Year 7 - 11
Welcome to The Downs School & Sixth Form Admissions
Choosing the right school is an important step for every family, and we are delighted that you are considering joining our award winning School in Compton, West Berkshire.
Whether you are applying for Year 7 or an in-year place our Admissions team is here to help guide you through the process and answer any questions you may have along the way. Our Sixth Form Admissions Team have a seperate process and we kindly as you visit this page for full details.
As a state secondary School, all admissions for years 7 to 11 are managed by West Berkshire Council and information and details of the application process are available on their website below:
West Berkshire Schools Information and Applications via this link
Types of Application
1. First Point Entry: Moving from Primary School (Year 6) to Secondary School (Year 7)
Applications open at the beginning of September and close at the end of October. All first point applications must be made to the Admissions Department of the county or borough in which a child lives. The Admissions Department concerned will send the child's details to West Berkshire's Admissions Team after the national closing date for secondary school applications. Details of West Berkshire's secondary school application process can be found in the secondary school admissions pages of their website via the following link:
https://info.westberks.gov.uk/secondaryadmissions
Residents of other local authorities will need to check the secondary school admissions information for their own authority. The majority of applications The Downs School receives from people outside of West Berkshire are from Oxfordshire. Details of their secondary school application process can be found via the following link:
Year 7 applications | Oxfordshire County Council
2. In-Year Transfers Years 7 to 11
Once a child has started secondary school, parents and carers can make an application for The Downs School at any time. This is known as an in-year transfer application. The Downs School is part of West Berkshire's Admissions' In-Year Co-ordination Scheme. This means that all in-year transfer applications for Years 7 to 11 should be made directly to West Berkshire's Admissions Department, regardless of where a child lives. Details on this process, including the application form itself can be found on the in-year places page in the school admissions section of West Berkshire's website via the following link:
https://info.westberks.gov.uk/inyearadmissions
In-Year Transfers between West Berkshire Schools
Where an application is received for a child to move between West Berkshire schools, the 2021 Admissions Code requires the Local Authority to notify both schools concerned and both schools to notify each other if there are any concerns if the child were to move. Both schools would then be expected to meet with the parents/carers to discuss the school move.
Catchment Area
A change was made to our catchment area in September 2019 with the addition of Catchment Area 2. The Downs School catchment area is unique to The Downs School and, although in general the school catchment areas in West Berkshire border each other, this is not a rule that must be followed. Catchment Area 2 (labelled as Zone 2 on the 2019/20 catchment map) overlaps parts of the existing Kennet School and Trinity school catchment areas and children who live in these areas live in two secondary school catchment areas. A map detailing the catchment areas of all West Berkshire secondary schools can be found via the link below:
Travel to school
Information about school transport can be found by clicking the link below.
Visit our School
Click for information about open evenings and mornings and tours of the school.
The Right to Appeal
Parents and carers have the right to appeal an admissions decision. The Downs School uses West Berkshire's Appeals Service to hear its appeals. Details about the appeals' process can be found on West Berkshire Council's website via the following link:
https://info.westberks.gov.uk/admissionappeals
The Summit Education Trust
From 1 April 2026, The Downs School & Sixth is a proud founding member of the Summit Education Trust. For the purpose of the Admissions Arrangements for 2027/28, the schools that make up the Summit Education Trust are:
- The Downs School & Sixth Form
- Compton C of E Primary School
- Basildon C of E Primary School
Consultation for Admissions Arrangements for 2028-29
The Downs School is consulting on a specific point within its tiebreaker section, namely how places will be allocated to two or more students, who live exactly the same distance from the school and are not part of a multiple birth. This is a technical clarification arising from admissions requirements rather than a significant change in admissions practice. Please see below for the consultation document and the proposed Admissions Arrangements for 2028-29. Please note that the Admissions Arrangements have not yet been ratified by the Local Governing Body (this will only happen once the consultation has closed and the Local Governing Body have met to consider any comments made during the consultation process). The proposed addition to the arrangements is highlighted in green.
The consultation will run from Friday, 6 November 2026 to Friday, 18 December 2026.
Admissions Consultation Document
Proposed Admissions Arrangements for 2028-29
The Downs School PAN
From September 2018 the PAN (the number of students admitted to year 7) is 210.
Admission Arrangements Documents
The Admission Arrangements include an explanation of our over-subscription criteria and the West Berkshire Council appeals process.
The Downs School PAN
From September 2018 the PAN (the number of students admitted to year 7) is 210.
