North Downs Primary School

About North Downs Primary School

North Downs Primary School is a state primary in the Surrey local authority, serving the Mole Valley area under headteacher Jane Douglass. It sits within a competitive landscape of 298 primary schools in the county, where only 33 hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted. The school’s top-performing peers in Surrey include South Farnham School, The Raleigh School, and Cardinal Newman Catholic Primary School, which set a high benchmark locally. North Downs itself has been rated Good by Ofsted, a rating it has held across its most recent inspections. In its 2023 ungraded inspection, the school remained Good, with leadership and management also judged Good. This represents a clear improvement from its 2012 inspection, when overall effectiveness was rated Requires Improvement. The school is mixed, non-denominational, and caters for children aged 4 to 11, with a capacity of 436 pupils.

Academically, North Downs operates without published Key Stage 2 SATs results in this data, so direct comparison to the Surrey local authority average of 66% achieving the expected standard is not possible. However, the school’s Ofsted trajectory is encouraging: the 2014 graded inspection upgraded the school to Good, and the 2023 ungraded inspection confirmed it remains Good, with leadership and management also rated Good. This consistency suggests stable academic provision. The school does not have a sixth form, as it is a primary, and it does not offer nursery provision. For parents focused on measurable outcomes, the lack of published SATs data means they may need to seek additional information from the school directly or from the Department for Education’s performance tables.

The school offers a practical range of facilities, including playing fields, a library, gymnasium, dining hall, forest school, music rooms, ICT suite, and a chapel. Sports provision includes dance, swimming, cricket, tennis, cross country, and football, while extracurricular clubs cover eco, art, choir, and science. These offerings suggest a broad curriculum beyond the core subjects. The school is not oversubscribed in this data, and its Good rating, combined with its location in Mole Valley, may appeal to families seeking a stable, non-denominational primary with outdoor learning opportunities through the forest school. The chapel is an unusual facility for a school with no religious character, so parents may wish to clarify its use. Overall, North Downs suits families who value a Good-rated school with a varied enrichment programme and a clear improvement story from its earlier Requires Improvement days.

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