Coordinates: 54°19′52″N 5°43′08″W / 54.331°N 5.719°W / 54.331; -5.719

Down High School

Motto	Floreat Dunum , Absque Labore Nihil
Type	Grammar School
Headmaster	W.P. Logan
Students	1080 (Approx.)
Location	Mount Crescent, Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom BT30 6EU
District	SEELB
Campus	Rural
Colours	Green
Website	www.downhighschoolni.org.uk

Down High School, also called DHS and Down High Grammar School, is a controlled co-educational Grammar School located in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland. The school encompasses students from the ages of eleven to eighteen in the senior school—of which there are, approximately, 900 pupils—and also features a Preparatory Department of 130 students (Reception to Primary 7). There are roughly 200 pupils engaged in A-level study in the Sixth Form. KS1, KS2, 11+, KS3, GCSE and A-level results frequently place Down High School in the top 100 schools in the UK.^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 School Crest 3 School Houses 4 Notable Alumni / Alumnae 5 Staff 6 Notes and references

[edit] History

The Gate House and stone walls surrounding the school were originally part of the County Gaol. The stone walls were lowered when the school was established. It was argued that removing the walls completely would allow fog from the nearby Quoile River to rise into school grounds. There were tunnels beneath the school and grounds (that now are sealed off) which were used to transport prisoners to and from the court house on English Street. Convicts sentenced to death would often be hanged in the main gateway in front of the school. The large granite gateway is a prominent feature of the Mount Crescent area, and lies used.^[2]

[edit] School Crest

The school's crest, designed by the late RWH Blackwood of Loughinisland near Downpatrick, is a reminder of another link with the past, dating back to the 12th Century. The design itself is based upon the supposed badge of John De Courcy, the Norman soldier who captured Downpatrick in 1177 and established himself as the ruler of the North East of Ireland. The colours of the crest are taken from the arms of Lady Elizabeth Cromwell (1674-1709), the daughter of Vere Essex Cromwell, 4th and last Earl of Ardglass and owner of the Downpatrick estate. She was wife of the Rt Hon Edward Southwell of King's Weston, Gloucestershire, MP for Kinsale and Principal Secretary of State for Ireland - a well known benefactor of the town.

The school's motto 'Floreat Dunum, Absque Labore Nihil' means 'May Down Flourish, nothing is achieved without effort'. 'Floreat Dunum' appears on the blazer badge of the school.^[3] Previous pupils are known as "Old Dunumians".

[edit] School Houses

Students, upon entry into the secondary school, are placed in a specific house. They can be placed in either:

• 'Down' (House colour: Purple.)
• 'Lecale' (House colour: Blue.)
• 'Rathkeltar' (House colour: Red.)
• 'Mourne' (House colour: Green.)
• 'Strangford.' (House colour: White.)

[edit] Notable Alumni / Alumnae

• The members of the band 'Ash'.^[4]
• The 28th Lord de Ros, premier baron in the Peerage of England, attended Down High School prior to boarding school in the Republic of Ireland.
• David Montgomery, former editor of the News of the World, former Chief Executive of Mirror Group and current Chief Executive of Mecom Group.
• Alister McGrath, Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford and co-author of The Dawkins Delusion?.^[5]
• Peter Wilson, stage name Duke Special, the bohemian singer-songwriter.
• Tommy Seymour, irish rugby player

[edit] Staff

The current headmaster is Mr. W.P. Logan. The deputy headmaster is Mr. D. Donnan. The two vice-principals are Mr. K. Dawson and Mr. E. Thompson .^[6]

[edit] Notes and references