Hightown Primary School

Southampton · SO19 6AA

General information Primary School · 2-11 years Who goes here 229 pupils, 69.7% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 15.7% on SEN support Behaviour 8.0% absence rate Staff 26.8% turnover Financials £6,801 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Hightown Primary School

General Information

Address: Tunstall Road, Thornhill, Southampton, SO19 6AA – View on map
Phone: 02380403536
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr James Williamson
Age range: 2-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 30 families put it first for 28 places – 11 for every 10 places. 87% of them were offered a place. 1 of the 28 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 11
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

229 pupils out of 240 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 152
% eligible for free school meals: 69.7%
Pupil mix: 5 in 10 (less mixed than the Southampton average)
English as an additional language: 16% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 26.8% a year (Southampton 18.8%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 48% moved to another school, 52% 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.

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 Southampton: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 4 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 1 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 0 (0.0 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 Southampton, 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: 8.0%
Persistently absent pupils: 22.9%
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: 15.7%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.1%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Autistic spectrum disorder: 14 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 8 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 7 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 2 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 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 –

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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 2023 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.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 21% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 0% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 38 percentage points below the Southampton average (59%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (3-year average 28% against an expected 52%)
3-year average (expected standard): 28%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 43% · Writing 54% · Maths 21% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 25%
Average test scores: reading 99, maths 94
Based on: 28 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolSouthampton averageEngland↘ Falling Down 18 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 38 percentage points below the Southampton average (59%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 42nd of 44 junior and primary schools in the area

#40Moorlands Primary School38%
#41Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School25%
=42Hightown Primary School21%
=42Thornhill Primary School21%
#44Mason Moor Primary School, Nursery & Specialist Bases19%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Springhill Catholic Primary School95%
#2Portswood Primary School87%
#3Mansel Park Primary & Nursery School - Part of the Learning Federation Partnership of Schools83%
#4St Patrick's Catholic Primary School82%
#5Sinclair Primary and Nursery School - Part of the Learning Federation Partnership of Schools81%
=6Highfield Church of England Primary School78%
=6Holy Family Catholic Primary School - Part of the Learning Federation Partnership of Schools78%
#8Fairisle Junior School76%
#9Tanners Brook Primary School74%
#10Bitterne Park Primary & Nursery School - Part of the Learning Federation Partnership of Schools69%
#11Hollybrook Junior School68%
=12Banister Primary School67%
=12Kanes Hill Primary School67%
=12Redbridge Primary School67%
=15Beechwood Junior School66%
=15Ludlow Junior School66%
=15Swaythling Primary School66%
#18St Mark's Church of England School63%
=19Hope Community School Southampton62%
=19Weston Park Primary School62%
#21Harefield Primary School59%
=22Bassett Green Primary School58%
=22Mansbridge Primary School58%
#24Freemantle Church of England Community Academy57%
=25Newlands Primary School56%
=25St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery56%
#27Wordsworth Primary and Nursery School54%
=28Bevois Town Primary School53%
=28Sholing Junior School53%
=30Foundry Lane Primary School48%
=30Oakwood Primary School48%
=30Shirley Junior School48%
=33Bitterne Church of England Primary School47%
=33Bitterne Manor Primary and Nursery School47%
=33Mount Pleasant Juniors47%
=33St Monica Primary School47%
=37St Denys Primary School41%
=37Valentine Primary School & Nursery41%
#39St John's Primary and Nursery School40%
#40Moorlands Primary School38%
#41Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School25%
=42Hightown Primary School21%
=42Thornhill Primary School21%
#44Mason Moor Primary School, Nursery & Specialist Bases19%

View full Ofsted inspection report

9th of 22 primary schools in Southampton for Ofsted rating

#7Freemantle Church of England Community AcademyGood
#8Highfield Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#9Hightown Primary SchoolGood
#10Kanes Hill Primary SchoolGood
#11Mansbridge Primary 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

#1Holy Family Catholic Primary School - Part of the Learning Federation Partnership of SchoolsOutstanding
#2Springhill Catholic Primary SchoolOutstanding
#3St Mary's Church of England Primary School & NurseryOutstanding
#4Banister Primary SchoolGood
#5Bevois Town Primary SchoolGood
#6Bitterne Manor Primary and Nursery SchoolGood
#7Freemantle Church of England Community AcademyGood
#8Highfield Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#9Hightown Primary SchoolGood
#10Kanes Hill Primary SchoolGood
#11Mansbridge Primary SchoolGood
#12Mansel Park Primary & Nursery School - Part of the Learning Federation Partnership of SchoolsGood
#13Newlands Primary SchoolGood
#14Redbridge Primary SchoolGood
#15Sinclair Primary and Nursery School - Part of the Learning Federation Partnership of SchoolsGood
#16St Denys Primary SchoolGood
#17St Patrick's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#18Swaythling Primary SchoolGood
#19Tanners Brook Primary SchoolGood
#20Weston Park Primary SchoolGood
#21Foundry Lane Primary SchoolRequires improvement
#22Harefield Primary SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,801 (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.

21st of 36 primary schools in Southampton for spending per pupil

#19St John's Primary and Nursery School£6,820
#20Sinclair Primary and Nursery School - Part of the Learning Federation Partnership of Schools£6,802
#21Hightown Primary School£6,801
#22Foundry Lane Primary School£6,800
#23Oakwood Primary School£6,747

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

#1Mason Moor Primary School, Nursery & Specialist Bases£9,996
#2Hope Community School Southampton£8,523
#3Valentine Primary School & Nursery£8,449
#4Mansel Park Primary & Nursery School - Part of the Learning Federation Partnership of Schools£8,373
#5Holy Family Catholic Primary School - Part of the Learning Federation Partnership of Schools£8,283
#6Mansbridge Primary School£7,940
#7Thornhill Primary School£7,871
#8Redbridge Primary School£7,706
#9St Denys Primary School£7,631
#10Swaythling Primary School£7,587
#11Bevois Town Primary School£7,428
#12Newlands Primary School£7,285
#13Bitterne Manor Primary and Nursery School£7,069
#14Moorlands Primary School£7,068
#15Bassett Green Primary School£7,032
#16Springhill Catholic Primary School£6,997
#17Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School£6,975
#18Kanes Hill Primary School£6,869
#19St John's Primary and Nursery School£6,820
#20Sinclair Primary and Nursery School - Part of the Learning Federation Partnership of Schools£6,802
#21Hightown Primary School£6,801
#22Foundry Lane Primary School£6,800
#23Oakwood Primary School£6,747
#24Harefield Primary School£6,644
#25St Patrick's Catholic Primary School£6,590
#26Banister Primary School£6,497
#27St Mary's Church of England Primary School & Nursery£6,458
#28Weston Park Primary School£6,405
#29Wordsworth Primary and Nursery School£6,393
#30St Monica Primary School£6,369
#31Freemantle Church of England Community Academy£6,260
#32Tanners Brook Primary School£6,236
#33Highfield Church of England Primary School£6,221
#34Bitterne Church of England Primary School£6,219
#35Portswood Primary School£6,108
#36Bitterne Park Primary & Nursery School - Part of the Learning Federation Partnership of Schools£5,803

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

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