Search or spotlight in iPad
Swiping down from the top middle of my iPhone works. Swiping down on iPad only brings up notifications but no search.
iPad Air, iOS 13
Question marked as
Don’t swipe downwards from the top edge - as doing so will open the Notifications page (as you’ve discovered).
Instead, touch the screen anywhere within the screen area - and then swipe downwards to reveal the Search dialogue. If you struggle with this - then go for dead-centre of the screen itself.
I recommend reading the iPad User Guide for iPadOS - downloadable for free within the Apple Book Store. You’ll find details of all the new gestures and features of iPadOS.