Downside Primary School
Chaul End Lane, Luton, LU4 8EZ
1,015 pupils · 97% of 1,050 capacity
- Phase
- Primary
- Type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Does not apply
- Local authority
- Luton
- Free school meals
- 20.5%
Ofsted
Improved significantly (2024) — Ungraded inspection — “Improved significantly” (no overall grade issued)
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 6 November 2024, published 2 December 2024. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths | 79% |
| Reaching the higher standard | 14% |
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 0.95 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 133 | 126 | 235 | 132 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 127 | 122 | 196 | 127 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 131 | 127 | 245 | 130 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 138 | 134 | 231 | 138 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 116 | 113 | 210 | 115 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 130 | 126 | 202 | 130 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 126 | 123 | 206 | 126 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 118 | 115 | 221 | 118 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Foxdell Primary School 1.1 km · No overall grade (2025)
- Beechwood Primary School 1.2 km · Good (2019) · previous system
- Maidenhall Primary School 1.2 km · Most areas: Expected standard (2026)
- Norton Road Primary School 1.4 km · Good (2024) · previous system
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School 1.5 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- Denbigh Primary School 1.6 km · Standards maintained (2024)
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.