A Very Warm Welcome

Dear Parents, Carers, and Students,

A warm welcome to The Downs School & Sixth Form. I am Mr. Sutherland, Assistant Headteacher for Key Stage 3 (Year 7, 8 & 9), and I have the privilege of overseeing your child's transition from Year 6 to Year 7.

I know that moving to secondary school is an exciting step, and over the coming weeks, you and your child will have many questions. Rest assured, these will all be answered in due course, and we are here to support you every step of the way.

There is so much to look forward to as you prepare to join our school community. Please take a moment to explore the timeline on this page to familiarise yourself with key events leading up to September.

At The Downs School, we are proud to be a positive learning environment where every student is valued and supported. Our vision is:

‘Educating today's students for the world of tomorrow’

By 'Learning together, learning for life'.

But what does this mean?

• Learning together means we support one another to explore new ideas, take risks, learn from mistakes, and embrace differences in cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds.
• Learning for life means we equip students with the confidence, resilience, and skills to succeed both in school and beyond. We encourage curiosity, independence, and a strong sense of responsibility toward the wider community.

Our core 'CREARCI' values - courage, responsibility, equality, ambition, resilience, creativity, and integrity are at the heart of everything we do. I see these values in action every day as I walk around the school, and I am excited for you to experience them too.

I encourage you to explore this section of the website, watch our school film, and get to know more about what makes The Downs School such a special place.

I look forward to welcoming you in September and supporting you on this exciting journey!

Best wishes,
Mr. Sutherland
Assistant Headteacher – Key Stage 3

 

Hello from Mr Sutherland, March 2025