The Downs School, based in Newbury, provides secondary education, serving pupils aged 11 to 18. The school is a foundation school and operates as a mixed school. It follows a non-selective admissions policy. It has a none religious character. The school also offers a sixth form, allowing students to continue into post-16 education on site.
The Downs School currently has around 1437 pupils on roll, which is about 110% of its capacity. The gender split is relatively balanced, with approximately 52.7% boys and 47.3% girls. Around 10.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which gives an indication of the socio-economic mix. The school has a diverse intake across different backgrounds and needs.
Overall absence at the school is 6.6%. Persistent absence is recorded at 16.7%.
The majority of pupils are from a white british background (87.3%).
Safeguarding was judged to be effective, which is a key consideration for many parents.
Around 97% of pupils move on to sustained destinations after Year 11. Most continue into education (91%) , including 75% who stay in school sixth forms and 11% progressing to further education , while 3% enter apprenticeships .
| Address: | Manor Crescent, Newbury, RG20 6AD |
| Website: | http://www.thedownsschool.org/ |
| Telephone: | 01635270000 |
| School Type: | Foundation school |
| Education phase: | Secondary |
| Local authority: | West Berkshire |
| Headteacher / Principal: | Mr Chris Prosser |
| Religious character: | None |
| Admissions policy: | Non-selective |
| Unique reference: | 110102 |
Ofsted inspection date: 01/10/2024
Safeguarding is effective
| Age Range: | 11 - 18 |
| Gender: | Mixed |
| School Capacity: | 1307 |
| Number of Pupils: | 1437 |
| Number of Boys: | 758 |
| Number of Girls: | 679 |
| School | England state-funded schools: | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall absence: | 6.6% | 4% |
| Persistent absence: | 16.7% | 8.2% |
| White British | 87.30% | 1255 |
| Other White | 5.20% | 75 |
| Other Mixed | 2.00% | 29 |
| White and Asian | 1.00% | 15 |
| Other Asian | 0.90% | 13 |
| Other (any other ethnic group) | 0.60% | 8 |
| Unclassified | 0.60% | 8 |
| Indian | 0.50% | 7 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 0.40% | 6 |
| White and Black African | 0.30% | 5 |
| Pakistani | 0.30% | 5 |
| Irish | 0.30% | 4 |
| African | 0.20% | 3 |
| Bangladeshi | 0.10% | 2 |
| Caribbean | 0.10% | 2 |
| Gypsy/Roma | 0.00% | 0 |
| Chinese | 0.00% | 0 |
| Other Black | 0.00% | 0 |
| Irish Traveller (Traveller of Irish heritage) | 0.00% | 0 |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compton C.E. Primary School School Road , Compton RG20 6QU | - not rated | 510 yd | Voluntary controlled school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| The Ilsleys Primary School Church Hill , RG20 7LP | 3out of 4 | 3,090 yd | Community school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Downs School Manor Crescent , Compton RG20 6AD | - not rated | 0 yd | Foundation school | No | Mixed | More About School |
School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.