Dauntsey's School

Since September 2024, John Davies, previously senior deputy head and vice principal of Kingswood School, Bath. He has also been director of teaching and learning at Abingdon School, and assistant director of studies at Shiplake. He read English

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,

At 16+, around 15 per cent leave, 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.

In 2025, 62 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 46 per cent at A level A*/A (75 per cent A*-B).

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

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

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

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,

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

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,

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,

A clear mobile phone policy is a really important part of modern schooling. This school has provided us with their policy.

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.

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

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