History

This short history was written by the Reverend Richard Tillbrook, a teacher at the school from 1971 - 2002.

It was in February 1680 that the Reverend Ralph Davenant 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 poor boys of Whitechapel.

Ralph Davenant was the son of the Rector of Gillingham in Dorset. Mr.Davenant became Rector of Whitechapel (St.Mary's) and was awarded the degree of M.A. by Cambridge University as a result of a directive from King Charles II. We don't actually know what the connection between Ralph Davenant and the King was but he (the King) was clearly impressed.

In addition to the monies raised from the sale of plate and goods, 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 where Tilbury Fort is built and much of the land upon which the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway is 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 site is still occupied by the old school buildings and can be clearly seen when passing along the Whitechapel Road today.

In 1813 a dramatic change took place when Davenant earned itself the title of 'Cradle of the National Schools of England'.

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. 1000 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. (Not bad 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'.

In 1896 the new Renaissance Building was erected behind the 1818 building providing additional up to date classroom space and a magnificent assembly hall which remains to this day.

In 1939 the school was evacuated and the buildings were taken over by the Heavy Rescue Service who did irreparable damage to the buildings and destroyed many of the documents and honors boards (which were used to board up broken shop windows etc!)

In 1944 the school became Davenant Foundation Grammar School for Boys, a title which it retained until 1980. By now it  educated only some 200 boys.

In 1966, at the invitation of the Essex County Council, the school moved to the leafy suburbs of Loughton where, by now, many of the East End families had moved. The population in London was in decline and there was a need for grammar school provision in Loughton. There were, in 1966, many fine grammar schools in the East End including Raine's, George Green, Coopers Coburn and Parmiters. Davenant's best chance of survival was to move.

The new buildings at Loughton are on a beautiful site and were opened in 1966 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

The school continued as a two form entry boys' grammar school until 1980.

It was then that, after much deliberation, the Governors and Trustees decided that the time was right to further develop the work which Ralph Davenant had put into motion some 300 years before and so it was that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother made her second visit to the school to mark the restoration of the coeducational nature of the school and its ongoing development as a Christian Ecumenical School for 1000 girls and boys.

In 1998 the school was awarded the title 'Beacon School' by Her Majesty's Government in recognition of its outstanding contribution to the education of young people and for the high standards of both teaching methods and academic success.

We are proud of our school and thank God daily for Ralph Davenant who ' for the zeal and love he had for his parish' set into motion the means by which our school was founded 320 years ago.

The Monitorial School in what is now Davenant Street housed 600 pupils downstairs and 400 upstairs...two teachers...don't tell the Minister of Education!!!.

The artist's impression of the 1895 building (the spire was never added).

The reconstructed Whitechapel Road building of 1815. Note the dedication to the charitable works of the Foundation above the arch. This was replaced with a window after the war and the inscription lost. 

Sketch of new buildings including bicycle sheds and canopy. The canopy was not added but the sheds for 100 bicycles were built. Note the gym is not included.

The original building of 1686. Note the statue in the niche. This is supposed to be Ralph Davenant but was actually on older wooden statue of some unknown clergyman which was bought from a junkyard and painted to represent Davenant.