Downe House

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This article is about the school. For Charles Darwin's house, see Down House.

Downe House is an independent girls boarding school in the English county of Berkshire.

[edit] History

Downe House was established as an all-girl boarding school in 1907 by Olive Willis, who undertook the responsibility of being its first headmistress. The school was originally situated in Kent, in the village of Downe in the former house of Charles Darwin and his family. However, the location was too small for the school to grow and progress in academia so the decision was made to move the school to The Cloisters, Cold Ash in Berkshire. By 1921, Olive Willis completed the move to own the Cloisters' grounds and in 1922 the school was moved to Cold Ash and remained there ever since. Downe House educated the minds of Clare Balding and Geraldine James.

[edit] Entry and education

Downe House educates girls aged 11 to 18, making it possible to complete the entire journey from the last years of junior school through finishing A-levels in one school. Girls are allowed to join the school at the ages of 11, 12, 13 or 16 making it possible to join the school in late junior school or upon entering senior school to take advantage of the school's introduction to boarding and its principles or after completing GCSEs.

[edit] External links

Berkshire Secondary Schools
Comprehensive: The Bulmershe School | Denefield School | Desborough School | Kennet School | Little Heath School | Newlands Girls' School | St. Bartholomew's School | St Crispin's School | The Downs School | Trevelyan School
Grammar: Herschel Grammar School | Kendrick School | Langley Grammar School | Reading School | Slough Grammar School | St Bernard's Convent School
Independent: The Abbey School | Cheam School | Claires Court School | Crosfields School | Dolphin School | Downe House | Lambrook Haileybury | Leighton Park School | Ludgrove School
Public: Bearwood College | Bradfield College | Eton College | Heathfield St Mary's | Pangbourne College | Reading Blue Coat School | St. George's School, Ascot | St. Piran's | Wellington College, Berkshire