About the Davenies Senior School

The Education

The classes are kept small deliberately as, regardless of the boys’ academic ability, they all benefit from individual attention and from being stretched to their limits.  The curriculum is broad and very thorough; this ensures that when the boys leave us they have been very well taught and enter their next schools well equipped to respond to new challenges. Yes, there is homework and yes, the boys work hard but they make considerable, often remarkable, progress.

Who Makes up the Classes?

Some of the boys will have passed the 11+, some will not have and others may not even have sat it.  However, all of them look towards the future from within a very positive environment in which they rise to our expectations.

Big Enough to do Things Properly, Small Enough to do Things Well

In Years 7 and 8 we have four classes and a total of about 50 boys.  This small number means that we identify the boys’ strengths and weaknesses quickly and are able to guide and support them.  There are still sufficient numbers, though, for Davenies to run exciting trips and put out very competitive sports teams.

A Broad Education

Davenies is not a ‘crammer’.  It offers a broad and stimulating education, both in and out of the classroom.  There are numerous trips, beginning with a week in Wales in September which helps to mix the ‘new’ and the ‘old’ boys and to secure new friendships.  Over the course of the two years, the boys also go on three further residential trips, at least one of which is to France as part of their language development; the final trip is usually to an Outward Bound school in either the Lake District or Southern France.  At Davenies, there is also an annual ski trip, organised by the school, which boys are able to go on.

The school offers over fifty activities as part of its after school programme, which include everything from cooking to rugby league.  In Years 7 and 8 there is an enhanced activities programme where leadership skills are cultivated within a specially designed programme run by Wilderness Experience.

Sport, Music and Arts

Davenies offers opportunities.  Opportunities for your son to shine at something he may already be good at, and opportunities to try new things.  Concerts, plays and fixtures take place frequently and it is an incredibly busy and fulfilling two years.  Over the last two years, we have sent sports teams to Germany, Grenada and Limerick, and senior boys are about to embark on a rugby tour to South Africa.  If your son is “sporty”, there are dedicated coaches, a full fixture list and a very good level of competition.  If he is not, our aim is to help him appreciate some level of enjoyment and willing participation in physical activity.  If he plays an instrument or would like to learn to play one, the opportunity is there; if he is a budding actor, we shall help to bring this out in him and to develop his interest even further.

Blazers, Ties and Leadership

It is important to us that the boys in Years 7 and 8 feel responsible and are responsible. Unlike the younger boys, the Year 7 and 8s wear their blazers during the school day, they are awarded special ties and some will become ‘Leaders’.  For many boys, it is the first time that they are at the top of a school, helping to set the tone and to lead the way. The boys frequently rise to this level of responsibility, often surpassing their parents’ expectations.

Our aim is that the boys who enter Year 7, leave Year 8 as young men who are proud of having enjoyed an unforgettable educational journey.  For very many boys, Years 7 and 8 at Davenies is the making of them.

Why a Boys’ School?

Everything we do at Davenies is geared around the boys.  The facilities, the length of the lessons, the staff we employ, the style of teaching and the activities we offer are all designed to cater for boys’ requirements.  An eleven year old boy is a very, very different pupil from an eleven year old girl.  We strongly believe that, at this stage, the boys make significant progress when they are educated with other boys only.

Where do the Boys Go?

We place great store in helping parents choose the right school for their son’s future.  We do not prepare boys for schools where we know they are going to bump along the bottom, but for ones where they will be happy and successful.  The boys eventually leave to go to numerous (as many as sixteen) day and boarding schools; some will also take the 13+ entry exam for Grammar Schools.