Girl’s boarding school celebrates centenary

A boarding school for girls has celebrated 100 years at its woodland campus in Cold Ash.

Downe House held a special Founder’s Weekend Festival where pupils, staff and alumni were joined by 100 members of the community.

The campus celebration, which was the school's largest ever community gathering, consisted of theatrical and musical performances as well as sporting events, art displays and a centenary exhibition.

The accomplishments of the Downe House’s young women were championed and the gathering was able to reflect on the key moments from the school's history through the Moving Memories performance put on by pupils.

Downe House headmistress Emma McKendrick said: “These have certainly been challenging times in our world and remain so, but the way in which our extraordinary young women worked together throughout our Founder’s Weekend reflected the quality of what they produce, and gives us tremendous confidence about the future of our school, its next one hundred years, and the world beyond.”

The school, which many famous faces have attended, from broadcaster Clare Balding to actress Miranda Hart, says it is now looking towards the future in supporting the generations to come.

It will aim to achieve this by committing to offering bursaries for day pupils covering up to 100 per cent of the fees, in celebration of 100 years, for those in the local community wishing to enter in 2023 and 2024.