The school opened in 1886 and is divided into pre-prep, preparatory and senior schools located on separate but adjacent sites outside Cheltenham town centre, occupying the largest single private area of land within the town, at some 50 acres.

[4] Other Notable Old Decanians include musician and founder of The Rolling Stones Brian Jones; George Adamson; Major General William Dimoline; Bernard Ribeiro, Baron Ribeiro; WW2 fighter ace Wing Commander Geoffrey Page; Emma Sky; Richard St. Barbe Baker; Major Wilfrid St Clair Tisdall; Oliver C. Allison; Verrier Elwin; Emmy Winner and BAFTA Award nominee Hugh Quarshie; actor Ernest Cossart; and television presenter Jeremy Wade.

In 1967, the first girl was admitted for tutorials, and by 1969 the school had started encouraging female applicants to study full-time.

Enrolment increased over the next 35 years to create a balanced co-educational environment, with almost equal numbers of boys and girls.

These results have put Dean Close in the top 100 schools in England as ranked by UCAS points per candidate.

[18] It is then followed by a two-minute silence in honour of the pupils and soldiers who gave their lives in the First and Second World Wars.

[21] In February 2013, the U18 girls won the Schools National Hockey competition, and Silver Medallists in the final of the indoor format a month previously.

[22] The choir of men and children sings traditional choral evensong in the abbey on weekdays during term time, and special services on other occasions.

The choir has an extensive catalogue of recordings on the Delphian, Guild, Naxos, Priory, Regent, Hyperion and Signum labels.

The choir is widely travelled, including tours of the US, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden.

Gabriel Jackson, Mark Blatchly, John Caldwell and Grayston Ives have all written for the choir, which, in 2007, also gave the first performance of Bob Chilcott's The Night He Was Born.