Foundation in Whitechapel In February 1680 the Reverend
Ralph Davenant, rector of
St Mary's Whitechapel, drew up his will, leaving all of his household goods and plate to his wife with the provision that it should eventually be sold and that the monies raised should be used to build a school for 40 boys of
Whitechapel in the
East End of London. In addition to this bequest, a number of properties were also given over to the school so that rents and capital could be raised. These consisted of a farm at
Sandon near
Chelmsford, the site of
Tilbury Fort and land on which the
London, Tilbury and Southend Railway was built. Funds raised thereby went towards the additional educating of 34 poor girls. Boys were to learn reading, writing and arithmetic, whilst the girls were to learn reading, writing and sewing. A site for the proposed school was found in the
Whitechapel Road on the Lower Burial Ground. The old school buildings still stand there. In 1813, Davenant earned itself the title of 'Cradle of the
National Schools of England'.
Monitorial system Dr Andrew Bell invented a system for educating hundreds of children with only one Master assisted by senior boys. This became known as the
monitorial system. 1,000 children (600 boys and 400 girls) were educated by this system in a new building which was erected in Davenant Street. The
charity school continued to function in the original buildings which were eventually enlarged in 1818 to accommodate 100 boys and 100 girls. The school by now maintained two institutions educating 1,200 children – extraordinarily large for 1818. The third strand of the school came into being in 1858 when a Commercial or Grammar School was built in Leman Street under the direction of the Reverend Welden Champneys, the then rector of Whitechapel. In 1888 the two charities of Whitechapel and Davenant merged to become 'The Foundation School'.
New buildings In 1896, the new Renaissance Building was erected behind the 1818 building providing additional classroom space and an assembly hall which remains. In 1939 the school was evacuated and the buildings were taken over by the Heavy Rescue Service. In 1944 the school became Davenant Foundation Grammar School for Boys, a title which it retained until 1980. By then it educated only some 200 boys.
Move to Loughton In 1965, at the invitation of the
Essex County Council, the school moved to the suburb of
Loughton.
Comprehensive and coeducational school The school continued as a two-form entry boys' grammar school until 1980. In that year Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother made her second visit to the school, to celebrate 300 years since its founding. The school returned to
co-educational status and developed as a
Christian Ecumenical School for 1,000 girls and boys. The school also gained specialist status as a Language College and a Sports College.
Davenant International Davenant International was a student forum on global issues launched by the students of the school. It launched in September 2005. Davenant International was formed against a backdrop of increased awareness and concern for
social justice and a stand against world poverty. Davenant International, was headed by Mr Lennox Morris-Whitehead, a science teacher at the school. The students heeded the call to take global issues such as
Make Poverty History, Aids, The
Tsunami Disaster, Children of
Chernobyl seriously: 'We live in one world. What we do affects others, and what others do affects us, as never before. To recognise that we are all members of a world community and that we all have responsibilities to each other is not romantic rhetoric, but modern economic and social reality.' 'The school curriculum should contribute to the development of pupils' sense of identity through knowledge and understanding of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural heritages of Britain's diverse society and of the local, national....and global dimensions of their lives....the schools curriculum should...secure their commitment to sustainable development at a personal local, national and global level.' Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II sent her best wishes to all those present for a successful and enjoyable event. The former president of South Africa,
Nelson Mandela also sent his warm greetings to Davenant students. Former British prime minister,
John Major, writing to the students in Loughton hoped that they would take these issues seriously. The prime minister of the United Kingdom,
Tony Blair in a special message to Davenant students said: 'I am delighted to hear about the launch of 'Davenant International'. The forum will provide an opportunity for pupils to debate and discuss a range of global issues in a lively and meaningful way. It is essential that all young people be given the opportunity to learn about the global community of which they are a part. I wish the school every success in fostering the enthusiasm and creativeness of their pupils through this forum and their future work in this area.'
Lee Scott MP, speaking to Davenant students said: 'You are our future. You must make sure you make that difference that I think you can make.' Headteacher
Christopher Seward said: 'Congratulations to the students who have worked hard in getting Davenant International launched and to Mr. Ivan Corea (Head of Religious Education) who worked hard in giving this some vision and then making it a reality.'
Academy The school converted to
academy status on 1 April 2011.
Television Davenant students appeared on
Channel 4's
Teens programme in 2015. == Rugby ==