Thinking About The Future

DAUNTSEY’S SCHOOL

THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE

Pupils joining the First Form now may be working until 2050 and beyond. It is possible that they will be better served by skills, knowledge and attitudes which are different from those that are currently relevant. Dauntsey’s School’s vision for the future seeks to equip pupils to take their place in a world that might be very different from ours.

A good School Development Plan must provide a clear focus and be the driving force for the advancement of the school. It does this by clearly articulating a vision of the future to which everyone should be able to subscribe.

Its aims are:

To maintain Dauntsey’s as one of the premier independent co-educational boarding and day schools in the south of England, for 700 pupils in a family school with a Christian ethos, where both teachers and pupils are given every opportunity to fulfil their potential and achieve their aspirations, both academic and otherwise.

To maintain the School’s strong academic profile by providing a modern, balanced curriculum delivered by a talented and committed teaching staff.

To challenge all pupils, not least the brightest, by fostering intellectual curiosity through academic enrichment and independent learning.

To enrich the learning experience by the investment in and innovative use of modern technology, including ICT.

To enhance the teaching of Languages, thereby providing pupils with the necessary skills to communicate effectively in the modern world.

To maintain the School’s strong commitment to boarding.

To maintain the strength of the School’s pastoral care within a diverse and inclusive community.

To provide a range of opportunities for pupils to become flexible thinkers, as well as confident, articulate and tolerant people and to develop a sense of responsibility and high personal standards and thus prepare them to take their place in the modern world.

To develop pupils’skills as team players and potential leaders by fostering both a spirit of adventure and the ability to manage risk.

To be mindful of the challenges and opportunities ahead and the importance of recruiting and retaining high quality teaching and non-teaching staff.

To develop a robust business which creates the conditions for substantial investment in the School’s buildings and facilities, including the provision of a Performing Arts Centre, a second all-weather pitch, and enhanced athletics and changing facilities.

To maintain prudent financial management, through good governance and best practice, to ensure that the School remains good value for money and affordable.

To maintain and develop the School’s commitment to the local community and beyond.

WHERE WE HAVE COME FROM

In 1998 an ambitious plan was formulated to significantly enhance the teaching and learning environment. It was a plan in several phases, each phase being self-contained. The first phase was to buy the former primary school located on the fringe of the School. Once acquired the building was converted into a five studio Art Department and opened in 1999. The second phase involved the creation of a Library and Study Centre which would provide a calm, attractive and sophisticated place for pupils to study. Linked to this was the development of new ICT facilities both in the Library and in a newly created IT department. Both the Library and new IT suites were opened in 2000. The next phase involved the total renovation of the Lower School Centre, the enlargement of the DT department and the provision of more changing rooms. This was completed in 2001. The fourth and final phase of the initial plan involved building a new Biology Department, re-housing the Senior Day Boy Houses and creating a new and better equipped Modern Languages department. The new Biology Department was opened in the summer term of 2003, the Day Boy Houses and the Modern Languages department were re-located in 2005. In addition to these scheduled developments a suite of new Chemistry and Physics laboratories opened in 2004, a new Girls’ Boarding House in January 2005. All the classrooms in the 1895 building were refurbished in the summer of 2005 and equipped with appropriate computer technology. There can be no doubt that these improved facilities have helped to enhance the quality of both teaching and learning.

AND WHERE ARE WE GOING

Over the next seven years we will be putting a great deal of emphasis on changing the styles of both teaching and learning. There has been much recent investment in classroom IT and currently over half the classrooms in the School are equipped with interactive white boards and appropriate hardware. Within the next two years it is likely that every classroom will be similarly equipped and the use of the internet and other resources, both on and off-line, should provide a more interesting and a more challenging learning environment. Independent learning will be another key area in which we wish to make progress and schemes of work should increasingly help teachers pinpoint areas where our independent learning policy can be implemented. We are also starting to develop further procedures where our brightest can be identified at an earlier age so that they can be given appropriate stretch and challenge in line with our policy for gifted and talented pupils.

To further support our current aims we intend to extend Fitzmaurice House to provide more spacious accommodation; we also intend to provide the Drama department with a new Performing Arts Centre so that this important area of the curriculum can be given the teaching and performing space appropriate to its status. The third and final phase of the science development needs to be completed. The shortage of changing rooms needs to be addressed, the construction of a second astro-turf pitch deserves urgent consideration and within a seven year period the newly acquired land on the perimeter of the School needs to be levelled and landscaped so as to provide athletics facilities to match the School’s developing prowess in this area. Unlike before, there is no requirement for any specific phasing in this plan –each project may be treated as a stand-alone development and started when funds allow.

AND WHAT ARE WE NOT GOING TO CHANGE

The friendly, supportive atmosphere where teacher and taught can fulfil their individual potential and aspirations whilst remaining courteous, caring and loyal to each other. This has always been Dauntsey’s greatest strength.