Not many schools in the world could boast that they provide a home for the oldest privately owned light railway in the world. The spirit of the railway has never been so strong, with over eighteen boys and girls and up to ten adults each week actively involved in its continued development.  Not many nine year old children can say they have helped lay a train track, understood the concept of steam power and driven a steam train.

Our trains have supplemented our Early Years transport topic work; steam has been the theme for national science week and our artists have been inspired to produce a Railway Calendar with railway inspired paintings, drawings and even a cross stitch as illustrations.

Once again we have celebrated the success of our scholars and 100% gaining entry to their first choice school.

Our Under 13 Boys’ hockey team were silver medallists in the County Tournament and our Under 11 Boys’ hockey team represented Herefordshire at the West of England Championships.

William Vanston, our nationally ranked squash player, is now 14th in England at Under 14 level and has been awarded the first Squash Sports Scholarship to Malvern College; Daisy Powles has been selected to play both girls hockey and cricket for Worcestershire and has also been awarded a Sports Scholarship to Malvern.

The choir has been on tour to Belgium, won the Cheltenham Festival Cup for Choirs in the U13 category and our productions of ‘Whipplesrumptious’, ‘Rise and Shine’ and the Kindergarten Nativity illustrated the amazing talents of our children and their supporting staff.

We now face a year in which we have to build a new future for our school as we prepare to merge with Malvern College Prep.  With new friends joining us in September 2008 and new ideas to explore, we will take the time to reflect on what we do and, because so much is exemplary, we will consolidate what is good and take this opportunity to develop areas of perceived weakness.  The Downs site deserves a chance in this highly competitive world and with better financial security and therefore a more guaranteed future, prospective Old Downians can continue to experience what is uniquely ours and a lot more. Watch this space - aedificandum est.