Downsend School
11+ Admissions Guide 2026

Downsend is an independent, co-educational day school situated on a site it has occupied since 1918. Founded as a boys' preparatory school in Hampstead in 1891, the school became fully co-educational in the mid-1990s and has been part of Cognita Schools Limited since 2006. Pupils from Years 2 to 6 are part of the junior school, while those in Years 7 to 11 make up the senior school. The school aims to inspire a global perspective in its pupils, encouraging an awareness and understanding of the world around them. It works to develop emotional intelligence and to nurture curious, innovative, creative and critical thinkers who can build relationships, lead teams and apply digital skills in an ever-changing world. Pupils come from families with a range of professional backgrounds, most of whom live locally. The school warmly supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as those for whom English is an additional language, and adapts its curriculum to meet the needs of its most able pupils too.