Developing Our Staff In-House – Behind the Scenes at Downe House

At Downe House, it takes a dedicated team of staff across a wide range of roles to ensure the school runs smoothly and every pupil thrives. This month, our Behind the Scenes campaign celebrates the people whose work is often unseen but vital — from keeping the school financially secure, to supporting pupils’ health and wellbeing, to delivering essential resources across the campus. Their expertise, collaboration, and dedication create the foundation for a safe, efficient, and inspiring school community.

Finance Team

Keeping Downe House Strong and Future Focused

The Finance team plays a vital role in ensuring the school operates smoothly and sustainably in a rapidly changing sector. Following the introduction of VAT on school fees in January 2025, the team successfully navigated a complex implementation process while simultaneously accelerating the rollout of new finance systems. Their work has strengthened financial planning and improved the quality and accessibility of data that supports strategic decision making across the school.

Through developments such as Power BI reporting, digital workflows and the use of AI and automation within processes, the team continues to enhance efficiency and insight. This forward thinking approach ensures Downe House remains agile, transparent and well prepared for future challenges.

Our work helps DH maintain financial control, which is key in an ever more challenging independent school sector.

Behind this strategic work sits a highly collaborative team responsible for the school’s day to day financial operations. From managing cash flow and forecasting to ensuring accurate billing, payroll and supplier payments, each role contributes to the stability and confidence that allows the wider school community to thrive.

The Accounts Payable function ensures suppliers are paid promptly and accurately, supporting strong partnerships across the school’s supply chain. Payroll ensures staff are paid correctly and on time, manages pensions and regulatory requirements, and has successfully implemented new systems that improve efficiency and accessibility. Income and billing management supports transparent communication with families, maintains strong financial relationships and underpins the school’s operational continuity. Financial reporting and compliance work ensures robust governance, regulatory accuracy and clear insight for leadership and trustees.

Working closely together, the team provides the financial clarity and control required to support excellent education. Their professionalism, adaptability and commitment to continuous improvement reflect the strength of collaboration behind the scenes at Downe House.

School Delivery Driver and Stores

Keeping Downe House Connected Every Day

Mr Ian Collins plays a central role in the daily life of Downe House, ensuring the school community stays connected, organised and supported behind the scenes. As School Delivery Driver and Stores Operative, he manages the collection, sorting and distribution of post and deliveries across the campus, collecting mail from the Thatcham sorting office, receiving courier parcels and delivering items to staff and Houses multiple times each day.

Ian’s work supports the smooth running of the school in countless practical ways. From managing Smartlog requests for staff to carrying out vehicle checks, handling pharmacy collections and transporting medical samples to Burdwood Surgery, his role links departments and services that keep the school operating efficiently. He also works closely with the Estates team, contributing to the upkeep of facilities and supporting wider operational needs.

Delivering letters and parcels from families helps pupils feel supported and connected, which we hope positively impacts their learning.

A familiar and friendly presence across the campus, Ian interacts daily with staff and pupils, ensuring resources arrive where they are needed so lessons and activities run as planned. His attention to detail extends to tracking unidentified parcels and ensuring items reach the right recipient, reinforcing the sense of care and reliability that underpins the Downe House community.

Ian’s role also brings moments of connection and reassurance. Delivering letters and parcels from families provides a meaningful link between pupils and home, while his decorated buggy at Christmas has become a much loved tradition across the school.

Through practical support, teamwork and a strong sense of service, Ian helps create an environment where staff can focus on teaching and pupils can thrive.

Health Centre Team

Supporting Wellbeing Across the Whole School

The Health Centre team provides holistic care that supports the physical and emotional wellbeing of pupils across the school. Working as a multidisciplinary team of nurses, administrators, doctors, counsellors and visiting specialists, they ensure pupils feel safe, supported and able to thrive in every aspect of school life.

There is no typical day in the Health Centre. The team balances planned care with responsive support, managing everything from everyday illnesses and injuries to chronic health conditions, emotional wellbeing and emergency care. Pupils are supported through clinical assessment, treatment, referrals, and ongoing care, while staff and House teams receive guidance and training to ensure consistent support across the school.

A strong focus on health and wellbeing allows girls to engage fully in school life and achieve their best outcomes.

The Pastoral Administrator plays a key role in coordinating appointments, managing referrals, supporting communication with families and external professionals, and ensuring the smooth day to day running of the Health Centre. Nurses provide clinical care, emotional reassurance and continuity of support, working closely with House staff, teachers and external healthcare providers.

Teamwork is central to the Health Centre’s success. Strong communication, shared responsibility and mutual support enable the team to respond effectively in a busy and dynamic environment. Collaboration extends beyond the Health Centre itself, with Estates assisting with logistics such as prescriptions and samples, Catering ensuring staff are supported during long shifts, and IT maintaining essential systems that support care delivery and safety.

By creating a calm, supportive environment where pupils feel listened to and cared for, the Health Centre enables students to engage fully in school life. Supporting long term health, resilience and wellbeing helps ensure every pupil has the foundation to succeed during their time at Downe House and beyond.