About the school
Downside School is a co-educational boarding and day school for pupils aged from 11 to 18 years. The
school was founded in Douai, France, in 1606 by the Benedictine community of St Gregory the Great. ln the late eighteenth century, the abbey and school moved to England; it has been on its present site in Stratton-on-the-Fosse south of Bath since 1814. The school adjoins the Benedictine monastery but is separate from it. The school is currently a registered charity, whose trustees act as the schoo's proprietors and are all monks appointed either by the abbot or by the community. The creation of a new, discrete school trust is underway, with the process to appoint new trustees begun. Under the existing arrangements, the trustees have appointed a governing body to act as their agents in the oversight of the school. The governing body of ten is comprised mainly of professional lay people, with three monks. The trustees are chaired by the prior and a new, lay chair of governors was appointed in January 2018. A new head master was appointed in September 2018, alongside a new deputy head.
What the school seeks to do
The school aims to provide a Catholic education for its pupils guided by the Rule of St Benedict. lt
aspires to educate each pupil so that they should achieve the highest academic and personal standards and develop all their gifts to become more fruitfully committed to Christ, his Church and the service of others.
About the pupils
Boys in Years 7 to 9 join Powell House, before moving up to one of three senior boys' houses, Barlow,
Roberts or Smythe, for Years 10 to 13. There are two girls' houses. Girls in Years 7 to 9 join lsabella House and either continue in that house for Years 10 to 13 or join Caverel House in Year 10. Day pupils are all allocated to boarding houses, through which arrangement they receive their pastoral care. Pupils are drawn mainly, but not exclusively, from Catholic families in the south of England with some from further afield or overseas, including Central America, Europe and the Far East. Most are of white British ethnicity, with a broad mix of other cultures and ethnicities.
The ability profile in Years 7 to 10 is above the national average. That in the sixth form is broadly
average. There are 75 pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), of whom 47 receive specialist support. None has an education and health care plan or statement of educational needs. There are 138 pupils who have English as an additional language (EAL), of whom 60 require support. The school has identified 101 pupils as being more able and/or having particular talents. The curriculum is modified for these pupils and additional activities are provided.
A warm welcome to you … to the website for Downside, one of England’s oldest and most distinguished Catholic schools.
