Welcome to our learning community. We are all tremendously proud of our students here and I am lucky to work with such a committed team of colleagues, both teaching and non-teaching, who all work hard to do their best for the young people who come to Downside.

If you asked our students what rights they have, we would expect them to tell you that they have the right to learn, the right to be respected and the right to be safe. These core values are at the heart of the school and implicit in all that we do. Consequently, teaching staff prepare well-planned, interesting lessons and the expectation is that students allow those lessons to be taught; in that way learning and respect are closely intertwined. Furthermore, all of us, both students and staff, expect to be able to go about our daily business in an atmosphere free from intimidation and bullying. As a result, our expectations with regard to standards of behaviour are very high. We welcome all students able to meet these expectations. more...