Downs Barn School

Milton Keynes · MK14 7NA

General information Infant School · 2-7 years Who goes here 96 pupils, 27.3% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 11.5% on SEN support Behaviour 7.2% absence rate Staff 11.8% turnover Financials £8,153 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Downs Barn School

General Information

Address: 69 Downs Barns Boulevard, Downs Barn, Milton Keynes, MK14 7NA – View on map
Phone: 01908604430
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Kate Mathews
Age range: 2-7 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 27 families put it first for 28 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

96 pupils out of 90 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 21
% eligible for free school meals: 27.3%
Pupil mix: 9 in 10 (more mixed than the Milton Keynes average)
English as an additional language: 71% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 11.8% a year (Milton Keynes 16.2%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 100% moved to another school, 0% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Milton Keynes: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 4 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 10 (0.4 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 5 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Milton Keynes, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 7.2%
Persistently absent pupils: 29.6%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 11.5%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 0.0%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 9 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 1 pupil
Other difficulty or disability: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

View full Ofsted inspection report

5th of 22 infant schools in Milton Keynes for Ofsted rating

#3Russell Street SchoolOutstanding
#4Ashbrook SchoolGood
#5Downs Barn SchoolGood
#6Germander Park SchoolGood
#7Greenleys First SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Newton Blossomville Church of England SchoolOutstanding
#2Olney Infant AcademyOutstanding
#3Russell Street SchoolOutstanding
#4Ashbrook SchoolGood
#5Downs Barn SchoolGood
#6Germander Park SchoolGood
#7Greenleys First SchoolGood
#8Heelands SchoolGood
#9Heronshaw SchoolGood
#10Heronshill School and NurseryGood
#11Holmwood SchoolGood
#12Howe Park SchoolGood
#13Loughton Manor First SchoolGood
#14Merebrook Infant SchoolGood
#15North Crawley CofE SchoolGood
#16Oldbrook First School and NurseryGood
#17Pepper Hill SchoolGood
#18Priory Common SchoolGood
#19Shepherdswell AcademyGood
#20Sherington Church of England SchoolGood
#21The Willows School and Early Years CentreGood
#22Wyvern SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £8,153 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

15th of 26 infant schools in Milton Keynes for spending per pupil

#13Shepherdswell Academy£8,447
#14Glastonbury Thorn School£8,420
#15Downs Barn School£8,153
#16Heronshill School and Nursery£7,308
#17Russell Street School£7,199

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Newton Blossomville Church of England School£22,809
#2Stoke Goldington Church of England School£21,017
#3Sherington Church of England School£17,172
#4North Crawley CofE School£17,013
#5Wood End Infant & Pre-School£15,720
#6Castlethorpe First School£12,506
#7Priory Common School£11,597
#8Heelands School£9,631
#9Germander Park School£9,552
#10Howe Park School£9,333
#11Greenleys First School£8,593
#12The Willows School and Early Years Centre£8,491
#13Shepherdswell Academy£8,447
#14Glastonbury Thorn School£8,420
#15Downs Barn School£8,153
#16Heronshill School and Nursery£7,308
#17Russell Street School£7,199
#18Loughton Manor First School£6,908
#19Pepper Hill School£6,837
#20Oldbrook First School and Nursery£6,574
#21Wyvern School£6,532
#22Holmwood School£6,505
#23Heronshaw School£6,429
#24Olney Infant Academy£6,037
#25Ashbrook School£5,823
#26Merebrook Infant School£5,393

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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