Governing Board
“The Downs School is an inclusive and supportive environment where students are exceptionally proud of their school and feel very safe.” OFSTED
Welcome from the Chair of the Governing Board
From your first visit to our school, our welcoming and inspiring atmosphere is evident. Students, staff, parents and governors alike, are proud of our school and the supportive community that has been cultivated. We are committed to continually strive to help all our students reach their true potential and ready them for life beyond The Downs School & Sixth Form.
At the heart of all we do is the outstanding teaching that is on offer at The Downs School. As governors we find our regular and varied visits into school to be such a rich source of evidence for this. We have an exceptionally dedicated and enthusiastic team of staff who all work to support our students. Highlights of this include the excellent relationships cultivated between teachers and students where everyone’s contribution is valued; a focus on both the content of a subject and on the broader skills such as resilience and responsibility; encouraging a culture of risk-taking in the classroom to try new and engaging things; caring staff who offer our students high quality guidance and wisdom; a wonderful team of very able support staff who help those who have an additional level of need; a champion of more able students providing them with additional opportunities to grow; a dedicated pastoral team who embody the importance placed on the student voice, both collectively and as individual students; staff working as positive role models to our students by remaining passionate about their own development.
The continued success of our relentless focus on improving the quality of teaching is in no small part due to the outstanding leadership at The Downs School. Our Headteacher, Mr Chris Prosser, has worked tirelessly to continually progress the school beyond outstanding. He is a passionate educator who leads by example and brings a reflective approach which has worked well in the years he has been Headteacher; he embodies the school approach of 'Learning together, learning for life'.
The Governing Board have developed a positive working relationship with Chris and his school leaders, of which we are very proud. This is based on having the well-being of all stakeholders (students, staff and parents) at the heart of our discussions. By continuing to work together with a common vision, we can see that the best is yet to come at The Downs School.
Andy Tow
Chair of Governors
