Secondary school in Newbury, West Berkshire
The Downs School
Manor Crescent, Compton, Newbury, Berkshire, RG20 6AD
Ofsted
Inspected under the current framework, which gives no overall grade, on 1 October 2024.
Inspections since September 2024 do not give an overall grade, so there is no one-word judgement to report. The full report sets out what inspectors found.
Pupils
- Places
- 1307
The neighbourhood around the school
Census 2021 figures for West Berkshire 001B, the statistical neighbourhood the school sits in — roughly 1,500 residents. It describes the area, not the pupils, who may travel in from further away.
- Adults with a degree
- 39%
- Adults with no qualifications
- 11%
- Households owning their home
- 65%
- Households in social housing
- 22%
- Households with no car
- 7%
- Adults economically inactive
- 30%
England 33.8%
England 18.3%
England 62.7%
England 17%
England 21.9%
England 39.9%
School details
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- Ages 11–18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Religious character
- None
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Nursery
- No
- Boarding
- Day school
- Trust
- SUMMIT EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Headteacher: Chris Prosser
- Local authority
- West Berkshire
- Ward
- Ridgeway
- Constituency
- Reading West and Mid Berkshire
- URN
- 151957
The unique reference number used in all official school data.
Nearest secondary schools
| School | Ofsted | Attainment 8 | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cranford SchoolOther independent school | No grade | — | 5.1 mi |
| Downe HouseOther independent school | No grade | — | 5.4 mi |
| St Birinus SchoolAcademy converter | No grade | 48.2 | 6.1 mi |
| UTC OxfordshireUniversity technical college | Good 2023 | 32.5 | 6.3 mi |
| Aureus SchoolAcademy sponsor led | No grade | 33.7 | 6.4 mi |
| Didcot Girls' SchoolAcademy converter | Outstanding 2022 | 58.8 | 6.5 mi |
| Pangbourne CollegeOther independent school | No grade | — | 6.7 mi |
| Bradfield CollegeOther independent school | No grade | — | 6.9 mi |
Where these figures come from
- School details, address and pupil numbers — Get Information About Schools, the DfE register, as at 14 August 2026.
- Exam results — DfE performance tables, 2024/25.
- Free school meals, EAL and SEN — school census, 2024/25.
- Ofsted — Ofsted management information, latest inspections as at 30 June 2026.
- Neighbourhood figures — ONS Census 2021, lower layer super output area.
All published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. If something here looks wrong, the school's own website is the authority on admissions and open days.