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.

All four schools in the Downsend family have been judged to be ‘excellent in all areas’ by the Independent School Inspectorate and we are delighted to have been shortlisted as 'Co-educational Independent School of the Year' in the Independent School of the Year Awards 2024.

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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 2024: 'Co-educational Independent School of the Year'

Shortlisted

ISA Awards 2022 for Innovation in Independent Education:

Finalist

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

Follow Downsend on Social Media

It’s a wrap! What an amazing performance of Hitchcock’s ‘The 39 Steps’ play! Congratulations to all our Senior School actors, backstage crew, and Head of Drama, Mr. Bryant! Bravo!

#downsendschool #wearecognita #alfredhitchcock #creativearts #seniorschool #independentschools #surreyschools

It’s a wrap! What an amazing performance of Hitchcock’s ‘The 39 Steps’ play! Congratulations to all our Senior School actors, backstage crew, and Head of Drama, Mr. Bryant! Bravo!

#downsendschool #wearecognita #alfredhitchcock #creativearts #seniorschool #independentschools #surreyschools

Earlier this week, our amazing Year 5 students dedicated themselves to earning their Bunsen Burner certificates in science. They safely heated various materials in the flame, observing whether they burned, melted, or remained unchanged. The children carefully followed all safety protocols and were fascinated to discover that not everything burns when exposed to a flame. Well done, everyone! We think we might have new Marie Curie-Sklodowska and Max Planck ready to change the world.

#downsendschool #wearecognita #juniorschool #privateschool #surreyschools #independentschool #kt22 #kt21 #welovescience

Earlier this week, our amazing Year 5 students dedicated themselves to earning their Bunsen Burner certificates in science. They safely heated various materials in the flame, observing whether they burned, melted, or remained unchanged. The children carefully followed all safety protocols and were fascinated to discover that not everything burns when exposed to a flame. Well done, everyone! We think we might have new Marie Curie-Sklodowska and Max Planck ready to change the world.

#downsendschool #wearecognita #juniorschool #privateschool #surreyschools #independentschool #kt22 #kt21 #welovescience

We are thrilled to invite our school community to our first production of the year, Alfred Hitchcock`s play, "The 39 Steps," which will take place over the next two evenings. Our Year 9, 10, and 11 actors have been working hard since the spring term to bring this fast-paced West End farce to the Downsend School stage. They are prepared and excited to welcome you. Curtain up!

#downsendschool #wearecognita #production #theater #theatreproduction #creativearts #surrey #surreyschools

We are thrilled to invite our school community to our first production of the year, Alfred Hitchcock's play, "The 39 Steps," which will take place over the next two evenings. Our Year 9, 10, and 11 actors have been working hard since the spring term to bring this fast-paced West End farce to the Downsend School stage. They are prepared and excited to welcome you. Curtain up!

#downsendschool #wearecognita #production #theater #theatreproduction #creativearts #surrey #surreyschools

Today, we celebrated National Poetry Day in an extraordinary way by attempting to break a Guinness World Record! Our students from Year 3 to Year 7 gathered in the Linford Theatre to participate in a live poetry lesson with the winner of the 2021 NSTBA Award for poetry and Author-in-Residence in the Department of Public Health & Primary Care at the @cambridgeuniversity, @lauramucha , along with 60000 students from across the country. It was a great experience, and the pupils thoroughly enjoyed it!

#downsendschool #juniorschool #seniorschool #wearecognita #surreyschools #independentschool #privateschool #surreyhills #poetryday #lauramucha #cambridgeuniversity #guinnessworldrecord

Today, we celebrated National Poetry Day in an extraordinary way by attempting to break a Guinness World Record! Our students from Year 3 to Year 7 gathered in the Linford Theatre to participate in a live poetry lesson with the winner of the 2021 NSTBA Award for poetry and Author-in-Residence in the Department of Public Health & Primary Care at the @cambridgeuniversity, @lauramucha , along with 60000 students from across the country. It was a great experience, and the pupils thoroughly enjoyed it!

#downsendschool #juniorschool #seniorschool #wearecognita #surreyschools #independentschool #privateschool #surreyhills #poetryday #lauramucha #cambridgeuniversity #guinnessworldrecord

We were delighted to welcome James from @vivacharity to Downsend for a Food and Nutrition cookery workshop on Veganism. Our GCSE Food and Nutrition students were very enthusiastic about cooking vegan tikka masala and vegan chilli. They also took part in an interactive discussion to broaden their understanding of vegan food. It was an excellent hands-on session that will help enhance their knowledge of modern eating and benefit their GCSE exam preparations. Thank you to @vivacharity and James for providing our students with this opportunity.

#downsendschool #wearecognita #independentschool #privateschool #seniorschool #foodandnutrition #veganism #surreyschools #vegan #veganfood

We were delighted to welcome James from @vivacharity to Downsend for a Food and Nutrition cookery workshop on Veganism. Our GCSE Food and Nutrition students were very enthusiastic about cooking vegan tikka masala and vegan chilli. They also took part in an interactive discussion to broaden their understanding of vegan food. It was an excellent hands-on session that will help enhance their knowledge of modern eating and benefit their GCSE exam preparations. Thank you to @vivacharity and James for providing our students with this opportunity.

