Welcome to Downsend School

Inspiring Young Minds. Creating Incredible Futures.

Downsend is an innovative and forward-thinking independent school, with a new vision; to inspire a generation to embrace the future, shaping incredible people who will make change in our world.

At Downsend, we prepare our young people for the future with a creative and problem-solving approach. We think big, we celebrate innovation, and we never hold back.

We are delighted to announce that all four schools in the Downsend family have been judged to be ‘excellent in all areas’ by the Independent School Inspectorate.

Open Days & Visits

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Read our 2023 Inspection Reports

Downsend is future focused in a rapidly evolving world.

From Nursery through to the Senior School, day to day life at Downsend is fast-paced, inspiring and immersive. We bring learning to life, providing opportunities for growth at every age.

We're passionate about providing the best, most innovative experience possible. Find out more about our Future Skills Vision below:

Future Skills Vision

Head's Welcome

Meet the Head.

Described by the Good Schools Guide as ‘refreshingly candid, with a knack for getting what he wants’, Ian Thorpe has been Head at Downsend for 10 years. A forward-thinking Head, Ian has been responsible for significant change at Downsend.

His can-do attitude, relentless energy and good humour, coupled with an impressive track record from Chinthurst, City of London Freemen's and Caterham School, mean that Downsend benefits from the best of both worlds – the ability to choose the best of the sector, whilst also innovating to do things differently.

Our Awards.

ISA Awards 2022 for Innovation in Independent Education:

Finalist

Independent School of the Year Awards 2022 for Independent Pre-Prep of the Year:

Shortlisted

Microsoft Showcase Schools Incubator Pathway

Muddy Stilettos 2022 Awards for Most Creative Learning Through Play:

Highly Commended

Common Sense Media School: 2021-2023

Eco-Schools Green Flag Award: July 2022

FACILITIES & LOCATION

Excellent learning locations.

Innovative modern spaces bring specialist teaching to life at the Main School, while Little Downsend offers a home from home for our littlest children, with outstanding outdoor spaces for exploring and learning.

Facilities and Locations

Our cutting-edge Creative Arts Centre opened in June 2022.

Little Downsend Ashtead

Little Downsend Epsom

Little Downsend Leatherhead

Downsend Main Campus

A NEW ERA

A new era for Downsend, welcoming babies to the family.

We are delighted to now welcome babies to the Downsend family. Little Downsend Ashtead is proud to provide an exceptional foundation for children aged 6 months to 4 years.

Little Downsend Ashtead

Passionate and inspiring leadership, down to earth, fantastic facilities and a modern, forward-thinking approach.

– A Downsend Parent

Our Schools

Little Downsend Ashtead (0 - 4 years)

Little Downsend Ashtead is a Nursery and Pre-School for children aged 6 months to 4 years old.

A short walk from Ashtead Village, with its independent shops and cafes, Little Downsend Ashtead is perfectly located for new parents looking for a nursery within walking distance that has a quiet, welcoming presence.

Little Downsend Epsom (2-7 years)

Little Downsend Epsom is a Nursery and Pre-Prep for children aged 2 years to 7 years.

Occupying a beautiful piece of land with a grassy field, garden and play areas, both children's and parent's needs are catered for in quiet surroundings.

Little Downsend Leatherhead (2-7 years)

Little Downsend Leatherhead is a Nursery and Pre-Prep for children aged 2 years to 7 years.

The largest of the three schools, Little Downsend Leatherhead benefits from a huge play area, an acre of grassy fields, forest school, stage and climbing equipment.

Downsend School (8 - 16 years)

Downsend School houses Year 3 to Year 11. Featuring a brand-new Creative Arts Centre, extensive sporting facilities, 25m pool and a wide range of specialist labs and studios, Downsend offers pupils an exciting place to learn. Conveniently located just outside Leatherhead, the campus has a leafy, suburban feel whilst being easy to get to by car, train or bus.

Accreditations

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Earlier this week, our adventurous Year 5 students had a fantastic few days by the coast at the Adur Centre. The three-day camping trip was packed with outdoor and collaborative activities such as wall climbing, target shooting, high rope climbing, and raft building. The raft-building activity was unanimously voted as the favourite, and everyone enjoyed singing by the campfire at sunset. Mrs. Driscoll, Head of Year 5, was very impressed by their teamwork, resilience, and independence. Great job campers, and how lucky you were with the weather!

