Our team are here to help.
Downsend prides itself on ensuring a smooth, open and professional admissions process. Our Admissions Team work all year round to ensure enquiries are dealt with quickly and efficiently. Our steps to enrolment are outlined here and aim to give you a sense of the steps we go through at Downsend to ensure that we are the right school for your child
Make contact with us
We are available to take enquiries all year round, and welcome an informal conversation about how we can support you in deciding which school is right for your child.
Visit us
To get a real insight into what makes Downsend so special, we invite you to join us for a Personal Tour or one of our regular Open Events. We love meeting new families and we try to make these events as informal, yet as informative, as possible. We want to give you a feel for who we are and what we’re all about.
Register your child for a place
We then ask you to complete our registration paperwork and pay your registration fee. We’ll keep in contact with you to confirm we’ve received what we need from you, and to keep you up to date on the Assessment Day dates and process. When you register with us, we will ask for a current school report and a reference.
Assessments
We run our Assessment Days in November and January. These events are designed to be informal, friendly, and exciting days for your child to get to know us, and for us to get to know them. They will join us for a variety of activities where we’ll learn more about them and their skills. As part of that process, they will take online and paper-based assessment tests. In 2024-25 our assessments will take place on the following days:
Junior School Assessment Days (Y2 to Y6):
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21 January
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20 March
Senior School Assessment Days (Y7 to Y11):
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15 January
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19 March
Senior School Scholarship Assessments (Y7 to Y11):
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23 November
Process for booking
The numbers at our Assessment Days are capped to ensure the best possible experience. Therefore, the process for booking a place at our Assessment Days is as follows:
We aim to make offer decisions within 2 weeks of the assessment day.
Receiving the offer
We endeavour to give you enough time to make your decision but please be aware that our offers will be time-limited. Where we can offer a place straight away, we will. But as places are subject to availability, your child may be added to a waiting list.
Confirm your child's place at Downsend
To secure your child’s place, simply complete and return the necessary paperwork by the deadline given, together with the £750 deposit. We will keep in touch with you during the Summer Term, giving you and your child ample time to get to know us before they join Downsend.
Admissions FAQs
We will email you our Offer Pack, which consists of:
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Your Offer Letter
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Parent Contract/Terms and Conditions
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Downsend’s Values
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Pupil Health Record Form
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Acceptance of Place Form
In addition to the above, we will also automatically enrol your child for Pupil Personal Accident Insurance, provided by MARSH. This insurance is designed to provide assistance if your child is injured at school. This is charged on your first invoice and is currently £9.45 per academic year. Details of the scheme and FAQs can be found here:
In addition to this, you will also have the option to opt into:
Pupil Absence Insurance: This insurance allows you to make a claim for school fees in the event your child is absent from the insured school due to the pupil’s illness or accident or contact with an infectious disease. This is currently charged at 0.73% of your termly fee (from Reception to Y11) or £29.13 for First Steps and Rising Reception. This will be charged termly if you choose to sign up. The details of this and how to apply can be found here:
AXA Pupil Health Insurance: If you choose to sign up to this scheme, you will be charged £112 per term. The details of this and how to apply can be found here:
Please note that all costs quoted above are for the 2020/21 academic year and will be reviewed annually by the providers.
If you would like to talk to us about a place in September 2025, please contact us so we can talk you through the process and invite you to meet our Educational Lead, Marc Broughton.
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