Downs Infant School
Primary · Community school · Ages 5–7 · Brighton, Brighton and Hove
Last distance offered · Reception 2026
1.17 miles
Published by Brighton & Hove City Council · offers on 16 April 2026
Reception last distance offered, 2016–2026 (miles)
All: every applicant was offered a place.
Downs Infant School is a primary school in Brighton, Brighton and Hove for ages 5–7 (community school). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Not judged, from the inspection on 24 September 2024. Brighton and Hove has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2016 to 2026 entry.
Downs Infant School catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Reception 2026 | 1.17 mi |
| Reception 2025 | 0.47 mi |
| Reception 2024 | 0.54 mi |
| Reception 2023 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Reception 2022 | Every applicant was offered a place |
| Reception 2020 | 0.62 mi |
| Reception 2019 | 0.60 mi |
| Reception 2016 | 0.54 mi |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- The last distance offered for Reception 2026 was 1.17 miles, the 4th longest of the 11 Brighton and Hove primary schools with a published Reception 2026 last distance.
- The Reception last distance moved further out from 2025 to 2026, the biggest move, and the 2026 figure was the longest of the 6 years with a published distance.
- Reception 2026 drew 80 first-choice applications for 90 offers; every first-choice family was offered a place and 10 offers went to families who ranked it second or lower.
- Here, 11.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, against a middle figure of 20.8% across the 8 nearest primary schools in Brighton and Hove.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Brighton and Hove schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Ditchling Road, Brighton, BN1 6JA
- Type
- Community school
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 5–7
- Council
- Brighton and Hove
- Pupils on roll
- 289 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 11.8% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 22.2
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Not judged Inspected 24 September 2024
Strengths
- “Children learn and play together very happily at this warm and nurturing infant school.”
- “The school takes great care to get to know each child and their family.”
- “Parents and carers are unanimously positive about the school.”
To improve
- “However, the school recognises there is more to do in some areas of the curriculum to ensure success for every child.”
- “A small number have, over time, attended less well.”
- “However, children do not always get enough time to practise some key parts of the curriculum, including spelling and handwriting.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 22 October 2024 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Reception entry: 80 first-preference applications, 90 offers in total, 80 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby primary schools
Straight-line distance, in Brighton and Hove.
- Downs Junior School 0.1 mi Good
- Fairlight Primary School 0.4 mi School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next Last distance published
- St Martin's CofE Primary School 0.4 mi Good Last distance published
- Elm Grove Primary School 0.7 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Coombe Road Primary School 0.7 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Balfour Primary School 0.7 mi Good Last distance published
- Hertford Primary School 0.8 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Stanford Primary School 0.8 mi Good Last distance published