Mole Valley District Council signs lease with Cognita for new ...
Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) has exchanged contracts with Cognita (the parent company of Downsend School) to locate the new Downsend sixth form centre in the MVDC-owned ‘Elite House’ at Focal Point, Guildford Road, Leatherhead.
Completion of the lease agreement is expected to take place by the end of December 2024.
Cognita has already obtained planning permission (ref MO/2024/1488) for a change of use and programme of refurbishment (including the installation of electric vehicle charging points and other sustainability-related projects) which will now begin in the new year.
The brand new Downsend School Sixth Form aims to open its doors to 16-18 year-olds in time for the start of the new school year in September 2025.
Councillor Keira Vyvyan-Robinson, MVDC Cabinet Member for Projects, said: “Downsend School has been an integral part of the Leatherhead community for over 125 years and we are delighted to extend a very warm welcome to them to Focal Point.
“The establishment of a new sixth form department shows a positive growth and commitment to the local economy and will certainly provide a youthful boost to this western edge of town location, close to the key facilities of Leatherhead Leisure Centre and Leatherhead FC.
We wish Downsend Sixth Form a bright and happy future at Elite House.”
Ian Thorpe, Executive Head at Downsend, further said: “Throughout its long history, Downsend has generated a reputation in the local area for being a nurturing and forward-thinking school, committed to ensuring that children move on to the next stage of their education with all of the skills required to be both happy and successful.
In 2020, this journey extended into GCSE provision and I am delighted that the success of this move now allows us to complete the full through-school offering for Downsend students from 6 months to 18 years of age.
Downsend Sixth embodies our Future Skills vision in both design and curricular offering. With its own campus close to the train station, town centre and sporting and theatre facilities, it will allow young adults to be treated as such under the watchful eye of our dedicated staff. At Downsend Sixth, they will innovate and collaborate, problem-solve and create responses to the changing world around them. When they leave us, they will be ready for university, apprenticeships or the workplace with the world, quite literally, at their feet.”
