Our Projects

Message to all OGs and friends 

12 August 2025 (Extract taken from letter to all OGs)

Dear OGs and Friends,

With the onset and introduction of VAT on fees, pupil numbers at Downside have decreased, as they have throughout the independent sector. At the same time, we have been hit with the loss of mandatory business rates relief and a substantial rise in employers’ National Insurance contributions. Nevertheless, we have been able to make significant savings to mitigate these effects without compromising the high standards of education and pastoral care that we offer. We are on track to meet our budget this year and, with the help of some generous support from OGs, to make a small surplus in the coming year.

We have recently launched a programme of short- and longer-term international courses. These range from a 3-year A-Level course (whereby pupils join for a year of intensive English language tuition before joining our sixth form) to short-term “immersion” courses where pupils are taught separately but join Downside pupils for sports and extra-curricular activities. The first pupils under these schemes will arrive next term, and we will have a rolling two cohorts of 8 pupils each from September 2026.

Turning to the longer-term, the School wishes to purchase its site, plus the former Monastery, from Downside Abbey. Purchasing these freeholds would allow us to unlock the enormous potential of our school and the wider site, which is key to bolstering our financial resilience. I want to share with you some of the exciting developments that will follow.

Expansion of educational offerings and diversification income

I have already mentioned the international language courses that we have launched, but we have also identified a Catholic partner school that wants to invest in and share part of our site from September 2026. They will open a small Special Educational Needs (SEN) unit in Plunkett House and a Nursery in Brakespeare (the old music school, behind Plunkett). There is a strong and growing demand for both SEN and Nursery provision locally, and the two charities will benefit from working together and sharing overheads.

Capital investment

We have also identified a field on the site that can be developed to provide a combination of private housing, independent and assisted living to meet local and wider demand. This can be achieved without compromising the school’s setting or our pupils’ enjoyment of the extensive grounds. We have been greatly encouraged by a number of OGs and others with expertise in this area that the project will generate a significant capital return over the next three years, or form a longer-term investment as part of an endowment fund.

Other fields on the wider Abbey estate could be purchased and developed for commercial use such as light industrial or solar energy generation, again without adversely affecting the School.

The Monastery

We would love to see the monastery become a new boarding house as pupil numbers grow, but alternatively it could become a retreat centre or even heritage accommodation, where OGs and parents could stay. In the short-term, our purchasing it helps to keep the site under the School’s control, and secures our use of the Petre Cloister and the Pollen Wing, which houses our lovely Sixth Form Centre.

Helping us to realise the vision

We are enormously grateful for the generous support that we have already received from OGs and others over many years, whether through regular donations to the 1814 Society, one-off contributions to bursary or capital funds, or legacies.

I am now asking everyone who can to support us in our mission to raise the necessary funds to purchase the School and Monastery freeholds. We are making good progress and our ‘stretch target’ is £5 million, which would also enable us to complete some much-needed improvements to the site earlier than we otherwise could. We will be contacting as many OGs as we can in the coming weeks to discuss our plans, answer any questions, and hopefully secure your backing.

Support can be in the form of donations, investment or loans. Unlike many schools, Downside is fortunate in not having any bank borrowing. This means that our ownership of the freehold at full market value will allow us to provide ample security to lenders and investors. Alternatively, we know there are many OGs with valuable expertise to offer in helping us develop, scope, cost and finance our plans for the wider site.

If you are able to support us now with a donation please click here, or to discuss loans, investments or any specialist help you could give us, please contact the Bursar, Danny Boswell, in the first instance: dboswell@downside.co.uk.

We are extremely fortunate at Downside to be part of a vibrant and supportive community, helping us move forward with confidence into this next stage of our history. The current school site was purchased in April 1814, and the cedar tree planted at the entrance still stands strong today. Despite the financial pressures currently facing all independent schools, we look to the future with confidence, courage and determination, committed to remaining a bright light in education and inspiring service in our ever-changing world.

In Christ and St. Benedict,

John Ludlow
Chair of Governors