Notable Alumni

Metropolitan Police constable Nina Mackay - a former student at Davenant Foundation School - who died after being stabbed while on duty, has been recognised with the Elizabeth Emblem.

The 25-year-old officer was confronted by a violent and mentally unstable man while searching a property in east London in October 1997.

The man stabbed her once, and she died from her injuries.  The street where PC Mackay was attacked was later renamed Nina Mackay Close.

PC Mackay, the daughter of former Redbridge Borough Commander Chief Superintendent Sidney MacKay, attended Davenant from 1983 to 1990.

She is amongst 106 police officers, firefighters, overseas workers and other public servants who died in service to be recognised with the Elizabeth Emblem, which recognises the sacrifices made by public servants who have lost their lives as a result of their duty. 

It is the civilian equivalent of the Elizabeth Cross, which recognises members of the UK Armed Forces who died in action or as a result of a terrorist attack.   Established last year, it is only the second ever list of Elizabeth Emblem recipients to be published. 

Her mother, Patricia Mackay, 80, said Nina had a "great social conscience", adding "everybody liked working with her because she was very hard-working".

PC Mackay joined the Metropolitan Police and served in the service's Territorial Support Group for five years until her death.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, said: "We owe an enduring debt to the public servants who give their lives to protect others.
The Elizabeth Emblem is a reminder not just of the ultimate price their loved ones have paid in service of our communities, it is a lasting symbol of our national gratitude for their incredible sacrifice."

In 2018, he became the youngest Briton since Ikem Billy, 34 years earlier, to run sub 1:45 for 800m. He has five national titles; two Senior, one U23, one U20 and one U17.

Daniel was at Davenant from 2005 to 2012 and was Head Boy in Year 13. An outstanding student who was involved in music, his church as well as his phenomenal athletics achievements. Daniel also got outstanding A-level results and went to study Engineering at Imperial College London.

Daniel Rowden’s 2019 season was wiped out after he had surgery to fix a rare stomach disorder. Twelve months later he faced the prospect of another season on the sidelines when coronavirus caused the Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled, leaving him disheartened and lacking motivation to train. Yet despite these hurdles, he has emerged as one of the breakthrough stars of 2020. Rowden out-kicked Jake Wightman to win the British 800m title in Manchester that year and posted a personal best of 1:44.74.

Educated at Davenant, 1986 to 1993, Imperial College London[1] (BSc physics, 1996) and King's College London (MA Defence Studies, 2016), Pedre entered Britannia Royal Naval College on 18 September 1996. He became commanding officer of the Hunt-class mine countermeasure vessel HMS Cottesmore, deployed on counter-terrorist operations in the Irish Sea, in 2003.

As executive officer on the Type 22 frigate HMS Cumberland, Pedre was involved in the evacuation of personnel from Benghazi, Libya in 2009. He went on to command the Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond in 2012, and the landing platform helicopter HMS Ocean in 2016. Ocean served as flagship for Standing NATO Maritime Group 2[7] and took part in Operation RUMAN (humanitarian support to the British Overseas Territories), before being decommissioned in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II on 27 March 2018.

Pedre went on to be Assistant Head Defence Strategy at the Ministry of Defence later in 2018, Commander Littoral Strike Group in May 2020,[9] and, with promotion to rear admiral, Commander United Kingdom Strike Force in September 2022.