Partnerships
Last year, every week of the school term, over 350 children took part in an outreach event organised by Dauntsey’s, be that out on the sports pitches, in the science lab or elsewhere around the site. Our partnerships are an important part of Dauntsey's life and we are continually looking to grow and expand on what we are doing.
At Dauntsey’s, we believe strongly in the importance of being rooted in our local community, as well as engaging with the wider world. Through a variety of partnership initiatives and philanthropic activity, we seek to instil in our young people the value of service and the importance of using our time and energy to make a positive difference in the lives of others. An awareness of the world around and a desire to serve others are hallmarks of a Dauntsey’s education.
John Davies, Head Master
Our goal is to make a positive contribution to our local community and to really involve our own pupils in this endeavour. We want to offer opportunities for the wider community to use, and benefit from, our facilities, while also fostering relationships with many partner organisations.
Many of our programmes have run for decades, but we are always looking for ways to extend and develop outreach so that we can offer something for everyone.
Gay Butterworth, Head of Partnerships
Outreach Programmes
Charity Programmes
Dauntsey’s was founded with a charitable gift 450 years ago and in just the past decade we have raised more than £350,000 for good causes both in the UK and overseas.
This charitable activity feeds into the Complementary Curriculum whose mission is to “foster the development of integrity, honesty, fairness, sensitivity, generosity, commitment, compassion and respect for self and others in the local community and further afield.” The result is a wider perspective on life and a realisation that even small actions and decisions can affect others for the better.
Our annual charity fundraising programme involves all the pupils who start by choosing a charity to support. This alternates each year between UK and international causes, with each of the twelve houses running events to raise money.
Pupils also raise money through sponsorship for events such as the Devizes to Westminster canoe race, a 24-hour runathon on a course through the school grounds.
An important aspect of our charity work is our long-standing commitment to a Romanian Orphanage. For pupils in the Lower Sixth, there is an opportunity to travel to Romania to help at the Nightingales Children’s Project. A group of about 20 students spends a week with street children in the town of Cernavoda, playing games, dancing, organising art and craft sessions and helping with infrastructure projects, which have included building a playground. The trip is so popular that we receive nearly two applications for every place.
The pupils really get behind our chosen charity each year and are very creative with their fundraising activities. They have come up with everything from the sale of bacon butties to a lip-sync contest and an annual boules competition.
Rev Jez Barnes, Chaplain