Prospectus
Presentation Evening 2010
Celebrating Acheivement at all Levels
Our annual Prize Giving and Certificate Presentation Evening is a significant highlight of the school year. Each December we look back over the previous academic year and formally recognise the outstanding achievements of our students. That achievement comes as a result of the efforts of staff at all levels and the hard work and commitment of the young people.
This year we were delighted to welcome as our guest speaker for the evening, Jonny Saunders. He has been a sports reporter all his working life - first of all at Capital Radio in London and since 1999 with the BBC Radio Sports department. Since 2006 he has been the Radio 2 sports presenter. He talked about the need to show initiative and tenacity to succeed in life and cited his colleague, DJ Chris Evans, as an example of someone who did not come from a privileged background, but by working hard and using initiative he has become incredibly successful at what he does. Jonny said that on the occasions when he has taken part in activities at The Downs School, he could see that not only are our academic achievements high, but students and staff also show great initiative and tenacity.
During the evening there were awards for academic achievement, but also for effort and successes in sport, work experience, performing arts and service to the school. A number of awards and trophies have been donated in memory of past students and teachers including: the Pemberton Trophy, in memory of a former student Will Pemberton, for outstanding contribution to Performing Arts within the school; the Shepheard Trophy for contribution and dedication to sport, previously awarded to Theo Walcot and the Pam Smethurst-Evans Citizenship Award in memory of a former Deputy Headteacher. This year saw the introduction of two new awards; the Colin Clay cup, which was presented by a former teacher of the same name, to recognise sporting endeavour and the Felimond Award, which was an initiative of our students, in memory of a teacher who tragically died during the last academic year. The cup is awarded for the newcomer who has made the biggest impact. Mr Felimond’s widow presented the prize and cup named in memory of her husband.
All students who completed their GCSE examinations last year were invited to receive their formal examination certificates. The Downs School GCSE results for 2010 were one of the best in West Berkshire. Most students return to the Downs Sixth Form to continue their studies but some, deciding on a different career path, took the wonderful opportunity to catch up with former students and staff.
Our former Sixth Formers were also invited back to receive their formal examination certificates and Awards. It is particularly pleasing to welcome them back from University, Gap Year travels and success in training and employment. The Downs Sixth Form has experienced consistently outstanding results in the last 5 years and this was reflected in the high level of interest in our recent Sixth Form Open Evening.
We are proud to be comfortably in the top 10% of schools in the country for exam success but we are equally proud to be able to celebrate, on this formal occasion, that the Downs School is much more than that. Our students achieve in all walks of life and different aspects of education, demonstrating that the Downs experience sets the foundations for successful life experiences.
