As the number of monastic head teachers dwindles and questions continue to be raised over the need for independent schools, James Whitehead, the first lay head at Downside, explains why Benedictine schools still flourish in today’s world During long summer evening cricket matches at Downside, there is a pause to pray the Angelus when the Abbey bell tolls at 6 p.m. The next morning senior cricketers may be serving on the altar during Mass. To pupils these aspects of school life are completely normal; there is a sense of a shared project, “that in all things God may be glorified”. They are also part of what makes Downside different.Centuries of tradition are etched into Benedictine monastic schools but the way they are run is now in transition. Well-known schools such as