76%) · premises 5% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 5% (8%) · supplies and services 7% (9%) · educational supplies 3% (4%) · bought-in professional services 3% (3%) · catering 1% (5%)

Reserves (2025-26)

Revenue reserve £72,673; in-year balance -£22,651

Spending and reserves, last three years Premium

Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.

Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →

Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: council-maintained school finance return, 2025-26, DfE · how spending is compared

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
4/10more deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
2/10among the most deprived fifth of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher32.3%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications20.4%18.1%
In managerial or professional work25.6%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways32.6%18.1%
Residents in very good health43.8%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier35.9%62.3%
Social housing39.5%17.1%
Privately rented23.6%20.5%
Detached houses2%22.9%
Flats55.1%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms10.6%21.1%
Households with no car or van46.2%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01016905 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£410,0001,218 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£272,500–£565,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (17)£675,000
Semi-detached (72)£650,000
Terraced (543)£540,000
Flat (586)£275,000

Homes around this school are dearer than three quarters of school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
1an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
14an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
37an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
11an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools