Downside School

Downside School is a co-educational Catholic independent school boarding and day school for children aged 11 to 18. It is located in south-west England, in Stratton-on-the-Fosse, between Bath, Frome, Wells and Bruton, and is attached to Downside Abbey. Originally a school for English Catholic boys, it was established in 1617 by English and Welsh monks, living in exile at Douai, France. Downside School became fully co-educational in all year groups in 2005.

Downside is run by lay staff and three members of the Benedictine community based at Downside Abbey. 

The school is divided into six houses: five senior houses and one junior house, with both day pupils and boarders in the same houses. 

Members of the school compete in a range of sports, including rugby, football, netball, hockey, cricket, golf and tennis, and even the Downside Ball Game, a variation on Fives, played on a purpose-built outdoor court. Sports are played most afternoons, with every pupil expected to participate at least three times a week.

In 2003, Downside was the setting for the Channel 4 television show, A Second Chance, in which Ryan Bell, a teenager from London, was sent to Downside to see if a “difficult” student would do better when educated in the independent sector. After excelling at Latin, biology, and on the rugby field, Bell was eventually expelled after being caught drinking.

Address : Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Radstock BA3 4RJ, United Kingdom