Downe House School A GSG School
- Downe House School
Cold Ash
Thatcham
Berkshire
RG18 9JJ - Head: Mrs Emma McKendrick
- T 01635 200286
- F 01635 202026
- E registrar@downehouse.net
- W www.downehouse.net
- An independent school for girls aged from 11 to 18.
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: West Berkshire
- Pupils: 570; sixth formers: 163
- Religion: Church of England/Christian
- Fees: Day £35,520; Boarding £47,760 pa
- Open days: See website for details
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
- Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
- ISI report: View the ISI report
What The Good Schools Guide says..
‘For our sporty eldest it was like putting a dog in the chicken shed,’ laughs one parent; ‘She’s outdoors every evening, she was so cooped up in London,’ says another. Very strong lacrosse and netball, hockey growing, year-round tennis, cricket and athletics in the summer. As we drove into the grounds on a sunny morning, we saw girls out practicing their serves. ‘Not a school that hangs its self-esteem on being academic, it’s about developing your character,’ parents say, ‘so you can be academic, but you don’t have...
What the school says...
Downe House has always aimed to celebrate individual achievement within a boarding community framework by giving girls the maximum range of opportunities possible. Whilst our facilities are constantly developing, our primary focus is on people and pastoral care which underpin all achievement.
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What The Good Schools Guide says
Headmistress
Since 1997, Emma McKendrick. Studied German and Dutch at the University of Liverpool, during which she spent a year teaching in Germany. Thence to a PGCE (Birmingham) and Royal High School, Bath, where she became head at the tender age of 29. The big job at Downe House came four years later; her early alumnae are now prospective parents.
Rarely do we come across a head who commands such unanimous respect and admiration. Parents often gush, of course, but at Downe House they really go for it: ‘The most phenomenal head I’ve ever come across’; ‘extraordinary woman’; ‘girls adore her’; ‘just so right, every time’. Always interested to know what former pupils are doing and understands those in her care exceptionally well: ‘She’d not only read her ed psych report,...
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Overall school performance (for comparison or review only)
Results by exam and subject
Subject results
Entry/Exit
Special Education Needs
Our Learning Skills Department supports both girls with mild specific learning diffculties and those who are outstandingly able. Girls are supported in a variety of ways. These may include regular individual lessons, occasional group sessions or visits to relevant lectures, workshops and seminars. The Learning Skills Department is an integral part of the school structure and the flow of communication to ensure all girls are supported in lessons is of paramount importance.
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder | |
| Aspergers | |
| Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders | Y |
| CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia | |
| Dyscalculia | Y |
| Dysgraphia | Y |
| Dyslexia | Y |
| Dyspraxia | Y |
| English as an additional language (EAL) | Y |
| Genetic | |
| Has an entry in the Autism Services Directory | |
| Has SEN unit or class | |
| HI - Hearing Impairment | Y |
| Hospital School | |
| Mental health | Y |
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty | |
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment | |
| Natspec Specialist Colleges | |
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability | |
| Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| PD - Physical Disability | |
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty | |
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health | Y |
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication | |
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty | |
| Special facilities for Visually Impaired | |
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| VI - Visual Impairment |
Who came from where
| School | Year | Places | Scholarships | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coworth Flexlands School & Nursery | 2023 | 2 | ||
| Dragon School | 2023 | 2 | 1 | 1 Music Exhibition |
| Elstree School | 2023 | 1 | 1 | 1 x Creative Arts Exhibition |
| Hazlegrove School | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Hill House | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Orley Farm School | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Pembridge Hall School | 2023 | 2 | ||
| Prospect House School | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Sarum Hall School | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Thomas's Battersea | 2023 | 2 |
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