Dauntsey's School A GSG School

Sports

Unusual sports

Equestrian centre or equestrian team - school has own equestrian centre or an equestrian team.

Fencing

Shooting

Sailing

What The Good Schools Guide says

Head master

Since 2012, Mark Lascelles BA PGCE, previously lower master and acting head at the King’s School, Canterbury. Educated at the Dragon, Shrewsbury School and Durham University, where he read geography ‘and played a lot of sport’. He stayed on at Durham for his PGCE, doing teaching practice in the state sector in south Tyneside. He initially considered a career in banking but changed direction when his old housemaster asked him to coach sport for two terms at Shrewsbury. He ended up staying 17 years, teaching geography, taking charge of football, cricket and fives and becoming housemaster of The Grove boarding house.

He’d never set foot in Wiltshire before his interview at Dauntsey’s but he’s a firm believer in ‘trusting your instinct’ and says ‘it just felt right’. Under his tenure, the fabric of the school has had a £15m refresh, academics have strengthened and numbers have shot up. Today’s parents apparently often visit a school three or four times to check that it’s right for their child and he always advises them that ‘if you like the people you meet and it feels right, then come. The most important thing is for children to be happy here.’

He knows everyone in the school; staff told us that he spends hours at the start of every year poring over pupils’ names. He hands out commendations at break and bars of chocolate on pupils’ birthdays. He doesn’t teach but is very visible around the school and does lunch duty every Wednesday.

The parents we spoke to were unanimous in their support. ‘He’s so inspiring and down-to-earth – very honest and open,’ said one. ‘His aim is to produce confident but not arrogant young people and he leads by example. One moment he’s speaking to new parents at an open day, the next he’s on the touch line umpiring hockey. He drums it into the children about having respect for everyone, from the person who serves their lunches to the person who cleans the bedrooms. He makes them aware of the opportunities they have been given and how lucky they are.’ Another said: ‘He wants pupils to be adventurous and try new things, to give their best and be kind.’

He and his wife Amber, a former national level canoeist who teaches geography part-time at Dauntsey’s, live in a house on site with their three daughters (all pupils at the school). Keen for the school to be embedded in the local community, he has promoted partnerships with local primary schools and is a governor of Bishop Wordsworth’s School, a boys’ grammar school in Salisbury. A dedicated sportsman, he enjoys watching sport, umpiring and coaching (he ran the under-13 cricket team of nine boys and two girls this year) and tries to run three times a week on Salisbury Plain. ‘I hate every step but it clears the head.’ Earlier in his career he played cricket for Middlesex under-19 team, football for Crook Town in the north-east and was a member of the English universities team.

Leaving in July 2024 to become head of Epsom College. To be replaced by John Davies, currently senior deputy head and vice principal of Kingswood School, Bath, where he is responsible for the day-to-day life of the senior school, supported by a team of deputy and assistant heads. Before that, he was director of teaching and learning at Abingdon School, and assistant director of studies at Shiplake. He read English language and literature at Oxford, and has an master’s in educational leadership from Buckingham University. Keen to be involved in all aspects of school life, he has experience refereeing rugby, football and, more recently, netball. He also plays guitar and percussion and his passion for the performing arts extends to a number of cameo-stage roles in recent school productions. He will be joined by his wife, Hannah, and two children Ben and Ella.

Entrance

Selective – but ‘not overly so’. The most competitive entry point is 11+, with 80 to 100 day and boarding places. It’s oversubscribed most years but every child is interviewed and sits written and on-line assessments in English comprehension, maths, verbal reasoning and problem-solving. Pupils come from up to 70 schools, half from local state primaries like Woodborough and Holy Trinity, half from preps like St Margaret’s Prep in Calne, St Francis in Pewsey and Heywood Prep in Corsham.

At 13+ (boarding places only), 30 to 40 pupils join from preps across the south and south-west, including Farleigh, Port Regis and Pinewood. Eight per cent are international, from places like Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and the US. Entrance is via the ISEB common pre-test and interview or Dauntsey’s exams (English and maths), followed by an interview and taster day in year 6 or year 7.

At 16+, up to 40 join the sixth form from local state schools and independents. Newcomers and existing pupils alike need at least three 7s and three 6s at GCSE, including 9-7s in subjects to be studied at A level. Overseas candidates take the school’s own exams (English, maths and general paper) and are interviewed online.

