Down High School fond farewell event

Down High School fond farewell event

14 May 2025

FORMER Down High School pupils and staff are being given an opportunity to say farewell to the Mount Crescent campus next month.

The school — which moves to an ultra-modern £33m base at the Strangford Road in Downpatrick in September — is hosting an open day on Saturday, June 21, between 10am and 3.20pm.

Current pupils spend their final day in the school on June 20 when they will say their final farewell to a seat of learning that has shaped the live of thousands of people throughout its 91-year history.

The informal open day will feature a peruse around the site with a few trips down memory lane.

A number of former year groups are also planning to gather for a reunion, while former vice-principal, Ken Dawson will be launching a book capturing the rich 91 year history of the Downpatrick grammar school.

It’s also hoped there will be an Artisan Fair featuring the skills of many former pupils and staff who have honed their creative or culinary skills and have wares to sell.

Anyone interested in taking part in the Fair is asked to complete an online form available at https://forms.gle/FpFEhjqeUSuQKr1fA

The end of the Open Day will be marked by the school bell ringing out for the final time.

The finishing touches are being out to the school’s new £33m building which will be home to 950 students.

After years of waiting, the Department of Education announced work on the multi-million pound building on a site at the Strangford in Downpatrick is to start.

Outline planning approval for the new school was secured in 2009 with funding earmarked for the new grammar school four years later, with the business case for the new build given the green light in 2015.

Formal planning approval was secured in 2018 when the expansive site which will be home to new Down High’s ultra-modern new school purchased in the same year.