The Downs School

Comprehensive

National rank

263=

296

Rank last year

64.1%

A-level

A-level

A*-B

30.6%

GCSE

GCSE

9/8/7

Need to know

Head teacher Chris Prosser
Attendance 93.4%
Gender of entry Mixed
Send pupils* 17.0% *Special educational needs and disabilities
Total pupils 1,439
Pupils on free school meals 10.8%
Progress 8

Progress 8 is a measure of the development a school cohort/pupils makes from year 6 to year 11. The data used is from 2024. There will be no KS2 updates for 2025 or 2026 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The government is consulting on an improved version of Progress 8 and Attainment 8

ABOVE AVERAGE
Our methodology
Results

A-level 2025 rank: 227=

Grade

%

A*

12.4

A

24.9

B

26.8

A*/A

37.3

A*-B

64.1

GCSE 2025 rank: 323=

Grade

%

9/8

18.5

7

12

9/8/7

30.6

What the school inspection says

“Standards and ambitions in this school are exceptionally high. Pupils rise consistently to meet these … A strong sense of community permeates the school. Lessons are studious and industrious. Pupils enjoy learning and the school celebrates success regularly. This enables all pupils to flourish, particularly disadvantaged pupils … Pupils make excellent use of a broad range of extracurricular activities. For example, the school’s eco club, a fantasy role-playing game club, a multitude of sporting activities and many more. Leadership and management was deemed to be good.”
Inspection
2024
*Ofsted no longer makes an overall effectiveness judgment in inspections of state-funded schools. A five-point grading scale, including a new “exceptional” grade was introduced in November 2025.

About the school

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