Downsend School

What Downsend School does

Downsend School is an independent co-educational school in Leatherhead, Surrey, founded in 1898 and operated as part of the Cognita family of schools. It delivers a fully integrated 0-18 educational offering across five Surrey campuses: three Little Downsend early years/pre-prep sites (Ashtead for ages 6 months to 4; Epsom and Leatherhead for ages 2 to 7), the main Downsend School for Years 3-11 (ages 8-16), and the newly launched Downsend Sixth for ages 16-18. The school's "Future Skills Vision" framework unifies the curriculum across age groups, combining academic rigour with digital mastery, creative problem-solving, and character development.

The school operates substantial physical and digital infrastructure, including a 25m swimming pool, a Creative Arts Centre, specialist labs and studios, extensive playing fields, and a purpose-built sixth form building adjacent to Leatherhead train station. Technology integration is anchored by Microsoft Showcase School status (with Little Downsend achieving Microsoft Incubator Status in December 2022), supported by Seesaw, Tapestry, Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, iSAMS, Salesforce, NetSuite and Cornerstone OnDemand for administration. The school also runs a high-engagement sports programme with national ISFA and IAPS championships and a roster of 1,774+ fixtures annually.

Commercially, Downsend generates revenue through termly tuition fees billed on a subscription/recurring basis across nursery, pre-prep, junior, senior, and sixth-form placements, supplemented by wraparound care, holiday clubs, and scholarship/bursary provisions. Fees are not publicly disclosed; prospective parents are directed through the Cognita admissions portal. The school targets affluent Surrey families seeking private education, with an additional international students admissions channel. The organisation is privately held within Cognita Schools Limited, which is registered in London, with no public listing or external funding events referenced.

Name

Downsend School

Legal name

Cognita Schools Limited

Website

https://downsend.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Downsend School is an independent co-educational day school in Surrey, England, operated within the Cognita group and serving children from nursery (6 months) through sixth form (18) across five campuses in Leatherhead, Ashtead, and Epsom. It delivers a Future Skills-led curriculum emphasising digital mastery, sports, and creative arts, funded through termly tuition fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Leatherhead

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and School Fees: Downsend School generates revenue through tuition fees charged to families for nursery, pre-prep, junior school, senior school, and sixth form education. The school offers wraparound care and holiday clubs as additional fee-based services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Downsend School is an independent co-educational day school in Surrey delivering education from nursery (6 months) through to sixth form (age 18) across five campuses: Little Downsend Ashtead, Little Downsend Epsom, Little Downsend Leatherhead, Downsend Junior and Senior School, and Downsend Sixth. The school provides termly-billed tuition across early years, primary, secondary and post-16 pathways including A-Level, A-Level Combined and BTEC options, alongside wraparound care, holiday clubs, sport, Creative Arts and Design Technology, and the Future Skills Vision framework integrating digital and skills-based learning.

Product overview

Downsend School is an independent private school and nursery in Surrey offering education from Nursery (6 months) through to Sixth Form (age 18). The school operates as a unified educational institution comprising multiple campuses: three Little Downsend early years settings (Ashtead, Epsom, and Leatherhead), a Junior School (Years 3-6), Senior School (Years 7-11), and a newly launched Downsend Sixth Form (Years 12-13). The school is part of the Cognita family of schools. The educational offering is unified through the Future Skills Vision framework, which integrates academic excellence with skills-based learning across all age groups. Key programmes include the D6 Studies Programme (A-Level, BTEC pathways), comprehensive sports programme, Creative Arts and DT, and digital technology integration through Microsoft Showcase School status.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Little Downsend Ashtead Nursery and Pre-School for children aged 6 months to 4 years, located a short walk from Ashtead Village. Provides early years education with a focus on Future Skills and digital mastery, including wraparound care.
• Little Downsend Epsom Nursery and Pre-Prep for children aged 2 to 7, located in Epsom on a site with grassy field, garden and play areas. Provides early years and pre-prep education including wraparound care and clubs.
• Little Downsend Leatherhead The largest of the three Little Downsend schools, providing Nursery and Pre-Prep for children aged 2 to 7, with extensive outdoor facilities including an acre of grassy fields, forest school, stage and climbing equipment.
• Downsend Junior School Junior school for Years 3-6 (ages 7-11), located just outside Leatherhead. Features the new Creative Arts Centre, extensive sporting facilities, 25m pool, specialist labs and studios, with a curriculum including the Future Skills focus.
• Downsend Senior School Senior school for Years 7-11 (ages 11-16), providing a comprehensive curriculum with GCSE options, extensive extracurricular clubs, enrichment activities, and the Future Skills programme.
• Downsend Sixth Form A Level and BTEC provision for ages 16-18 launching September 2025 in a purpose-designed building near Leatherhead train station, with specialist Science Labs, an Innovation Suite, study spaces, a Common Room and a Caf\u00e9.
• D6 Studies Programme Sixth Form academic programme offering A-Level, A-Level Combined, and BTEC pathways including subjects such as Applied Science, Art & Design, BTEC Sport, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Drama, BTEC Business, Economics, English Literature, French, Further Maths, Geography, History, Maths, Media Studies, Music, Physics, Politics, Psychology and Spanish.
• Wraparound Care and Holiday Clubs Before and after school care, holiday clubs, and enrichment activities offered across all school sites as additional fee-based services for enrolled families.

Quantifiable outcome

• National ISFA U11 Champions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or Integration · 6 December 2022Little Downsend achieved Microsoft Incubator Status, the first Early Years/Key Stage 1 setting within Cognita UK to do so. The school participates in Microsoft's Showcase Schools programme focusing on digital transformation, leadership, and intelligent environments.
• Cognita Schools GroupcoreOthersDownsend School is part of the Cognita family of schools, a global group of independent schools. Cognita provides school support, governance, and shared educational resources across its network.
• Surrey County Cricket Club (Surrey CCC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDownsend alumnus Dom Sibley provides cricket coaching to current students through the school's partnership with Surrey CCC. The school benefits from professional cricketer engagement with students.
• Pfizer - Science in a Box ProgrammeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDownsend collaborated with Pfizer through the Science in a Box programme, providing students with hands-on science learning experiences alongside the collaboration with Pfizer through the Science in a Box programme.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/downsend-school

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Downsend School