#downsendschool #wearecognita #independentschool #privateschool #seniorschool #foodandnutrition #veganism #surreyschools #vegan #veganfood

We are delighted to share that last month we had the pleasure of welcoming Mr. Simon Cotton to the Downsend School community! Mr. Cotton has joined our school as a Teacher of Mathematics and Sport, bringing with him over 25 years of teaching experience from both New Zealand and England. He began his educational journey at Otago University in New Zealand, where he completed a Bachelor`s degree, followed by a Diploma in Teaching from Dunedin College of Education. Throughout his career, Mr. Cotton has taught Mathematics and Physical Education, demonstrating a commitment to helping students achieve their best academically and on the sports field. For the past 15 years, Mr. Cotton has served as Director of Sport, and most recently as an Assistant Head. Mr. Cotton expressed his enthusiasm: "I am thrilled to be part of the Downsend community and look forward to contributing to both academic and extracurricular programs, driven by my personal passions for sport and travel."

#downsendschool #seniorschool #wearecognita #privateschool #independentschool #surreyschools #surrey #surreyhills #epsom #swlondon #selondon

We are delighted to share that last month we had the pleasure of welcoming Mr. Simon Cotton to the Downsend School community! Mr. Cotton has joined our school as a Teacher of Mathematics and Sport, bringing with him over 25 years of teaching experience from both New Zealand and England. He began his educational journey at Otago University in New Zealand, where he completed a Bachelor's degree, followed by a Diploma in Teaching from Dunedin College of Education. Throughout his career, Mr. Cotton has taught Mathematics and Physical Education, demonstrating a commitment to helping students achieve their best academically and on the sports field. For the past 15 years, Mr. Cotton has served as Director of Sport, and most recently as an Assistant Head. Mr. Cotton expressed his enthusiasm: "I am thrilled to be part of the Downsend community and look forward to contributing to both academic and extracurricular programs, driven by my personal passions for sport and travel."

#downsendschool #seniorschool #wearecognita #privateschool #independentschool #surreyschools #surrey #surreyhills #epsom #swlondon #selondon

At Downsend, we are committed to providing exceptional pastoral care, as highlighted in our recent ISI report and introduction video with Mr. Dolan, our new Head of Senior School. Ensuring that each child feels a strong sense of belonging and inclusion is at the heart of everything we do.

To support a smooth transition to Senior School, Year 7 students participate in a range of activities designed to foster connection and confidence. Our recent adventure trip to Cuffley Outdoor Centre was a great success, offering pupils the chance to collaborate, share ideas, and take on leadership roles. It was inspiring to see them engage in teamwork and showcase talents we hadn’t seen before.

As Mrs. Mercer, Head of Year 7 and Senior School Transition, expressed, “We now have a better idea of what they are capable of and will enjoy seeing this in lessons.” We look forward to watching these skills flourish as they continue their journey at Downsend.

#downsendschool #wearecognita #privateschool #independentschool #cuffley #seniorschool #surreyhills #leatherhead #epsom #bookham #cobham #surbiton #swlondon #selondon

At Downsend, we are committed to providing exceptional pastoral care, as highlighted in our recent ISI report and introduction video with Mr. Dolan, our new Head of Senior School. Ensuring that each child feels a strong sense of belonging and inclusion is at the heart of everything we do.

To support a smooth transition to Senior School, Year 7 students participate in a range of activities designed to foster connection and confidence. Our recent adventure trip to Cuffley Outdoor Centre was a great success, offering pupils the chance to collaborate, share ideas, and take on leadership roles. It was inspiring to see them engage in teamwork and showcase talents we hadn’t seen before.

As Mrs. Mercer, Head of Year 7 and Senior School Transition, expressed, “We now have a better idea of what they are capable of and will enjoy seeing this in lessons.” We look forward to watching these skills flourish as they continue their journey at Downsend.

#downsendschool #wearecognita #privateschool #independentschool #cuffley #seniorschool #surreyhills #leatherhead #epsom #bookham #cobham #surbiton #swlondon #selondon

Today, we are celebrating the 6th annual Global Be Well Day. This special day in the Cognita calendar brings together our global community of over 100 schools worldwide to emphasize the importance of our students’ well-being and holistic education.

This year’s theme is ‘Giving’, which encompasses not only physical giving such as financial and food donations, but also giving of time, gratitude, kindness, and thoughtfulness. We engaged in a variety of activities to stimulate discussion and ideas to promote giving and its positive impact on the people and communities that receive these gestures.

In addition to these enriching activities, our wonderful DPA (Downsend Parents’ Association) organized another successful event in support of Macmillan. It’s heartwarming to see our community come together for such a great cause.

#downsendschool #wearecognita #gbwd2024 #independentschool #surreyschools #surbitonmums #privateschool #surreyhills

Today, we are celebrating the 6th annual Global Be Well Day. This special day in the Cognita calendar brings together our global community of over 100 schools worldwide to emphasize the importance of our students’ well-being and holistic education.

This year’s theme is ‘Giving’, which encompasses not only physical giving such as financial and food donations, but also giving of time, gratitude, kindness, and thoughtfulness. We engaged in a variety of activities to stimulate discussion and ideas to promote giving and its positive impact on the people and communities that receive these gestures.

In addition to these enriching activities, our wonderful DPA (Downsend Parents’ Association) organized another successful event in support of Macmillan. It’s heartwarming to see our community come together for such a great cause.

#downsendschool #wearecognita #gbwd2024 #independentschool #surreyschools #surbitonmums #privateschool #surreyhills

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