Exit

At 16+, a handful leave (15 in 2023), usually for vocational courses (a recent one to study beekeeping at Hartpury College) but their places are filled by new joiners. At 18+, 99 per cent progress to university, with two-thirds to the Russell Group. Exeter, Oxford Brookes and Cardiff the most popular destinations in recent years. A huge variety of subjects, from motorsport engineering and games design to computer science and AI. One to Oxbridge in 2023, and four medics. Usually several overseas – a talented athlete headed to Harvard in 2023. Many choose to study art (eight in 2023), with choices including the Ruskin School of Fine Art, Central Saint Martins, Kingston University and Charles Cecil Studios in Florence. The occasional one or two do degree apprenticeships – one scooped an engineering degree apprenticeship with the MoD in 2023.

Latest results

In 2023, 66 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 42 per cent A*/A at A level (71 per cent A*-B). In 2019 (the last pre-pandemic results), 42 per cent A*/A at A level.

Teaching and learning

Everyone takes three A levels (28 on offer), plus either an EPQ, the school’s own leadership, sport and adventure qualification, a maths for science course or a philosophy module. Around a third do an EPQ and a similar number take A level maths (other top choices include geography, business studies and chemistry). This year saw stellar performances in maths, art and design, drama and theatre studies, English literature and photography.

Most take nine or 10 GCSEs – maths, English lang, English lit, and either triple or combined science are compulsory. Other options include a language (French, Spanish and German on offer), Latin, computing, dance, drama, PE and more.

The small class sizes mean that pupils ‘can’t shy away and hide at the back’, says a parent. ‘They know they will be pushed.’ Average class size is 19 in years 7 to 9, 16 in years 10 and 11 and nine in the sixth form. Setting for maths only. ‘They push you but they don’t expect everyone to be a genius,’ a girl told us. Others said teachers are happy to help if they don’t understand something and there are clinics for subjects like maths, biology and languages. Careers talks begin in year 7 and by the sixth form pupils have regular UCAS briefings, drop-in sessions and interview practice. All pupils have digital devices – mostly Surface Pros or iPads. Parents buy these but the school supplies them for pupils on 100 per cent bursaries.

Learning support and SEN

Five-strong learning support team provides one-to-one support (at additional cost) for needs such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and slow processing speeds. Sessions last 35 minutes and pupils don’t have to miss any school lessons to attend them. Around 115 pupils receive some form of learning support. ‘It made such a difference to our son,’ a parent told us. ‘The support he got was very personalised and helped him get As in his A levels, which was beyond our wildest dreams a few years ago.’ Another said: ‘It’s been transformative in helping our son get the grades he’s capable of.’

The arts and extracurricular

The school prides itself on its performing arts provision – and rightly so. A quarter of pupils play at least one musical instrument and there are 19 ensembles, everything from jazz and folk to choirs, orchestras and a dance band, plus a Rock Fest event every year. Up to 20 take GCSE music but smaller numbers for A level.

Lots of drama (pupils were gearing up for Chicago at the time of our visit) and the school’s dance programme is streets ahead of rival schools. All year 7 and 8 boys and girls do dance, from street dance to ballet; 150 pupils took their production of Billy Elliot to the West End for one night only and, while boys at other schools sometimes shy away from strutting their stuff, Dauntsey’s has an all-boys dance group called GNI (Girls Not Invited). ‘Our approach is very much that everyone can dance and that dance is for everyone,’ says the head of dance. Performances take place in the Memorial Hall although a couple of parents told us they’d like the school to have its own theatre. Stunning art and ceramics on display throughout and large numbers take art at GCSE and A level. The art school, with separate studios for years 12 and 13, classrooms, photographic studio and dark room, buzzes with activity.

Outdoor education is the icing on the cake. ‘The adventure side really captured our imagination when we visited,’ said a parent. ‘It encourages them to step outside their comfort zone.’ Dauntsey’s is the only school in the country to have its own 24-metre tall ship, Jolie Brise, which is moored on the south coast. ‘She’s universally loved by the students,’ says the head of adventure education (what a great title). Over the years pupils have sailed the ship across the Atlantic six times, crossed the Bay of Biscay 10 times and navigated 200 miles inside the Arctic Circle.

There’s a real have-a-go philosophy at Dauntsey’s – year 8 pupils get the chance to stay in a cabin on the edge of the Arctic Circle in sub-zero temperatures, year 9s take part in the weekly Moonraker Adventure Programme, trying their hands at kayaking, climbing, river crossing and survival skills, and year 10s spend 24 hours on Jolie Brise. Ultra-hardy year 12s volunteer to take part in the Brecons Challenge every June – a 10-kilometre run across the Brecon Beacons, followed by a 21-kilometre mountain bike ride and a seven-kilometre kayaking paddle in one day. Experiences like these clearly have a lifelong impact – the head of adventure education had just received an email from a former pupil saying, ‘Hi Sir, I’ve just cycled from Kilimanjaro to the Cape of Good Hope.’

