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Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre[1]

Secondary · ages 11–18

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Headline results

Attainment 8
A8 55 54.9 2025/26[2]
A-level average grade
AL C+ C+ 2024/25[3]

Results

GCSE (key stage 4)

Attainment 8
54.9 2025/26[2]
Grade 5+ in English & maths
64.4% 2025/26[2]
Grade 7+ in English & maths
30.8% 2025/26[2]
Progress 8
+0.25 2023/24[4]
Progress 8, 2025/26
Not calculated[5]
Progress 8, 2024/25
Not calculated[5]
Earlier years
Year Attainment 8 Grade 5+ in English & maths Grade 7+ in English & maths Progress 8
2024/25 50.4[6] 57.3%[6]
2023/24 53.5[4] 61%[4] +0.25[4]
2022/23 53.4[7] 57%[7] +0.07[7]
2021/22 51.9[8] 55%[8] -0.18[8]

A level (16–18)

A-level average grade
C+ 2024/25[3]
AAB or better, at least two in facilitating subjects
16.8% 2024/25[3]
All results, 2020/21
Not published (exams cancelled, COVID-19)[9]
All results, 2019/20
Not published (exams cancelled, COVID-19)[9]
Earlier years
Year A-level average grade AAB or better, at least two in facilitating subjects
2023/24 C+[10] 12.1%[10]
2022/23 C[11] 8.1%[11]
2021/22 B-[12] 21%[12]
2018/19 B-[13] 20.4%[13]

Destinations after GCSEs

Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment
98% 2022/23[14]
School sixth form
53% 2022/23[14]
Sixth-form college
21% 2022/23[14]
Further education college
18% 2022/23[14]
Apprenticeship
2% 2022/23[14]
Employment
2% 2022/23[14]
Earlier leavers
Left in Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment School sixth form Sixth-form college Further education college Apprenticeship Employment
2021/22 95%[15] 52%[15] 16%[15] 20%[15] 1%[15] 5%[15]
2020/21 93%[16] 53%[16] 16%[16] 17%[16] 3%[16] 4%[16]
2019/20 96%[17] 62%[17] 12%[17] 16%[17] 2%[17] 2%[17]
2018/19 97%[18] 49%[18] 14%[18] 25%[18] 3%[18] 5%[18]

Destinations after 16–18 study

Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment
87% 2022/23[19]
Education
47% 2022/23[19]
Apprenticeship
3% 2022/23[19]
Employment
36% 2022/23[19]
Earlier leavers
Left in Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment Education Apprenticeship Employment
2021/22 90%[20] 67%[20] 3%[20] 20%[20]
2020/21 87%[21] 63%[21] 6%[21] 19%[21]
2019/20 89%[22] 61%[22] 6%[22] 22%[22]
2018/19 94%[23] 71%[23] 4%[23] 20%[23]

Higher education after 16–18 study

Progressed to higher education
79% 2021/22[24]
Top third of most selective universities
28% 2021/22[24]
Russell Group universities
31% 2019/20[25]
Oxford or Cambridge
1% 2019/20[25]
Earlier leavers
Left in Progressed to higher education Top third of most selective universities Russell Group universities Oxford or Cambridge
2020/21 72%[26] 36%[26]
2019/20 80%[25] 32%[25] 31%[25] 1%[25]
2018/19 83%[27] 28%[27] 31%[27] 3%[27]
2017/18 76%[28] 33%[28] 29%[28] 1%[28]

Shares of the pupils who left in the year shown. Russell Group and Oxford or Cambridge figures were published for leavers up to 2019/20 only.

