Academic

THE DOWNSIDE PHILOSOPHY

Deeply embedded in our philosophy of learning, and also in the Benedictine tradition, is the idea of transformation. The purpose of education is to transform us, all of us, into our best possible selves. It is, therefore, the magnitude of the change that matters, not the final result as measured in a comparative table. However, the important point is that, when indeed our results – academic, sporting, cultural – are measured comparatively, they prove to be excellent. But having been reached through a process of self-fulfilment, the individual is strengthened and balanced, rather than damaged by the pressure of objective attainment for its own sake. You should expect growth and change in your child. You should expect their greatest talents to be identified and nurtured. Only in this way can they find themselves on the path to a ‘life fully lived’.

Life rewards those that defy the norm. Downside has strong academic results partly because it eschews the mainstream – beyond expectation and miles from the ordinary.