Dauntsey's School - Overview
Dauntsey's is one of the most popular fully co-educational schools in the country, with the number of boarders continuing to grow year by year. Some 780 boys and girls, between the ages of 11 and 18, attend the School. Pupils usually join at 11+, 13+ or 16+. Details of our entry procedure can be found in the admissions section of this web-site.
The School is set in an estate of more than 150 acres, in the picturesque Vale of Pewsey, five miles south of the historic market town of Devizes. There is easy access by road, with Bath, Salisbury, Swindon and junction 17 of the M4 within about 40 minutes; Stonehenge lies a few miles south on the A303. The centre of London is less than 100 miles away. Nearby stations at Westbury, Pewsey and Chippenham are served by InterCity express trains from London Paddington, and the Rail-Air link at Reading (only 30 minutes from Pewsey) provides direct connections with Heathrow and Gatwick Airports.
At Dauntsey's every pupil joins a boarding or day house, led by the Housemaster or Housemistress and a team of tutors. A sensitively structured programme of personal, religious and social education helps each pupil to cope with the demands of adolescent life and to develop a responsible awareness of others. The equal balance of boarding and day pupils, and the wide range of facilities, ensures that everyone feels part of the community. Pupils are actively involved in community service locally and more widely, and the School's Charity Committee raises sizeable sums of money each year for national and international appeals.
The School is a Christian foundation, with "Honor Deo" as its motto and two chaplains on the staff; however, pupils from faiths other than Christianity are warmly welcomed. Various Chaplaincy activities aim to foster in all pupils an awareness of, and a respect for, the spiritual side of human nature, within the broadly Christian framework of the School.
Over recent years we have enlarged and modernised our accommodation and upgraded all of the boarding houses. Senior day-pupils have their own newly furnished accommodation for study and recreation in the main building. For younger boarders, aged 11 to 14, home is The Manor, an attractive and spacious country house, set amid 65 acres of beautiful woodland with its own nine hole golf course, trout stream and floodlit tennis courts. The younger day-pupils have their own accommodation on the main school site.
On the main School site is: the School Chapel, incorporated in the 1200 seat capacity Memorial Hall; a five-studio Art School with a newly refurbished gallery; a superb Library and Study Centre; new IT Suites; a Music School; a heated 25 metre swimming pool; two AstroTurf pitches and a goal-keeping training facility; 12 all-weather tennis courts; a new science department, and the four senior boarding houses, all of which have undergone recent refurbishment.
The curriculum throughout the school is broad and balanced, offering all pupils the opportunity to study an extensive range of subjects. In the Lower School, Years 7 to 9, pupils are challenged by a busy programme covering all the core and foundation subjects contained within the National Curriculum and many other stimulating areas of study. Much emphasis is placed on making lessons interesting and enjoyable, with a variety of teaching styles in the classroom, and pupils are well prepared for the more demanding work that lies ahead.
For GCSE, most pupils take nine or ten subjects with Mathematics, English and Science forming a common core. A wide range of option choices is available enabling pupils to achieve breadth and contrast in their individual programmes. Class sizes average 16 pupils and examination results in recent years have been impressive.
The Sixth Form is a very vibrant, flourishing part of the school with over 100 pupils in each year group. Twenty-four subjects are offered for AS-level and A-level; school policy is to encourage diversity of choice and the General Studies scheme adds enrichment to the examination courses. Class sizes are small, mostly 10-12 pupils, and we are justifiably proud of our considerable academic reputation and examination success.
Dauntsey's places great value and importance upon a good musical education. The majority of Dauntsey's School pupils learn to play instruments and an average of two concerts per week are scheduled; the style of these ranges from informal evenings of chamber music to rock band extravaganzas, as well as more formal choral and orchestral concerts.
All Junior and Senior pupils have the opportunity to take part in major theatrical productions each year. Recent examples include: Les Miserables (performed in the West End), Blood Brothers, Twelfth Night, Evita, Chicago and Spamalot. Further details of these can be found in the Drama section of this website.
Dauntsey's provides a wide variety of sporting and leisure pursuits and regularly produces first-class sides in all sports. For boys, rugby, cricket and hockey are the main team sports; and for the girls, hockey and netball. All pupils have opportunities to participate in athletics, swimming, cross-country running, golf, tennis and many other sports.
Our rural surroundings provide an ideal setting for outdoor activities. Participation in the Outward Bound Moonrakers programme is compulsory during Year 9, when courses such as camp-craft and map-reading are taken as well as a choice of activities that varies from rock climbing to cooking. The year-long course culminates in a week's residential camp in mid-Wales late in the summer term.
The School maintains and sails the Jolie Brise, a 56' gaff cutter that has won the Fastnet Race three times and is overall winner of the Tall Ships races, including the 200 Transatlantic Race to the USA and Canada. Over 70 clubs and societies are offered to pupils and range from bee-keeping to basketball, fly fishing to fencing and dance to debating. A full list can be found in the School Life section of this website.