The Community of St Gregory the Great has recently announced that, following a period of discernment as guests at Buckfast Abbey, they will be moving in the summer to Hereford to begin exploring the possibility of a union with Belmont Abbey. The full text of their announcement can be found here. The monks, through their Trustees and on-site staff, nevertheless remain committed to owning and caring for the Grade 1 listed Basilica Church, their heritage assets and Library, and to sharing these important resources with the School, visitors, academics and the wider Catholic Church. I am sure you will understand that in order to support these commitments, and their continuing Benedictine mission, the Community has indicated that they would like to sell parts of the Downside Estate, including the former monastery, and the land and freehold of Downside School, which we lease from them. This provides an exciting opportunity for the School.
DOWNSIDE SCHOOL
As you will know, despite our separation from the Monastic community, we have kept true to our purpose and culture as a bright light in the world of Catholic Benedictine Education. This is illustrated not only by the findings of last year’s Catholic Schools Inspectorate report but more importantly by pupils’ and parents’ lived experience. Furthermore, the recently published “value added” scores show that for the fifth year running we are in the top 5% of schools in the country for our pupils’ achievement at A Level. Nevertheless, market conditions for all independent schools have been challenging recently, and Downside is no exception. We recognise the significant pressure that the imposition of VAT on fees, in particular, has placed on many families’ finances and I would like to reiterate our undertaking to do all we can to freeze or reduce fees over the coming years. An important strand of our strategy is to raise money to purchase the freeholds of the School and Monastery. On a practical level this will enable us to continue our use of the Petre Cloister and the new Sixth Form Centre, but it will also allow us to think more strategically about the wider use of the site, developing a diversified business model that can continue to thrive in the new political and economic environment. There is a wealth of untapped potential in the Downside Estate, and we have a duty to make the most of it.
INVESTMENT
I am pleased to report that we already have pledges and donations from Downside Abbey, OGs and others to enable some short-term improvements. We are also actively engaged with major investors who are interested in purchasing the wider site and developing it as a Catholic community with the School at its heart. We are now looking for individuals or organisations who would like to join this initiative, to help provide the capital needed to fund developments and realise our vision.