Primary schools1 · best KS2 results first
Photo: Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors · CC BY-SA 2.0B+School Grade
Schools in Downley · DfE, Ofsted
Downley’s secondaries are among England’s strongest at GCSE: an Attainment 8 score of 73, above Buckinghamshire’s towns and towns in England
On this, Downley is above both Buckinghamshire’s towns (51.8) and towns in England (45.9). 1 state-funded school is located in Downley’s built-up area. Downley grades B+ for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #16 of 39 in Buckinghamshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
State schools
1
1 primary, 0 secondary
Reading, writing & maths
59%
meet the expected standard at 11 · 2023–25
England’s schools: 62%
Attainment 8
73
GCSE average across 8 subjects · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
96%
a strong pass in both · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47%
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
School Grade
Downley grades B+ for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (59% meet the standard)Better than 39% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (73 and 96%)Better than 100% of towns in England
The secondary figure lifts Downley; the primary figure holds it back.
Downley has 1 primary of its own with KS2 results, too few to judge on, so the primary figure uses the 13 graded primaries in and within 3 km of the town (2,032 pupils in results). Downley has no secondaries of its own with GCSE results, so the secondary figure uses the 2 graded secondaries in and within 3 km of the town (394 pupils in results). Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Downley’s state school is
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Downley’s built-up area.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
PrimarySecondarySpecial, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
Getting a place
How school places work in Downley
Buckinghamshire Council handles applications for every state school in Downley, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work
The schools
1 state school in Downley
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Downley’s schoolsA 1B 0C 0D 0
Village schools near Downley1 · outside any built-up area; Downley is the nearest town
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted inspections
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 0 of Downley’s 1 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
Towns its size
98th of 457 English towns of 2,500 to 4,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Downley, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collingham Nottinghamshire | A+ | 82% | — | — |
| … | |||||
| 94 | Kingskerswell Devon | B+ | 61% | 56.1 | 67% |
| 95 | Theydon Bois Essex | B+ | 64% | 49.8 | 54% |
| 96 | Snaith East Riding of Yorkshire | B+ | 69% | 47.6 | 45% |
| 97 | Congresbury Somerset | B+ | 64% | 49 | 55% |
| 98 | Downley Buckinghamshire | B+ | 59% | 73 | 96% |
| 99 | Denby Dale West Yorkshire | B+ | 62% | 51.8 | 59% |
| 100 | South Hetton County Durham | B+ | 62% | 52.2 | 60% |
| 101 | Lanchester County Durham | B+ | 72% | 45.8 | 43% |
| 102 | Westerham Kent | B+ | 65% | — | — |
| … | |||||
| 457 | Watchet Somerset | D− | 29% | — | — |
Neighbours
Downley and the places around it
Coloured by School Grade.
High WycombeWalter's Ash and NaphillHughenden ValleyGreat KingshillLane EndHazlemereLacey Green and Loosley RowDownley
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downley 1 school | B+ | 59% | 73 |
| High Wycombe 24 schools · 1.6 mi | B+ | 59% | 58.4 |
| Walter's Ash and Naphill 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 1.7 mi | B+ | 57% | 71.9 |
| Hughenden Valley 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 1.8 mi | A− | 64% | 54.3 |
| Great Kingshill 0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2.8 mi | B | 66% | 44.9 |
| Lane End 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2.9 mi | C | 56% | 44.3 |
| Hazlemere 11 schools · 2.9 mi | B− | 66% | 41.7 |
| Lacey Green and Loosley Row 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.7 mi | B | 65% | 43.8 |
Hughenden Valley has the best-graded schools nearby (A−). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
- Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Downley: 11% (England’s average school: 8%).
- Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
- Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
- Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
- Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
- Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
- Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Downley
Are schools in Downley good?
Downley’s state schools earn a B+ against schools across England: primary results beat 39% of towns in England; secondary results beat 100% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Buckinghamshire council.
How do I apply for a school place in Downley?
Through Buckinghamshire Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many state schools are in Downley?
1 open state-funded school is located in Downley’s built-up area: 1 primary, 0 secondary and 0 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.