Ofsted

Latest inspection
26 Mar 2024[29]
Type
Section 8 inspection of good and outstanding schools[29]
Report published
14 May 2024[29]
Safeguarding is effective
Yes[29]
Outcomes for ungraded and monitoring inspections
School remains Good[29]
Earlier inspections
InspectionTypeOverall
2 Oct 2018[30] Maintained Academy and School Short inspection[30] No overall grade[30]

Competition to get in

Applications and offers, Year 7

Applications per place
2.0 Entry Sept 2026[31]
Applications (any preference)
479 Entry Sept 2026[31]
First preferences
191 Entry Sept 2026[31]
Places offered
243 Entry Sept 2026[31]
First preferences per place
0.8 Entry Sept 2026[31]
Earlier years
Entry Applications First preferences Places offered Per place First preferences per place
Entry Sept 2025 402[31] 182[31] 245[31] 1.6[31] 0.7[31]
Entry Sept 2024 500[31] 211[31] 243[31] 2.1[31] 0.9[31]
Entry Sept 2023 507[31] 227[31] 250[31] 2.0[31] 0.9[31]
Entry Sept 2022 513[31] 271[31] 246[31] 2.1[31] 1.1[31]

Admissions

Application deadline
31 Oct 2026 Entry Sept 2027[32]

Character & practicalities

Type
Academy converter[1]
Ages
11–18[1]
Boys / girls
Mixed[1]
Admissions
Non-selective[1]
Sixth form
Yes[1]
Boarding
No boarders[1]
Capacity
1440[1]
Trust
GLF SCHOOLS[1]
Local authority
Reading[1]
Website
http://www.highdown.reading.sch.uk[1]
District
Reading[33]
Postcode
RG4 8LR[1]
URN
136307[1]

School details as recorded in Get Information About Schools on 14 Oct 2026.

Pupils

Number on roll
1545 2024/25[34]
English as an additional language
16.1% 2024/25[34]
SEN support
11.6% 2024/25[34]
EHC plan
1.7% 2024/25[34]
Free school meals in the last 6 years
11.1% 2024/25[34]

Pupils' ethnicity 2025/26

White
67.8%[35]
Mixed
9%[35]
Asian
13.1%[35]
Black
4.6%[35]
Any other ethnic group
1.2%[35]
Unclassified
4.2%[35]

The school census's major ethnic groups as shares of the school's pupils, summed by us from the published counts. For information only: never used to rank, filter or colour schools.

Sources

  1. Department for Education: Get Information About Schools: all establishments. Period 2026-10-14, published 2026-10-14. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  2. Department for Education: Performance tables schools data (explore education statistics). Period 2025/26, provisional, published 2026-10-15. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  3. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  4. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2023/24, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  5. Department for Education: Key stage 4 performance 2024/25: data guidance. Period 2024/25. Archived copy; original. Licence: OGL-3.0.
    Quote
    It is not possible to calculate Progress 8 for academic years 2024/25 and 2025/26 due to gaps in the baseline caused by COVID-19 disruption.
  6. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  7. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  8. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  9. Department for Education: A level and other 16 to 18 results 2020/21. Period 2020/21. Archived copy; original. Licence: OGL-3.0.
    Quote
    Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021, and alternative processes were set up to award grades.
  10. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2023/24, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  11. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  12. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  13. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  14. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  15. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  16. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2020/21, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  17. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2019/20, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  18. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  19. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  20. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  21. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2020/21, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  22. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2019/20, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  23. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  24. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  25. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2019/20, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  26. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2020/21, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  27. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  28. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2017/18, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  29. Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2023/24. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  30. Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2018/19. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  31. Department for Education: Primary and secondary school applications and offers: school level. Period Entry Sept 2026, final, published 2026-06-29. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  32. highdown.reading.sch.uk: highdown.reading.sch.uk document (PDF). Period 2026-10-16. Licence: copyright-quoted.
    Quote
    1.4 In line with the co -ordinated admission arrangements of Reading Schools Admission Team applications received after the published deadline (31 October 2026) will be treated as a 'late' application and be considered after the on-time applications have been allocated. (p. 2)
  33. Office for National Statistics: Parish to Ward to Local Authority District (May 2026) Lookup in EW. Period 2026-05-01. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  34. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: School census. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  35. Department for Education: Schools, pupils and their characteristics: school level underlying data. Period 2025/26, published 2026-06-04. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.