The Downs School
About half of sixth-formers go on to university — well above the England rate.
of sixth-form leavers started university · West Berkshire 42% · England 37% · DfE destination measures, students who left in 2023
- Ofsted
- Inspected
- Places
- —
Ofsted: Short inspection, 1 October 2024: see the report · report. Places: the last distance at which places were offered is not on file (it comes from West Berkshire’s allocation statistics).
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: The Downs School (URN 110102, until 1 September 2025).
Where do pupils go at 16?
DfE Key Stage 4 destination measures · 203 pupils who left Year 11 in 2023
Of the 203 pupils who finished Year 11 at The Downs School in 2023, 75% stayed on in The Downs School’s own sixth form (West Berkshire average 54%), 15% went to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
Stayed in education — counted only if the pupil was still there for two terms of the next year; apprenticeships and jobs are counted the same way.
Full breakdown11
| Measure | The Downs School | West Berkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 203 | 1,976 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 97% | 95% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 94% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 75% | 54% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 2% | 6% | 13% |
| — further education college | 15% | 25% | 37% |
| — other education | 2% | 4% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 4% | 3% |
| Employment | — | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 2% | 3% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 2% | 3% |
Where do sixth-formers go at 18?
DfE 16–18 destination measures · 158 students who left in 2023
49% went to university (England 37%). 4% started an apprenticeship (England 7%). 36% went into work and 7% had no steady place a year on (England 28% and 16%).
Most selective universities — the third of UK universities whose entrants hold the highest grades; the share is of students who completed level 3 qualifications.
Full breakdown7
| Measure | The Downs School | West Berkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 158 | 1,453 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 90% | 87% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 49% | 42% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 38% | 21% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 3% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 7% | 7% |
| Employment | 36% | 34% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 7% | 10% | 16% |
How do GCSE results compare?
Attainment 8 — average GCSE points across eight subjects, English and maths counted twice; grade 5 in everything scores 50.
DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · 206 pupils in Year 11
54% got grade 5 or above in both English and maths (West Berkshire 48%, England 45%).
Grade 5 — a “strong pass”; grade 4 is a “standard pass”. Progress 8 is not published for 2025: this cohort had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020–21, so there is no baseline.
All GCSE measures10
| Measure | The Downs School | West Berkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 53.4 | 48.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 54% | 48% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 77% | 69% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 72% | 43% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.98 | 4.29 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 12% | 17% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 36.3 | 29.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 55.6 | 51.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 1% | 9% | 19% |
What do pupils study?
Mapped — the share of the 3,288 learning outcomes the Department for Education sets for these stages that the subjects taken here cover, weighted by how many pupils take each.
DfE subject entries 2025 · curriculum catalogue by sch.today
German stands out at GCSE — 27% of the year group took it, against 5% across England.
Fields of knowledge — twelve fields the curriculum catalogue sorts every learning outcome into; the bars show the GCSE and A level ring.
