Denefield School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,171 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.0
Academy converter
The Downs School
- Pupils on roll
- —of 1,307 places
- Free school meals
- —
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 206
- Ofsted
- Inspected, 1 October 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: The Downs School (URN 110102, until 1 September 2025).
What the data says
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.
Among the 158 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 49% went to university (West Berkshire 42%, England 37%), and 38% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
German is unusually popular at GCSE: 27% of the year group took it, against 5% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 53.4 against 46.1 across England and 48.0 in West Berkshire, with 54% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in West Berkshire and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| 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 students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| 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% |
GCSE results 2025
| 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% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 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 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Management | 23 | 12% | — |
| Health Studies | 19 | 10% | — |
| Sports / Movement Science | 18 | 10% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| 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 | — | — | — |
A level subjects
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 courses
| 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% | — |
Where The Downs School is
Other secondary schools in West Berkshire are shown for comparison; darker blue means more Year 11 leavers stayed in education. The last distance at which this school offered places is not yet on file — it comes from West Berkshire’s allocation statistics.
Other secondary schools in West Berkshire
John O'Gaunt School
Academy sponsor led · 439 pupils
74% stayed in education · Attainment 8 32.0
Kennet School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,824 pupils
85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.5
Little Heath School
Voluntary aided school · sixth form · 1,682 pupils
88% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.2
Park House School
Academy converter · sixth form · 981 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 55.9
St Bartholomew's School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,905 pupils
95% stayed in education · Attainment 8 56.2
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.