Downside School – Benedictine values in action
Downside School is a co-educational Catholic voarding school for girls and boys aged 11 to 18 years old. Set in glorious grounds about half an hour outside Bath, Downside has excellent pastoral care and specialises in a ‘value add’ education.
The Numbers:
357 students
251 boarders
Head: Andrew Hobbs, a classicist with long experience in running good boarding schools.
Downside has impressive results for a broadly non-selective school: pupils gained 65 % A-level A*-B grades and 51 % GCSE A*/A/9/8/7 in 2022.
Each year, students accept offers from a range of leading universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Durham and Edinburgh University. The school has a strong Oxbridge and Russell Group programme which helps gives students the guidance and experience they need to reach higher.
The Benedictine ethos of the school creates a culture of respect and kindness with students genuinely supporting each others’ achievements. Whether it is in the CCF, choir, pipeband, art studios, chess clubs, multiple sports teams or in the debating chamber, there is real enthusiasm to excel in the school.
How do I get into Downside School? What is the admissions process for Downside School?
Downside uses the ISEB Common Pre-test (CPT) followed by an interview.
Visit the school and see groups of students participating in CCF, practising instruments and even making skateboards in the excellent DT department. This is a school with real energy combined with sympathetic pastoral care.
For more information visit: https://www.downside.co.uk/