DofE (lots of gold awards) is popular but there’s no CCF. More than 80 different clubs: board games, computing, cookery, fencing, Lego – you name it, they do it. After GCSEs, year 11s do a ‘lessons for life’ programme – learning skills like first aid, sewing and how to jump start a car. Outreach, community service and charity programmes are big too; the school has raised more than £350,000 for good causes over the past decade.

Sport

Dauntsey’s is undoubtedly a very sporty school, with at least two 75-minute games sessions for all each week, plus matches on Saturdays and after-school sporting clubs and societies galore. Options outside the main sports include Pilates, yoga, aerobics, dance, kayaking, swimming, cross-country and basketball. More than 800 matches every year – parents say the only problem is that while Dauntsey’s can field A to D teams in many sports other schools can’t. Seven pairs a year take part in the gruelling 125-mile Devizes to Westminster canoe race.

The sports facilities are impressive – a stunning new sports pavilion with a raised viewing lounge, 25-metre indoor pool, two Astros, eight rugby pitches, vast gym, climbing wall, dance studio and a new athletics track. Director of sport has been at the school for 24 years but says that despite notable successes in rugby, hockey, netball, football, tennis, athletics and cricket, ‘We don’t allow any sport to dominate.’ Girls’ rugby is growing in popularity, more so than girls’ football.

Boarders

Thirty per cent of pupils board in year 9 but the ratio gets closer to 50:50 by the sixth form. Seven day houses and five boarding houses – four single-sex boarding houses in the upper school, plus The Manor, a co-ed boarding house for year 7 to 9 pupils, a charming Victorian mansion in 65 acres of grounds a 12-minute walk from the main site. Pupils walk to and fro in groups of three although in winter the school shuttle bus ferries them back. ‘It’s like something out of Enid Blyton,’ a parent told us. ‘At weekends they mess around in the stream and climb trees. They are safe and are given boundaries but it’s great that they can be children for a bit longer.’ Much to their delight, The Manor pupils are allowed to bring their own hamsters and gerbils from home. ‘It’s a real icebreaker when they arrive,’ says a parent.

The upper school boarding houses are all on the main site. Sixth formers are in rooms of one or two, many with en-suites, while younger ones are in twos and fours. The girls’ house we visited was wholesome and welcoming, with lots of motivational pictures, dorms decorated with fairy lights, balloons and jazzy duvet covers, a kitchen to make snacks and charging cupboards for phones. The boys’ house we saw was more utilitarian but we’ve rarely met any teenage boys who want to spend time decorating their dorms. Plenty to do at weekends, from quizzes to play rehearsals to shopping trips to Devizes and Salisbury. Youngsters can visit each other’s houses – but only at certain times and in common rooms only. Everyone eats in the main dining hall and boarders told us there’s plenty of food. ‘It’s pretty good, with lots of variety,’ said one.

Saturday morning lessons and lunch for all, followed by team sports. The school doesn’t empty out at weekends but apart from a few weekends when boarders have to stay at school, they’re allowed to go home after matches and return on Sunday night or Monday morning.

Ethos and heritage

Founded in West Lavington in 1542, thanks to the largesse of William Dauntsey, who was master of the worshipful company of Mercers, the school moved to its present site in 1895, when it became Dauntsey’s Agricultural School. The Mercers’ Company, which supports 17 schools, including St Paul’s, St Paul’s Girls’ and the Royal Ballet School, still provides five governors and generous financial help and lends its name to the school’s annual Mercers’ Lectures. Open to all, they were welcoming speakers like sailor Pip Hare, weatherman Tomasz Schafernaker, fertility treatment pioneer Lord Winston and broadcaster Clare Balding the year we visited.

Surrounded by far-reaching views of Salisbury Plain and with 165 acres of grounds, the school’s original buildings have been vastly added to over the years, a mix of old and new. Pupils clearly enjoy having so much space, playing basketball and table tennis outside at break time and wandering up to the outdoor gym and wellbeing area. Smart uniform for years 7 to 11 but sixth formers wear outfits ‘suitable for a business environment’ (no skinny jeans, trainers or canvas shoes). Sixth formers are allowed to paint their nails and have two piercings in each ear if they so choose.

