75%
GCSE 9–4 · 2024/25
57%
GCSE 5+ · 2024/25
50.4
Attainment 8 · 2024/25
39%
EBacc entry · 2024/25
1143.9
EBacc APS · 2024/25
1,545
Pupils · 2024/25
16%
EAL · 2024/25
21%
Persistent abs. · 2024/25
Ofsted inspection
Good
Ofsted inspection · 27/03/2024
Inadequate
Requires improvement
Good
Outstanding
Local authorityReading
PhaseSecondary with sixth form with sixth form
School typeAcademy
Pupil : teacher ratio16.6:1
AdmissionsNon-selective
Religious characterNone
StatusOpen
Overview of Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre · Secondary with sixth form · Reading
Part ofGLF SCHOOLS
How does this school perform?
Key Stage 4 · 2024/25 · trend since 2016/17
GCSE 9–4 incl. Eng & maths
75%
-6pp
80%74%68%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 75%
GCSE 5+ incl. Eng & maths
57%
-4pp
61%54%47%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 57%
Attainment 8
50.4
-3.1
53.551.549.6
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 50.4
EBacc entry
39%
-0pp
40%34%27%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 39%
EBacc APS
1143.9
-206.1
1350.01151.1952.3
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 1143.9
Sixth form
Key Stage 5 · 2024/25 · trend since 2016/17
A-level APS
34.4
+2.1
37.833.428.9
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 34.4
A-level value added
+0.16
+0.2
+0.3+0.10.0
'17'18'19'24'25
'25 · +0.2
AAB+ in facilitating subjects
17%
+5pp
21%15%8%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 17%
Average A-level grade
C+
0
B-C+C
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · C+
Pupils & context
2024/25
Pupils on roll
1,545
Pupil : teacher ratio
16.6
Workforce data · 2025/26
EAL
16%
FSM eligible
11%
SEN
13%
Overall absence
8%
Persistent absence
21%
Contact
Address
Surley Row, Emmer Green, Reading, RG4 8LR
Local authority
Reading
Telephone
Email
—
History
All years · Historical DfE data by academic year
Secondary — Key Stage 4
GCSE attainment and Progress 8 — how pupils progressed from KS2 to KS4.
| Year | GCSE 9–4 | GCSE 5+ | Attainment 8 | Progress 8 | EBacc entry | EBacc APS | EBacc lang entry | Cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 75% | 57% | 50.4 | Not applicable | 39% | 1143.9 | 41% | 1,545 |
| 2023/24 | 80% | 61% | 53.5 | +0.25 | 39% | 1350.0 | 44% | 1,562 |
| 2022/23 | 80% | 57% | 53.4 | +0.07 | 38% | 1123.5 | 41% | 1,575 |
| 2021/22 | 73% | 55% | 51.9 | -0.18 | 40% | 1132.3 | 48% | 1,571 |
| 2018/19 | 68% | 47% | 49.6 | -0.02 | 27% | 952.3 | 33% | 1,357 |
| 2017/18 | 63% | 47% | 46.5 | -0.16 | 33% | 865.6 | 39% | 1,308 |
| 2016/17 | 74% | 59% | 51.8 | +0.13 | 42% | — | 48% | 1,271 |
Sixth form — Key Stage 5
| Year | A-level APS | Avg grade | VA progress | AAB+ | Cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 34.4 | C+ | +0.16 | 17% | 161 |
| 2023/24 | 32.2 | C+ | -0.03 | 12% | 162 |
| 2022/23 | 28.9 | C | — | 8% | 159 |
| 2021/22 | 37.8 | B- | — | 21% | 172 |
| 2018/19 | 36.3 | B- | +0.28 | 20% | 120 |
| 2017/18 | 35.5 | B- | +0.21 | 16% | 111 |
| 2016/17 | 30.9 | C | +0.23 | 12% | 139 |
Pupils & absence
| Year | Pupils | Pupil:teacher | SEN | EAL | FSM ever | Absence | Persistent absence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 1,545 | 18.2 | 13% | 16% | 11% | 8% | 21% |
| 2023/24 | 1,562 | 18.1 | 12% | 16% | 11% | 8% | 21% |
| 2022/23 | 1,575 | 18.1 | 12% | 16% | 11% | 8% | 23% |
| 2021/22 | 1,571 | 17.5 | 12% | 16% | 10% | 8% | 24% |
| 2020/21 | 1,492 | 16.9 | 14% | 14% | 9% | — | — |
| 2018/19 | 1,357 | 17.0 | 16% | 14% | 15% | 5% | 11% |
| 2017/18 | 1,308 | 14.6 | 15% | 14% | 14% | 5% | 12% |
| 2016/17 | 1,271 | 14.9 | 14% | 12% | 15% | 5% | 13% |
School performance data © Crown copyright. Source: Department for Education.