See what's happening in school
Ashtead Pre-Prep – Down on the Farm
May 18, 2018
There has been a real Hullabaloo in First Steps this term as they have all been down on the farm, finding out about the animals in Giles Andreae’s story ’Farmyard Hullabaloo’.
Maths Competition
May 11, 2018
On Tuesday 8 pupils in two teams took part in a United Kingdom Maths Trust inter-schools competition at Halstead Prep. There were 7 rounds of puzzles, algebra, BIDMAS, logic which all required team work or paired work, speed and agility.
Ashtead Pre-Prep – Superb Singing
May 9, 2018
Today, the children in Reception and Year One put on a show-stopping performance when invited to perform for Evergreens at St George’s Church.
Ashtead Pre-Prep – Living Eggs in School
May 4, 2018
Last week we received a very special delivery and it wasn’t long before 10 little eggs won their place in many hearts.
Marvellous Minibeasts
May 4, 2018
This week Year 2 headed off for the wilds of Godstone to visit Bay Pond Nature Reserve as part of their current Science studies about living organisms and their habitats.
Ashtead Pre-Prep – Fabuleuse Journée Française!
April 27, 2018
Bonjour! Pre–Prep Ashtead was an array of bleu, blanc et rouge on Tuesday as we celebrated French Day. Wonderful outfits complete with berets and even a baguette, skipped in through the front door!
Barbados Trip 2018
April 27, 2018
Over the Easter holidays, thirty one Downsend pupils from Year 7 and 8 and seven Downsend staff headed to the paradise island of Barbados for a cricket and netball tour. It was a truly magnificent experience for all.
Year 8 Sports Leadership Day
April 27, 2018
This academic year, all Year 8 pupils have worked hard to complete every element of The Young Leader Award which has been written and developed by Sports Leaders UK.
Ashtead Pre-Prep – Talk for Writing
April 20, 2018
We are always looking for new ways to fire the children’s imaginations and to develop their writing skills even further. On Monday all the staff took part in a Talk4Writing workshop which gave us many inspirational ideas on how to encourage the children to enjoy stories and become storytellers.
Ranmore Spring Term Winners
April 20, 2018
Congratulations to Ranmore for winning the Spring Term House Competition, we hope the children enjoyed their treat.
Downsend Ski Trip 2018
April 20, 2018
Well the term ‘climate change’ certainly had relevant meaning this year! What a difference a year makes! Where there was mud and grass last year in Prato Nevoso, it was firmly covered by a layer of at least two metres of snow this year.
ASE Arabic
March 23, 2018
Mr Rhys Roberts, a former pupil of this school and Reigate Grammar, kindly gave his time to come and teach the scholarship group some Arabic and also to share his experience of living and working in Jordan.
Year 2 Victorian Day
March 23, 2018
Year 2 travelled back in time to the 1880s last Friday for a taste of school life during Victorian times.
Year 6 Evacuee Morning
March 16, 2018
On Wednesday Year 6 had an Evacuee morning, which everyone really enjoyed. One of the most fun activities was a tasting session. This included trying Juice or Lemonade and a variety of biscuits and cakes made from real wartime recipes.
Downsend Science Week 2018
March 16, 2018
In a week were we lost one of our Science heroes, it seems fitting to be celebrating everything about Science. This week was all about being curious, inspiring Downsend students to make sense of the world around them and about shining a light on Science.
Lancing Poetry Competition 2018
March 9, 2018
Once again the sun shone on us as we ventured over to Lancing college to take part in their poetry competition.
Artist Of The Week
March 9, 2018
Year 5 have been learning about the printmaking process of collagraphy.
World Book Day at our Pre-Preps
March 7, 2018
Stories came to life as their characters arrived at Ashtead Pre-Prep last week.
World Book Day 2018
March 7, 2018
The Lower School has been awash with books, traditional fable telling, quizzes and stunning writing as our younger children embraced a week-long celebration of the power of reading.
Year 6 Visit the Globe Theatre
February 23, 2018
On the Friday before half term, Year 6 travelled to London to spend an exciting and informative day at the Globe Theatre.
Year 4 Curriculum Collapse Day
February 23, 2018
Year 4 enjoyed taking part in an ‘Iron Man’ themed curriculum collapse day on Wednesday, to bring to life the book that they are studying in English.
Rumble in the Jungle
February 9, 2018
Earlier this week, our intrepid Year 2 explorers visited The Living Rainforest in Newbury where they discovered an amazing array of plants and tropical rainforest animals
Choral Concert at Epsom College
February 1, 2018
Some of our singers participated in a performance of Ian Assersohn’s Dies Irae last Sunday evening.
