The Downs School
Manor Crescent, Newbury, RG20 6AD
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11–18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- SUMMIT EDUCATION TRUST
- Local authority
- West Berkshire
- Sixth form
- Yes
Ofsted
No overall grade (2024) — Inspected 2024–2025 — no overall grade under the interim framework
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 1 October 2024, published 10 November 2024. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 1.22 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 204 | 249 | 523 | 204 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- St Birinus School 9.8 km · No overall grade (2025)
- UTC Oxfordshire 10.2 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Aureus School 10.3 km · No overall grade (2024)
- Didcot Girls' School 10.5 km · Outstanding — confirmed 2022 · previous system
- Trinity School 12 km · Good — confirmed 2024 · previous system
- Kennet School 12.4 km · Good (2024) · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.