#downsendschool #enrichmentweek #cognitaschools #independentschool #privateschool #surreyschools #leatherhead

Earlier this week, our adventurous Year 5 students had a fantastic few days by the coast at the Adur Centre. The three-day camping trip was packed with outdoor and collaborative activities such as wall climbing, target shooting, high rope climbing, and raft building. The raft-building activity was unanimously voted as the favourite, and everyone enjoyed singing by the campfire at sunset. Mrs. Driscoll, Head of Year 5, was very impressed by their teamwork, resilience, and independence. Great job campers, and how lucky you were with the weather!

#downsendschool #enrichmentweek #cognitaschools #independentschool #privateschool #surreyschools #leatherhead

Our Year 9 and 10 students, who selected Religious Studies as one of their GCSE options, recently visited the Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking. During the visit, they listened to the Imam`s call to prayer and received an informative talk about subject-specific content relevant to their exams. The experience allowed the students to challenge their misconceptions, deepen their subject knowledge, and gain a much more detailed understanding of the faith.

#downsendschool #seniorschool #gcse #surreyschools #independentschool #privateschool #surreyhills #cognitaschools

Our Year 9 and 10 students, who selected Religious Studies as one of their GCSE options, recently visited the Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking. During the visit, they listened to the Imam's call to prayer and received an informative talk about subject-specific content relevant to their exams. The experience allowed the students to challenge their misconceptions, deepen their subject knowledge, and gain a much more detailed understanding of the faith.

#downsendschool #seniorschool #gcse #surreyschools #independentschool #privateschool #surreyhills #cognitaschools

What an incredible enrichment week our Year 4s had at Downsend, or should we say Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! The children started the week with a spellbinding trip to Harry Potter Studios and they were treated to a screenplay workshop before exploring the stunning sets. Back at school, they have been on a truly magical journey, enjoying potions classes, learning to play quidditch and writing spells to name but a few activities!

#downsendschool #cognitaschools #juniorschool #surreyschools #privateschool #independentschool #harrypotter

What an incredible enrichment week our Year 4s had at Downsend, or should we say Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! The children started the week with a spellbinding trip to Harry Potter Studios and they were treated to a screenplay workshop before exploring the stunning sets. Back at school, they have been on a truly magical journey, enjoying potions classes, learning to play quidditch and writing spells to name but a few activities!

#downsendschool #cognitaschools #juniorschool #surreyschools #privateschool #independentschool #harrypotter

Our creative Music Department, under the direction of Mrs. Gray, Head of Musical Theatre at Downsend, together with a team of our Senior School students who are eager to expand their knowledge about stage production, produced our second musical of the academic year, `The Little Mermaid`. The show was performed over a week for our school and local community at the Linford Theatre. Our talented Year 7 and Year 8 actors and singers delivered a vibrant, colourful, and captivating performance that left our audience ecstatic and singing. Congratulations to everyone involved for such a fantastic collaboration and for creating such an amazing show!

#downsendschool #littlemermaid #acting #creativearts #surreyschools #independentschool #privateschool #seniorschool #cognitaschools

Our creative Music Department, under the direction of Mrs. Gray, Head of Musical Theatre at Downsend, together with a team of our Senior School students who are eager to expand their knowledge about stage production, produced our second musical of the academic year, 'The Little Mermaid'. The show was performed over a week for our school and local community at the Linford Theatre. Our talented Year 7 and Year 8 actors and singers delivered a vibrant, colourful, and captivating performance that left our audience ecstatic and singing. Congratulations to everyone involved for such a fantastic collaboration and for creating such an amazing show!

#downsendschool #littlemermaid #acting #creativearts #surreyschools #independentschool #privateschool #seniorschool #cognitaschools

We are excited to announce that starting in September, we will welcome Mr Alan Forsyth ( @7forsyth ) to the Downsend community as the Head of Hockey. Mr Forsyth has an impressive background in hockey, with notable achievements such as scoring his 100th international goal at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, securing a hat-trick against Malaysia at the FIH Olympic Qualifiers, and competing at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. He comes from a family with a strong hockey tradition, being the son of Derek Forsyth, the head coach of the Scotland team, and playing alongside his brother David in representing Scotland internationally. Mr Forsyth also played a key role in helping his team secure EuroHockey Champs II gold in 2017, leading to their promotion to the top tier for the first time in over a decade. We are thrilled to have Mr. Forsyth join #TeamDownsend and look forward to the contributions he will make to our school`s hockey program.

