Effective 1 January 2026, Highdown Sports & Leisure (HSL) will no longer operate as a public gym and leisure centre. The facilities will be dedicated to Highdown School students and school lettings only.

Public memberships will conclude on 31 December 2025. Members will not be charged beyond their final month of use.

We are deeply grateful for the support of our local community and thank all members who have been part of HSL over the years.

For further information, please contact: head@highdown.reading.sch.uk

Dear Parent/Carer,

Our aim is to give children and young adults the best possible start in life. To do this, we aim to run great schools for our communities of pupils, parents and staff.

Please help us understand how well we are doing, and how we can do even better by sharing your views in the Stakeholder Voice Survey for Parents.

Our parent and carer survey gives you the opportunity to express your views on how well we support your child’s learning and personal development and how we communicate with you. Our goal is to for you to have your say and have your voice heard, so that we can create the best learning environment for your child. To complete the survey, please click HERE

Please note that the survey will be open between 7 - 24 November.

Surveys will take 20-30 minutes to complete and need to be completed in one sitting. Please note, your responses will be anonymous, so please be open.

Thank you for your support and views. If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch with Mr Sheridan - csheridan1@glfschools.org

We look forward to your feedback!

Apply HERE!

We warmly invite our school community to join us for an evening of joyful music and seasonal spirit at our Christmas Concert on Thursday 4 December at 7pm in the Main Hall.

Come and celebrate the talents of our wonderful students and staff as we kick off the festive season together.

✨ Tickets available via Ticketsource – £3 child/student/concession & £5 adult - we’d love to see you there!

Ticket Source booking information - https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/highdown-school-and-sixth-form-centre/highdown-christmas-concert/2025-12-04/19:00/t-ejkexgp

The students at Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre have once again achieved fantastic results in their GCSE and vocational qualification results this year and we could not be prouder of them as they collect their grades today.  

26% of all grades awarded were 9-7 with almost 80% of students achieving 5+ passes at GCSE and equivalent.  

These results are testament to the hard work and dedication of this wonderful, confident and articulate year group. We are particularly proud of our Science and Art results which exemplify the diversity of talent that we have at Highdown and how fortunate we are to offer a real breadth of subjects that enables every student to excel and find something they are truly passionate about.  

‘I’d like to congratulate Highdown Year 11 students for all they have achieved and thank staff and families for their dedication and support. You are a charismatic, driven and tenacious group of individuals – I can’t wait to welcome many of you back into the Sixth Form and wish those individuals moving elsewhere the best of luck in your future endeavours.”  - Ms Mathews, Headteacher

Highlights of the impressive results at Highdown include:    

Holly Curtayne - 11 GCSEs at Grade 9  

Amir Karimi - 11 GCSEs:  10 x Grade 9, 1 x Grade 8 

Saba Prins-Mills - 11 GCSEs: 8 x Grade 9, 2 x Grade 8, 1 x Grade 7  

Elena Turay - 11 GCSEs: 8 x Grade 9, 3 x Grade 8 

Roshni Taylor - 11 GCSEs: 8 x Grade 9, 2 x Grade 8, 1 x Grade 7 

“Congratulations to all our pupils and staff for achieving a fantastic set of GCSE results. Their determination and dedication shine through the impressive results we’re seeing across all the GLF Schools. I’m delighted to see staff, students and families feeling so proud of everyone’s achievements.”  - James Nicholson, CEO, GLF Schools

Our Sixth Form students have once again achieved fantastic results in their A-Level and Level 3 exams and there were smiles, hugs and happy faces as results were opened.

An impressive 21.4% of A-levels earned an A or A* grade, with over half of all entries securing an A*- B grade. These results are testament to the unwavering aspiration, dedication and commitment of this wonderful year group. We are particularly proud of those students who undertook an Extended Project Qualification alongside their A-Levels, of whom 82% achieved an A or A* grade. Additionally, the average grade for vocational subjects was a distinction, ensuring our students are well-equipped to progress to their chosen next steps, whether in higher education or beyond.

There were so many outstanding results and we are so proud of each and every one of our students, but to highlight a few of our most notable performers:

Miles Escott was awarded 4 A* in Computing, Physics, Maths and Further Maths Noah Mitchell achieved 3A* and 1A in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry

Scarlett Mendham journeys to Bath University next year with 3 A* in Biology, Chemistry and Maths

Chloe Waite achieved 3A* in Economics, Maths and Psychology

Georgie Wilson was awarded 3A* in Biology, Chemistry and Maths and joins Cambridge University

Jack Etherington was awarded 2A* in History and Maths and a Distinction* in Physical Education

‘I’d like to congratulate Highdown Sixth Form students for all they have achieved and thank staff and families for all their dedication and support. You are a talented and dynamic group of individuals and we wish you all the best success for your future. Well done!’

Ms L Mathews, Headteacher

Parents and Carers, please report all absences via your Class Charts Parent account, online or via the app, rather than by phone or email, before 9am on the day of the absence.