Downside School | |
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Location | |
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, , BA3 4RJ England | |
Coordinates | 51°15′18″N 2°29′42″W / 51.255°N 2.495°W |
Information | |
Other name | Downside |
Type | Independent, day and boarding school |
Motto | Latin: Apud bonos iura pietatis (Amongst good people, there are rules of piety [worth more than riches] Justinus, or Among the Good, Piety is the Law) |
Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
Established | 1614 |
Founders | English Benedictine Monks in exile |
Local authority | Somerset Council |
Oversight | Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton |
Department for Education URN | 123910 Tables |
Head teacher | Andrew Hobbs[1] |
Gender | Mixed |
Age range | 11–18 |
Enrolment | 353 (2024)[2] |
Capacity | 420[2] |
Houses |
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Colour(s) | Maroon and gold |
Publication |
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Alumni | Old Gregorians |
Website | www |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Designated | 1 June 1961 |
Reference no. | 1295086 |
Downside School (simply referred to as Downside) is an 11–18 mixed, Roman Catholic, independent, day and boarding school in Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Somerset, England. It was established in 1614 and is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton.
Originally a school for English Catholic boys, it was established by English and Welsh monks living in exile at Douai, France.[3] The monastic community returned to England in 1795, with both the community and its school initially housed in the Shropshire home of Sir Edward Smythe, a former pupil. By 1814, the abbey and school had been re-established at their present site, in Somerset. Downside School became fully co-educational in all year groups in 2005.