Downe House
Downe House
Downe House
Downe House
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Downe House Thatcham, Berkshire Visit
school

Downe House
Thatcham
578 pupils, ages 11-18
Girls only
Day and Boarding

Downe House

Tradition and innovation are expertly entwined at this all-girls powerhouse that achieves enviable results but never at the expense of pupils’ wellbeing. There’s a refreshing balance of work and play here, something the head Emma McKendrick (who is something of a doyenne in the world of education) is rightly proud of. Sixth formers leave with all the tools they need to succeed (including a mini-MBA) and a tight-knit community that stays with them for life. A two-mile drive off the M4 and a stone’s throw from Newbury, the low-slung whitewashed buildings and tangy orange r...
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Gallery See All

Downe House girls sitting in a dormitory reading a book
Creative arts class at Downe House
Girls in costume performing on stage in the Lion King
Downe House lower school girls sitting in a kitchen having tea and biscuits
Girls in green blazers playing the flute
Girls in green blazers in class with their hands up
Two girls in green jumpers standing by a white robot
Two girls in uniform walking through woods
Girls playing hockey white shirts and green socks
  • Academic results

  • Subjects offered

  • Fees and bursaries

    Day fees per term

    Year 7£12,610
    Year 8 £12,610
    Year 9 £12,610
    Year 10£12,610
    Year 11£12,610
    Year 12£12,610
    Year 13£12,610
    Boarding fees per term

    Year 7£16,955
    Year 8 £16,955
    Year 9 £16,955
    Year 10 £16,955
    Year 11£16,955
    Year 12£16,955
    Year 13£16,955




    Bursaries
    Downe House offers fee support of up to 100 per cent, with the potential for a further allowance for additional costs, to families who would not otherwise be able to afford them. Last year 22 girls benefited from both full and partial financial awards. Bursaries are available at all points of entry to the school and vary in size depending on the applicant’s family circumstances. Downe House recently launched its Centenary Day Bursaries, which cover up to 100 per cent of day fees for local pupils.

    Bursary contact:
    Registrar Miss Angela Nutt
    nutta@downehouse.net
  • Transport links

  • Parents tell us

  • Pupils tell us

School Updates

  • A Level results set Downe House girls on course for very bright futures

    Downe House are absolutely delighted for their Class of 2023 who received their A Level results today.
    A Level results set Downe House girls on course for very bright futures
  • Downe House's Pupil Editor: people who inspire me

    Downe House's Pupil Editor: people who inspire me
  • WATCH: The Spirit of Downe House

    WATCH: The Spirit of Downe House
  • WATCH: Sport at Downe House

    WATCH: Sport at Downe House
  • WATCH: Downe House Dance and Drama

    WATCH: Downe House Dance and Drama
  • The Worshipful Company of Cooks Visits Downe House

    Downe House Head Chef has been expanding his extensive experience through the outstanding course for the professional development of chefs run by the Worshipful Company of Cooks and Westminster Kingsway College.
    The Worshipful Company of Cooks Visits Downe House
  • Junior Medley Lecture with award-winning filmmaker

    Downe House was pleased to welcome Cold Ash Scouts to their latest Junior Medley Lecture with BAFTA and Emmy award-winning filmmaker, Anthony Geffen.
    Junior Medley Lecture with award-winning filmmaker
  • Downe House Innovative STEM Shorts Event – Inspired and Inspiring!

    A group of Upper Sixth STEM students treated their fellow sixth formers, Scholars from across the school and members of the STEM subjects’ staff to an inspiring evening of short talks.
    Downe House Innovative STEM Shorts Event – Inspired and Inspiring!
  • See Downe House in our Senior Boarding Schools Guide.

    See Downe House in our Senior Boarding Schools Guide.
  • Downe House partnership with SpringBoard to transform futures.

    Downe House has a long and proud history of providing an outstanding education for young people. We are delighted to have partnered with Royal National Children's SpringBoard Foundation (RNCSF) which will enable us to widen our reach to others who would not usually be able to access a Downe House education.
    Downe House partnership with SpringBoard to transform futures.
  • Downe House - Raising Respect Conference

    Raising Respect conference, hosted by Downe House, saw over 100 delegates from Schools across the country gather to discuss and explore the important pastoral care and safeguarding issues faced by schools and educators.
    Downe House - Raising Respect Conference
  • Downe House First School to introduce Virtual Reality and AI-Assisted technologies into its Sixth Form Interview Preparation Programme

    Complementing traditional in-person preparations with the most advanced technologies and empowering students to charge of their own learning.
    Downe House First School to introduce Virtual Reality and AI-Assisted technologies into its Sixth Form Interview Preparation Programme
  • WATCH: Welcome from the Headmistress

    WATCH:  Welcome from the Headmistress
  • WATCH: Creative Arts

    WATCH: Creative Arts
  • WATCH: Music

    WATCH: Music
  • WATCH: The Downe House DNA

    WATCH: The Downe House DNA
  • WATCH: Sport at Downe House

    WATCH: Sport at Downe House
  • WATCH: Downe House Family-Friendly Boarding

    WATCH: Downe House Family-Friendly Boarding
  • WATCH: Downe House Global Academy

    WATCH: Downe House Global Academy
  • WATCH: Sixth Form interview training programme

    WATCH: Sixth Form interview training programme
  • Downe House Pupil Editors: how pupils are driving positive environmental change

    Downe House Pupil Editors: how pupils are driving positive environmental change
  • View from the Top: Emma McKendrick on the values of a single-sex boarding education

    View from the Top: Emma McKendrick on the values of a single-sex boarding education
  • A pupil's-eye view of Downe House

    A pupil's-eye view of Downe House
  • Hear a parent and pupil talk about their experience of Downe House

    Hear a parent and pupil talk about their experience of Downe House
  • Talk Education's senior boarding focus - Downe House

    Talk Education's senior boarding focus - Downe House
  • 11+ or 13+: which one is right for my daughter?

    11+ or 13+: which one is right for my daughter?

Essentials

Address
Hermitage Road, Cold Ash, Thatcham, Berkshire RG18 9JJ

Contact
registrar@downehouse.net
01635 200286

Website
downehouse.net

ISI Report

Fees

Term Dates

Bursaries


Open Days

Open days and how to visit View Open Days Register for open Day

Open Day
16 November 2024


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