Downham East
Summary
Downham East (E02006783) is part of Lewisham local authority (view on map). Downham East has an approximate population of 7,700 people, of which 23% are children 15 years old and under. It is classified as "urban: nearer to a major town or city".
Downham East neighbours Grove Park & Lee South, Further Green, Forster Park & Southend, Chinbrook, Plaistow (Bromley), and Downham West.
Headlines
- 18% of pupils are receiving SEN support, placing it in the top 10% of all areas in England – see more.
- 8% of pupils have an EHC plan, placing it in the top 10% of all areas in England – see more.
- 66% of pupils belong to a minority ethnic group, placing it in the top 10% of all areas in England – see more.
Guidance and data sources
Local area pages are based on the middle-layer super output areas (MSOAs) distributed across the country. MSOAs comprise between 2,000 and 6,000 households and have a resident population of, generally, between 5,000 and 15,000 people. MSOAs fit within local authorities. For each area, descriptive statistics are compared with local authority and national averages. For more information about MSOAs, please visit the Office for National Statistics website.
The data displayed is sourced from:
Deprivation
Downham East is the 30th least deprived area in Lewisham (out of 37) with 51% of children living in low-income families, compared to 42% across Lewisham and 38% nationally.
State-funded pupil characteristics
Information acquired from the school census.
Free school meals
In Downham East, 35% of state-funded pupils are eligible for free school meals, compared to 30% in Lewisham and 27% nationally.
Contents
Percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals
Table showing the percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals
| % in Downham East | % in Lewisham | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eligible for free school meals | 35% | 30% | 27% |
| Not eligible for free school meals | 65% | 70% | 73% |
Special educational needs
In Downham East, 26% of pupils in state-funded settings have special educational needs (SEN), compared to 21% in Lewisham, and 19% nationally.
This includes the number of pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan and the number of pupils with SEN support.
Contents
Percentage of pupils with special educational needs in schools
Table showing the percentage of pupils with special educational needs in schools
| % in Downham East | % in Lewisham | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No special educational needs | 75% | 79% | 81% |
| Receiving special educational needs support | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| With an education, health, and care plan (EHCP) | 8% | 6% | 5% |
Ethnicity
In Downham East, 66% of pupils are from a minority ethnic background, compared to 63% in Lewisham, and 33% nationally.
Percentages may not sum to 100%, due to small values being suppressed.
Contents
Percentage of pupils by major ethnic groups
Table
| % in Downham East | % in Lewisham | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 32% | 36% | 67% |
| Asian | 10% | 7% | 14% |
| Black | 34% | 30% | 7% |
| Mixed | 18% | 18% | 7% |
| Other | 3% | 4% | 3% |
| Not known | 3% | 4% | 2% |
English as an additional language
The percentage of pupils in Downham East with English as an additional language is 34%, compared with 33% in Lewisham, and 22% nationally.
Numbers may not sum to 100%, due to a small number of pupils with an unclassified language.
Contents
Percentage of pupils with English as an additional language
Table
| % in Downham East | % in Lewisham | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Known or believed to be other than English | 34% | 33% | 22% |
| Known or believed to be English | 66% | 67% | 78% |
Provider information
Jump to:
Registered childcare providers
Downham East has 17 registered childcare providers.
| Type | Number in Downham East |
|---|---|
| All childcare providers | 17 |
| Childminders | 10 |
| Pre-school/day nursery/out-of-school care | 7 |
In Downham East, there have been 2 full inspections of childcare providers since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.
Under the renewed education inspection framework, childcare providers are evaluated on the following areas:
- Achievement
- Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines
- Children's welfare and wellbeing
- Curriculum and teaching
- Inclusion
- Leadership and governance
We use a 5-point scale to grade different areas of a provider’s work. The evaluation scale for each evaluation area, other than safeguarding, is:
- Exceptional
- Strong standard
- Expected standard
- Needs attention
- Urgent improvement
Achievement: There have been no inspections of Achievement in Downham East so no outcomes are available for this area.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).
Children's welfare and well-being: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).
Curriculum and teaching: There have been no inspections of Curriculum and teaching in Downham East so no outcomes are available for this area.
Inclusion: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).
Leadership and governance: 2 were graded 'expected standard' (of 2).
The tables below show the outcomes of inspections of childcare providers in Downham East. The tables are split by provider type, and show the number of inspections that have taken place for each area, and the outcomes of those inspections.
Contents
All childcare
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Children's welfare and well-being | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Childminders
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Children's welfare and well-being | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Full day care
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement |
|---|
Sessional day care
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement |
|---|
Out-of-school day care
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement |
|---|
Other childcare
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement |
|---|
State-funded schools
Downham East has 6 state-funded schools.
| Type | Number in Downham East |
|---|---|
| All state-funded schools | 6 |
| Nursery schools | 0 |
| Primary and all-through schools | 4 |
| Secondary and all-through schools | 1 |
| Special schools | 1 |
| Registered alternative provision | 0 |
There have been no inspections of schools in Downham East since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.
Data sources: