Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre is a secondary school in Reading, serving pupils aged 11 to 18. The school is a academy converter and operates as a mixed school. It follows a non-selective admissions policy. It has a none religious character. The school also offers a sixth form, allowing students to continue into post-16 education on site.
Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre currently has around 1545 pupils on roll, which is about 107% of its capacity. The gender split is relatively balanced, with approximately 54.7% boys and 45.3% girls. Around 10.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which gives an indication of the socio-economic mix. The student population reflects a mixed community across different backgrounds and needs.
Overall absence at the school is 8.3%. Persistent absence is recorded at 21.2%. The school also includes resourced provision, supporting 8 pupils.
The majority of pupils are from a white british background (61.9%).
At its latest Ofsted inspection, the school was rated Good. This suggests the school is performing well overall. Safeguarding was judged to be effective, which is a key consideration for many parents.
Around 97% of pupils move on to sustained destinations after Year 11. Most continue into education (88%) , including 53% who stay in school sixth forms and 16% progressing to further education , while 4% enter apprenticeships .
| Address: | Surley Row, Reading, RG4 8LR |
| Website: | http://www.highdown.reading.sch.uk |
| Telephone: | 01189015800 |
| School Type: | Academy converter |
| Education phase: | Secondary |
| Local authority: | Reading |
| Headteacher / Principal: | Ms Laura Mathews |
| Religious character: | None |
| Admissions policy: | Non-selective |
| Unique reference: | 136307 |
Ofsted inspection date: 30/04/2015
Safeguarding is effective
| Age Range: | 11 - 18 |
| Gender: | Mixed |
| School Capacity: | 1440 |
| Number of Pupils: | 1545 |
| Number of Boys: | 845 |
| Number of Girls: | 700 |
| School | England state-funded schools: | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall absence: | 8.3% | 4% |
| Persistent absence: | 21.2% | 8.2% |
| White British | 61.90% | 956 |
| Other White | 7.80% | 121 |
| Indian | 3.90% | 60 |
| Unclassified | 3.60% | 56 |
| Chinese | 3.40% | 52 |
| Other Asian | 3.40% | 52 |
| African | 3.30% | 51 |
| Other Mixed | 2.90% | 45 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 2.40% | 37 |
| White and Asian | 2.10% | 32 |
| Other (any other ethnic group) | 1.30% | 20 |
| Pakistani | 1.20% | 18 |
| Other Black | 0.80% | 12 |
| Bangladeshi | 0.60% | 10 |
| White and Black African | 0.60% | 9 |
| Irish | 0.50% | 7 |
| Caribbean | 0.40% | 6 |
| Gypsy/Roma | 0.10% | 1 |
| Irish Traveller (Traveller of Irish heritage) | 0.00% | 0 |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Bridge Nursery School Montague Street , Caversham RG4 5AU | 4out of 4 | 2,212 yd | Local authority nursery school | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Caversham Nursery School 114 Amersham Road , Caversham RG4 5NA | 4out of 4 | 2,482 yd | Local authority nursery school | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emmer Green Primary School Grove Road , Emmer Green RG4 8LN | - not rated | 525 yd | Community school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| The Hill Primary School Peppard Road , Emmer Green RG4 8TU | 3out of 4 | 1,008 yd | Community school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Caversham Primary School Hemdean Road , Caversham RG4 7RA | 3out of 4 | 1,009 yd | Community school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| The Heights Primary School 129 Upper Woodcote Road , RG4 7LB | 4out of 4 | 1,684 yd | Free schools | No | Mixed | More About School |
| St Anne's Catholic Primary School Washington Road , Caversham RG4 5AA | 3out of 4 | 1,830 yd | Voluntary aided school | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre Surley Row , Emmer Green RG4 8LR | 3out of 4 | 0 yd | Academy converter | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre Surley Row , Emmer Green RG4 8LR | - not rated | 0 yd | Foundation school | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| River Academy 7 Richfield Avenue , RG1 8EQ | - not rated | 2,242 yd | Free schools | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiltern Nursery Nurse Training School 18 Peppard Road , Caversham RG4 8JZ | - not rated | 1,219 yd | Miscellaneous | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Caversham Preparatory School 16 Peppard Road , Caversham RG4 8JZ | - not rated | 1,219 yd | Other independent school | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Hemdean House School Hemdean Road , Caversham RG4 7SD | - not rated | 1,278 yd | Other independent school | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Queen Anne's School 6 Henley Road , Caversham RG4 6DX | - not rated | 1,452 yd | Other independent school | No | Girls | More About School |
| Aurora Rowan School Dysons Wood , Tokers Green End RG4 9EY | - not rated | 1,824 yd | Other independent special school | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.