GCSE subjects26
Entries as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 205 | 100% | 88% | 33% | 22% | 82% |
| English Language | 205 | 100% | 89% | 27% | 20% | 81% |
| English Literature | 204 | 99% | 86% | 26% | 21% | 80% |
| Combined Science | 151 | 73% | 65% | 15% | 9% | 68% |
| History | 139 | 67% | 41% | 26% | 26% | 69% |
| Geography | 80 | 39% | 41% | 38% | 25% | 81% |
| French | 61 | 30% | 18% | 30% | 29% | 70% |
| Biology | 55 | 27% | 23% | 58% | 45% | 95% |
| German | 55 | 27% | 5% | 15% | 33% | 60% |
| Chemistry | 54 | 26% | 23% | 67% | 47% | 100% |
| Physics | 54 | 26% | 23% | 65% | 46% | 96% |
| Fine Art | 53 | 26% | 9% | 19% | 28% | 96% |
| Psychology | 48 | 23% | 3% | 15% | 22% | 67% |
| Computer Science | 42 | 20% | 13% | 24% | 30% | 48% |
| Spanish | 41 | 20% | 19% | 10% | 27% | 56% |
| Design and Technology | 40 | 19% | 11% | 15% | 23% | 70% |
| Business Studies | 38 | 18% | 18% | 13% | 20% | 74% |
| Drama | 29 | 14% | 7% | 31% | 27% | 76% |
| Statistics | 23 | 11% | 5% | 87% | 20% | 100% |
| Economics | 15 | 7% | 1% | 33% | 34% | 80% |
| Physical Education | 14 | 7% | 11% | 21% | 24% | 79% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 14 | 7% | 8% | 14% | 21% | 50% |
| Music | 12 | 6% | 5% | 50% | 33% | 92% |
| Religious Studies | 12 | 6% | 31% | 42% | 32% | 75% |
| Dance | 12 | 6% | 1% | 0% | 27% | 67% |
| Film Studies | 11 | 5% | 1% | 18% | 20% | 64% |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications3
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Management | 23 | 12% | — |
| Health Studies | 19 | 10% | — |
| Sports / Movement Science | 18 | 10% | — |
A level subjects25
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 60 | 32% | 31% |
| Sociology | 49 | 26% | 13% |
| Psychology | 35 | 19% | 23% |
| Economics | 32 | 17% | 13% |
| History | 30 | 16% | 13% |
| Biology | 26 | 14% | 20% |
| Law | 26 | 14% | 4% |
| Geography | 24 | 13% | 10% |
| Physics | 22 | 12% | 12% |
| Chemistry | 21 | 11% | 17% |
| Computer Science | 20 | 11% | 5% |
| Politics | 19 | 10% | 6% |
| Further Mathematics | 17 | 9% | 5% |
| Film Studies | 17 | 9% | 2% |
| Business Studies | 15 | 8% | 13% |
| Product Design | 15 | 8% | 2% |
| English Literature | 14 | 8% | 11% |
| Mathematics (Statistics) | 13 | 7% | 0% |
| English Language and Literature | 13 | 7% | 2% |
| Philosophy | 11 | 6% | 1% |
| Fine Art | 8 | 4% | 3% |
| Drama | 6 | 3% | 2% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Italian | — | — | 0% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses8
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 19 | 10% | — |
| Multimedia | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 18 | 10% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 18 | 10% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 17 | 9% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 15 | 8% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 11 | 6% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 10 | 5% | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 7 | 4% | — |
A level results8
| Measure | The Downs School | West Berkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 397 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 186 | 1,071 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 39.09 | 34.96 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 26% | 17% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
Fields of knowledge, all stages12
Ideas pupils meet most, weighted by the share of the cohort taking the subjects that teach them:
Coverage counts a subject’s outcomes in proportion to the share of the cohort entered for it; Combined Science counts as two thirds of the three separate sciences. Levels follow ISCED 2011 as UNESCO maps it for the UK: Key Stage 3 is ISCED 2; GCSE and A level are both ISCED 3. Methodology: about the data.
Which jobs use what’s taught here?
A match of what’s taught, not of entry requirements: the standards whose knowledge and skills share the most ideas with the GCSEs and A levels taken here, weighted by how many pupils take each subject.
Level 3 / Level 6 — England’s qualification levels: 3 is A level standard, 4–5 are higher apprenticeships, 6 is a bachelor’s degree.
Skills England apprenticeship standards (Open Government Licence v3.0) · ESCO occupations, © European Union, matched by sch.today · how the match works
More apprenticeships9
How do you get a place?
The last distance at which The Downs School offered Year 7 places is not yet on file; it comes from West Berkshire’s allocation statistics.
- 31 OctApply to West Berkshire in Year 6 for a Year 7 place
- 1 MarNational Offer Day
- Dec–FebYear 11: apply directly to the sixth form; most close applications in these months
Compare with nearby schools
More West Berkshire schools3
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.