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline

Pastoral care is the area the school is most proud of. ‘We know what makes them tick,’ say staff – and parents agree. Health and wellbeing centre is open 24/7, with a nursing team, visiting GP, two counsellors and a time-out room with a comfy sofa, bean bags and fidget toys for pupils needing a break during the school day.

Every pupil has a tutor (they keep the same tutors in years 7 to 9 and in years 10 to 13) and a housemaster/housemistress, but younger ones are mentored by trained older students too. Year 13 students volunteer to support those who may be having difficulties and would prefer to talk to a fellow pupil than an adult.

Behaviour is very good – very few detentions and out of the upper sixth cohort that left last year there was just one suspension in the year group throughout their time at the school. ‘Pupils are very on-side,’ says the school. ‘We have traditional values but it’s a very happy, laid-back place. Teenagers like to know where the limits are and as long as you’re consistent and fair they’re content.’

Parents say the school handles any issues that arise well. ‘If you raise something they aren’t defensive,’ said one. ‘They say “let’s talk about it” and come back with a grown-up response.’ Another parent described it as ‘holistically very strong’, praising the school for the way it rallied round when a problem arose. ‘I can’t speak highly enough of the teachers,’ he said. ‘Everyone was united and on the same page. The school listened, made a plan and stuck to it.’ Firm rules on alcohol, smoking and drugs but no transgressions in recent years.

A mother whose child attended a state comprehensive before Dauntsey’s said she couldn’t believe the difference in behaviour. ‘At her old school it would take 10 minutes for everyone to settle down but at Dauntsey’s they start learning straight away.’ There was a consensus that the school suits all types of children – ‘Whether you are an IT whizz, an academic superstar or keen on sport, there are opportunities for all.’ Pupils reckon the best thing about the school is the community. ‘There’s no hierarchy and no cliques here,’ said one.

The school has a host of partnerships with local state primaries (Dauntsey’s pupils teach languages and dance to younger peers) and has gifted the Teen Tips resource to nearby Lavington School, giving pupils and families access to its online wellbeing hub. Student voice is important – pupils can air their views and/or concerns via an online portal and there’s a school council too. A raft of prefects – 36 this year, including head boy, head girl and two deputies. We attended a lively prefects’ lunch of bao buns and cakes, where sixth formers got the chance to quiz the head – and they did. Sixth formers have their own space – the 17 Club, where they are allowed an average of two alcoholic drinks per week.

Therapy and staffing

There are two full-time counsellors and soon to be a third as well as a medical centre with trained nurses. There are also 14 trained peer listeners amongst pupils. We noticed how comfortable younger pupils were telling us, in front of each other, about whom they might talk to. The school hasn’t any experience of pupils transitioning but is aware of the need to gain expertise. There was a pupil-initiated LBGT society but it faded away – so not the most progressive school we’ve visited.

Pupils and parents

Day pupils come from up to an hour away (the school subsidises a vast network of buses six days a week), from as far afield as Andover, Salisbury, Swindon and Warminster. Boarders from all over, mainly the south and south-west, but also from London. A fair number of military families. ‘It’s a very good all-round school, especially when you have more than one child and they’re very different,’ said a parent. Others praised the school’s communication with parents. ‘At my daughter’s old school the teachers took a long time to get back to you but if you email teachers at Dauntsey’s they get back to you that evening,’ said one.

Parents are very involved, attending matches, lectures and lunches. Notable former pupils include Thomas the Tank Engine creator Wilbert Awdry, novelist Andrew Miller, actor Daniel Ings, composer Simon May and sisters Guin and Miriam Batten, who won silver medals in the quadruple sculls event at the 2000 Olympics.

Money matters

The school runs a 100 per cent bursary place scheme for 11+ and 16+ entry. Three a year are awarded and at the time of our visit 21 pupils were on 100 per cent bursaries. Academic scholarships of up to 10 per cent on offer at 11+; academic, sport and music scholarships, all-rounder boarding award and head master’s awards in drama, dance and art at 13+; and academic, sport and performing arts scholarships at 16+.

The last word

A big-hearted, unpretentious country school that manages to be traditional yet forward thinking at the same time – no mean feat. Academic results are good, the extracurricular programme is exceptional and we can’t think of many teens who wouldn’t jump at the chance to crew Jolie Brise.

Special Education Needs

We provide one to one specialist support no more than once a week for 35 minutes; this is for pupils with mild specific learning difficulties. At present we have one wheelchair user and can support those with non-verbal learning deficit or medical and related needs. 10-09

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