#downsendschool #teamDownsend #hockey #inspiringyoungminds #cognitaschools #surreyschools #surreyhockey #surbiton #epsom #independentschool #surreyhills

We are excited to announce that starting in September, we will welcome Mr Alan Forsyth ( @7forsyth ) to the Downsend community as the Head of Hockey. Mr Forsyth has an impressive background in hockey, with notable achievements such as scoring his 100th international goal at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, securing a hat-trick against Malaysia at the FIH Olympic Qualifiers, and competing at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. He comes from a family with a strong hockey tradition, being the son of Derek Forsyth, the head coach of the Scotland team, and playing alongside his brother David in representing Scotland internationally. Mr Forsyth also played a key role in helping his team secure EuroHockey Champs II gold in 2017, leading to their promotion to the top tier for the first time in over a decade. We are thrilled to have Mr. Forsyth join #TeamDownsend and look forward to the contributions he will make to our school's hockey program.

#downsendschool #teamDownsend #hockey #inspiringyoungminds #cognitaschools #surreyschools #surreyhockey #surbiton #epsom #independentschool #surreyhills

Last week, Year 7 students participated in an immersive virtual reality experience to deepen their understanding of the issues related to climate change and humanity`s impact on the environment. The thought-provoking presentation highlighted the consequences of human activities on the climate, with a specific focus on the degradation of the Great Barrier Reef. Following this, students engaged in a virtual reality fact-finding mission to explore ways in which they can contribute to mitigating human-induced damage to the planet and addressing climate change. In their remaining Geography lessons for the year, students will continue to delve into this topic to consider personal actions and the interventions of governments and organizations in addressing these issues.

#downsendschool #independentschool #privateschool #ecoschool #surreyschools #surreyhills

Last week, Year 7 students participated in an immersive virtual reality experience to deepen their understanding of the issues related to climate change and humanity's impact on the environment. The thought-provoking presentation highlighted the consequences of human activities on the climate, with a specific focus on the degradation of the Great Barrier Reef. Following this, students engaged in a virtual reality fact-finding mission to explore ways in which they can contribute to mitigating human-induced damage to the planet and addressing climate change. In their remaining Geography lessons for the year, students will continue to delve into this topic to consider personal actions and the interventions of governments and organizations in addressing these issues.

#downsendschool #independentschool #privateschool #ecoschool #surreyschools #surreyhills

Today we say a heartfelt farewell to our amazing Year 11 students. Some started their educational journey at our Little Downsend schools, while others joined us along the way. It’s truly special to see how far they’ve come and the indelible mark they’ve left on our school’s history. We’ve spent a fantastic day celebrating their time with us, alongside their proud parents. Today they begin the next stage of their educational journey, and we want to wish them all the very best!

#DownsendSchool #gcse2024 #seniorschool #independentschool #surreyhills #surreyschools

Today we say a heartfelt farewell to our amazing Year 11 students. Some started their educational journey at our Little Downsend schools, while others joined us along the way. It’s truly special to see how far they’ve come and the indelible mark they’ve left on our school’s history. We’ve spent a fantastic day celebrating their time with us, alongside their proud parents. Today they begin the next stage of their educational journey, and we want to wish them all the very best!

#DownsendSchool #gcse2024 #seniorschool #independentschool #surreyhills #surreyschools

A big thank you to everyone who joined us for our Open Morning on Saturday! We were delighted to have you visit Downsend School. Our Junior and Senior students thoroughly enjoyed showing you around and sharing information about our innovative school and wonderful community. We hope you had a great time, and we look forward to seeing you again soon. If you have any more questions, please feel free to reach out to our fantastic Admissions Team - Hannah and Katherine. You can contact them directly by clicking the link in our bio.

#downsendschool #privateschool #independentschool #surreyhills #surreyschool #boxhill #wisley #ashteadcommon #cognita

A big thank you to everyone who joined us for our Open Morning on Saturday! We were delighted to have you visit Downsend School. Our Junior and Senior students thoroughly enjoyed showing you around and sharing information about our innovative school and wonderful community. We hope you had a great time, and we look forward to seeing you again soon. If you have any more questions, please feel free to reach out to our fantastic Admissions Team - Hannah and Katherine. You can contact them directly by clicking the link in our bio.

#downsendschool #privateschool #independentschool #surreyhills #surreyschool #boxhill #wisley #ashteadcommon #cognita

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