Downside Primary School

General Information

Address: Chaul End Lane, Luton, LU4 8EZ
Phone: 01582587160
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Miss K Hooker
Age range: 4-11 years
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Number of pupils: 1015
School capacity: 1050
Pupils eligible for free school meals: 206
% eligible for free school meals: 20.5%
Nursery provision: No

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.

Behaviour information for this school has not been added yet.

Attendance

Overall absence: 5.6%
Persistently absent pupils: 12.4%
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

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.

SEN provision information for this school has not been added yet.

Pupils on SEN Support: 11.8%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 5.2%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 71 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 18 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 12 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 8 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 7 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 24 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 18 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 4 pupils
Severe learning difficulty: 2 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 2 pupils

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 –

Behaviour

–

Openness

–

Teaching Quality

–

School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

–

Would recommend –

Give this school your first review

Educational Attainment

No overall grade given 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted stopped giving single overall grades for a period between September 2024 and November 2025 - this school's most recent inspection falls in that window, so there's no single rating to show, even though it was inspected. The full report (linked below) still has the detail.

Educational attainment data for this school has not been added yet.

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Financial summary information for this school has not been added yet.

Spending per pupil: £6,667 (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.

Ranked #15 of 31 Spending Per Pupil schools of this type in the area

#13Foxdell Primary School£6,683
#14Dallow Primary School£6,674
#15Downside Primary School£6,667
#16Beechwood Primary School£6,650
#17Parklea Primary School£6,493

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.

#1Cutenhoe Hill Primary School£9,869
#2Icknield Primary School£7,784
#3Chantry Primary Academy£7,537
#4Pirton Hill Primary School£7,521
#5Bramingham Primary School£7,423
#6Leagrave Primary School£7,421
#7Waulud Primary School£7,246
#8Whitefield Primary Academy£7,085
#9Maidenhall Primary School£6,925
#10Ramridge Primary School£6,870
#11St Matthew's Primary School£6,780
#12The Meads Primary School£6,762
#13Foxdell Primary School£6,683
#14Dallow Primary School£6,674
#15Downside Primary School£6,667
#16Beechwood Primary School£6,650
#17Parklea Primary School£6,493
#18Wigmore Primary£6,474
#19The Linden Academy£6,422
#20Denbigh Primary School£6,402
#21Bushmead Primary & Nursery School£6,384
#22Stopsley Community Primary School£6,227
#23Beech Hill Community Primary School£6,221
#24Norton Road Primary School£6,206
#25Southfield Primary Academy£6,171
#26Putteridge Primary School£5,968
#27St Martin De Porres Catholic Primary School£5,791
#28Tennyson Road Primary School£5,585
#29St Margaret of Scotland Catholic Primary School£5,565
#30River Bank Primary School£5,427
#31Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School£5,319

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