Downside School A GSG School
- Downside School
Stratton-on-the-Fosse
Bath
Somerset
BA3 4RJ - Head: Andrew Hobbs
- T 01761 235103
- F 01761 235105
- E [email protected]
- W www.downside.co.uk
- An independent school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: Somerset
- Pupils: 342; sixth formers: 138
- Religion: Roman Catholic
- Fees: Day £16,809 - £19,926; Boarding £26,121 - £35,046 pa
- Open days: September, October, November and March
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
- Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
- ISI report: View the ISI report
What The Good Schools Guide says..
With 500 acres of grounds to run around in, fresh air and exercise are an integral part of Downside life. House staff are adept at helping children to settle in. ‘No one gets lost here,’ we were told. A housemother reckons that Ovaltine, warm wheat bags (the modern answer to hot water bottles) and talking helps to stave off homesickness. Pupils are kept occupied at weekends with lots of trips and inter-house competitions. A strong sense of spirituality pervades the school. Around 80 per cent of pupils are Catholic but…
What the school says...
Founded in 1606 Downside is one of Englands oldest and most distinguished Catholic schools. Outstanding examination results are the priority. Everyone is encouraged to aspire beyond their academic expectations and the School has a thriving academic life with all pupils going on to the top universities in the UK, the USA and Europe.
85% of Downside pupils are 7-day-a-week boarders and 15% of its pupils are from overseas. Weekends for boarders are busy with a full programme of activities. The School provides outstanding pastoral support for all pupils and has long been known for its strong sense of community. Downside offers an exceptionally wide choice of co-curricular activities to its pupils. All boys and girls are expected to participate; there are extended time slots for activities, clubs and societies, drama, music and sport on every weekday afternoon and a huge range of activities also take place outside the formal co-curricular times. The School is particularly renowned for the quality of its drama, and music and facilities are excellent. ...Read more
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Sports
Polo
Fencing
What The Good Schools Guide says
Head
Since 2018, Andrew Hobbs, previously acting head. Read classics at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he also gained a rugby blue. Taught classics at Hurstpierpoint; head of classics and then housemaster at Canford; joined Downside as deputy head in 2008.
Academic matters
Results have come on leaps and bounds in recent years. In 2019, 36 per cent A*/A and 63 per cent A*/B at A level; school has not provided 9-7 grades at GCSE. Usual subjects at A level, plus business studies, economics, history of art, PE, photography and psychology. History department offers the Pre-U – head of history says the qualification involves ‘good, old-fashioned essay writing’ and enables youngsters to study topics such as monasticism in the 9th century and the Gregorian reforms of the 11th century as well as more recent fare.
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Overall school performance (for comparison or review only)
Results by exam and subject
Subject results
Entry/Exit
Special Education Needs
Downside has long experience of supporting pupils with mild Special Needs, especially dyselxia and dyspraxia. Pupils must be able to cope with with a mainstream academic curriculum, within which they can receive additional one-to-one support.
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder | |
| Aspergers | |
| Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders | Y |
| CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia | |
| Dyscalculia | |
| Dysgraphia | |
| Dyslexia | |
| Dyspraxia | |
| English as an additional language (EAL) | |
| Genetic | |
| Has an entry in the Autism Services Directory | |
| Has SEN unit or class | Y |
| HI - Hearing Impairment | |
| Hospital School | |
| Mental health | |
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty | |
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment | |
| Natspec Specialist Colleges | |
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability | |
| Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| PD - Physical Disability | |
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty | |
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health | |
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication | |
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty | |
| Special facilities for Visually Impaired | |
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| VI - Visual Impairment |
Who came from where
| School | Year | Places | Scholarships | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farleigh School | 2019 | 3 | 3 | Major Academic Scholarship; Sport Scholarship; All Rounder Scholarship |
| Hazlegrove School | 2019 | 2 | 1 | DT Scholarship |
| Notting Hill Preparatory School | 2019 | 1 | ||
| Old Buckenham Hall School | 2019 | 1 | ||
| Port Regis | 2019 | 1 | 1 | Major Sports Scholarship |
| Sandroyd School | 2019 | 1 | 1 | Music scholarship |
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