Downe House
Cold Ash, Thatcham, RG18 9JJ
- Phase
- Independent schools
- School type
- Other independent school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Girls
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Emma McKendrick
- Boarding
- Boarding school
- Constituency
- Newbury
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 610
- Pupils on roll
- 535
- URN
- 110123
- Local authority
- West Berkshire
- Telephone
- 01635200286
About this school
Downe House is a Church of England girls' independent school in Thatcham. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 535 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has not yet inspected Downe House under its current framework. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Downe House has not been inspected by Ofsted yet. It opened in its current form in January 1909, and new or converted schools usually wait a few years for their first inspection.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 89 | 112 | 105 |
| Attainment 8 score | 43.4 | 44.7 | 18.6 |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.0 | 3.2 | 1.4 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Downe House has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | West Berkshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 43.4 | 41 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 44.7 | 40.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 18.6 | 38.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 551 |
| 2023/24 | 556 |
| 2024/25 | 542 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 0%
- Pupils with an EHC plan
- 0
- Pupils on SEN support
- 141
Location
Nearby schools
-
Brockhurst and Marlston House Schools1.6 miles
Independent schools · Thatcham
-
Priors Court School1.9 miles
Special schools · Thatcham
-
Engaging Potential2.3 miles
Special schools · Newbury
-
Mary Hare School2.4 miles
Special schools · Newbury
-
The Grange School2.5 miles
Special schools · Thatcham
Other schools in Thatcham
- Brockhurst and Marlston House Schools Independent schools
- Cheam School Independent schools
- Ashford Hill Primary School Primary
- Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School Primary
- Curridge Primary School Primary
- Francis Baily Primary School Primary
- Hampstead Norreys C.E. Primary School Primary
- Hermitage Primary School Primary
- Parsons Down Infant School Primary
- Parsons Down Junior School Primary
- Spurcroft Primary School Primary
- St Finian's Catholic Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Downe House teach?
- Downe House teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is an independent school in Thatcham.
- Who is the headteacher of Downe House?
- The headteacher of Downe House is Mrs Emma McKendrick, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Downe House been inspected?
- Ofsted has not inspected Downe House under its current framework, so no current judgement is shown. That is common for newer schools and is not a mark against a school.
- How big is Downe House?
- Downe House has 535 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Downe House full?
- Downe House has capacity for 610 pupils and 535 on roll (88%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Downe House a faith school?
- Yes. Downe House is designated Church of England.
- How have Downe House's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 43.4 in 2022/23 and 18.6 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What are Downe House's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Downe House's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 24 July 2026.