Year 3 Greek Week
February 1, 2018
Year 3 were transported back in time for Greek Week last week through an array of exciting cross-curricular learning opportunities.
Success at the Rotary Club Public Speaking Competition
February 1, 2018
A few weeks ago Downsend hosted the first round of the Rotary Club’s National Public Speaking Competition. There were six teams taking part in the Intermediate section and just two in the Senior section. The teams came from St John’s, St Teresa’s, Manor House and, of course, Downsend who fielded two teams from Year 8.
Downsend win the 2018 National Science Quiz
February 1, 2018
On 26th January, the Downsend Science Quiz team travelled to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History to compete in the national finals of the Quiz Club Science competition.
Ashtead Pre-Prep – P4C
January 5, 2018
P4C, which is short for Philosophy for Children, is a new addition to our Year One curriculum this year. During the weekly sessions, the children are asked one question that is the focus of a philosophical enquiry or dialogue.
Cognita Chef Swap
November 15, 2017
Ruben Lopez the Head Chef from El Limonar International School – Villamartín and Vanessa Chavez our Commis Chef from Downsend Prep are taking part in a Cognita Chef swap this month.
Downsend Launches New Senior School And GCSE Expansion Plans
November 9, 2017
There is now a greater choice for Surrey pupils heading towards their GCSEs with the announcement that Downsend School in Leatherhead will expand to include a Senior School from September 2020.
Egyptian Week
October 13, 2017
What an exciting week it’s been! Year 3 has been transported back in time for our Egyptian week. On Thursday, the school was awash with Pharaohs and mummies as the children came in dressed up for our Egyptian day, and they enjoyed workshops lead by the Open Box Theatre Company and the creation of scarab beetle artefacts.
Ashtead Pre-Prep – Forest School Fantastic!
October 11, 2017
Muddy wellies, BIG smiles and hot chocolate stained faces returned to school after Reception and Year One had a wonderful time at Forest School.
Ashtead Pre-Prep – Fruitilicious
October 9, 2017
This week there was much excitement in school as we welcomed a very special visitor. Julia, a nutritionist from Thomas Franks, came to talk to us about healthy foods.
Parent feedback programme at Downsend wins award for innovation and excellence
June 9, 2017
A ‘Voice of the Parent’ programme run at Downsend School in Surrey, part of the Cognita group, has won a 2017 Confirmit ACE (Achievement in Customer Excellence) Award. This is the second year that this programme has been commended, with the ongoing feedback received from parents directly inputting into the continuous improvement in schools such as Downsend…….
USA Day in the Canteen!
May 26, 2017
Downsend Prep School Pupils enjoyed a delicious American themed lunch in the canteen today….
Year 1 Visit Wisley
May 26, 2017
Year one from Leatherhead Pre-Prep visited Wisley Gardens this week to learn more about plants and the different climates they can grow in, such as deserts and rainforests. They were able to examine some exotic plants with equally exotic names like the Lobster Claw plant and the Red Hot Cats’ Tails. The various cacti were popular too and everyone had a go at taking a
Early Morning Mandarin at Downsend
May 26, 2017
A Surrey languages teacher is bringing a small part of China to the classroom with her online interactive Mandarin lessons, live from Beijing. For the last few weeks, Susie Taylor, Deputy Head of Languages at Downsend School, part of Cognita Schools, has treated her Year 8 pupils to an interactive Mandarin lesson live from Beijing using Zoom and a webcam. From the comfort
Downsend’s Double Dekker
May 26, 2017
Keen swimmer and Surrey schoolgirl Lauren Dekker, a Year 7 pupil at Downsend School, has won a Gold Medal at the IAPS National Swimming Championships for the second successive year. The prestigious, long-standing event, held at K2, Crawley, allows pupils to compete in both individual and relay events, all of which were hotly contested. Lauren and five other Downsend girls had qualified for the
House News!
February 10, 2017
Well done to all the top achievers below, especially to Tilly and Tom Q, who are providing hard to knock off the top spots! Keep up the good work! Positions Lower School Upper School Overall 1st Wisley Norbury Headley 2nd Headley Ranmore Norbury 3rd Ranmore Headley Wisley 4th Norbury Wisley Ranmore […]
Year 1’s ‘Starry Night’
February 9, 2017
1VL at Leatherhead Pre-Prep have been creating their versions of Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ using oil pastels, following their recent visit to the National Gallery and learning to paint in the style of famous artists.
Pre-Prep Leatherhead Visit Africa!
February 9, 2017
This week’s country on our journey around the world is Africa. This week we have been on safari around the school field on the hunt for African animals and made a tropical fruit salad ( including food tasting) having read the book ‘Handa’s surprise’.
