The Beacon v’s Gayhurst v’s Davenies

[T1ddles]

Hi all

Our son starts reception next year . We are looking at these three schools. They are all very different and there are different local opinions . We are stuck and need to make a decision ASAP. Any help or info would be gratefully received !

I don't have recent knowledge (DB went to one of them 50 years ago, and DF 85 years ago!) but some questions to start off:

• in what way are they different
• what are your priorities
• do you have a follow on school in mind, and if so does one of those more naturally feed into it
• travel time

As you say, they're all quite different, so it depends what is most important to you. Gayhurst is mixed and stops at year 6, which may or may not be a good thing for you depending on where you want your son to go afterwards.
The Beacon is about twice the size of Davenies in terms of number of boys in a year I think, which again has pros and cons. Also depends where you live - although the distance between Gerrards Cross/Amersham/Beaconsfield isn't big, the traffic isn't great and its nice to be near school friends and be able to walk to school if possible.
My son went to Davenies (left a couple of years ago). He had a fantastic time there and definitely benefitted from being in a small-ish yeargroup. I think it's an excellent school, but have friends who have been very happy with the Beacon too.

Where do you live OP?

The Beacon can be a PITA to get to from some locations.

We are towards Stoke poges so the Beacon is a nightmare but there is a bus. I thought the facilities were amazing but it feels sooo big for a prep school

Gayhurst is the easiest for us location wise . I don’t mind mixed as it is still 70% boys . But it stops at 11 which might limit options going forward and he might have to go to another school for 2 years which is not ideal .
I really liked Davenies but have heard mixed reviews, albeit from locals not mums . Our daughter is at school in Gerrards Cross so I’m hoping the traffic to Davenies wouldn’t be too bad - wishful thinking I know .

If your DD is in GX (MG or StM?) then logistically Gayhurst makes the most sense presumably?

If your DD is already at school you must presumably know whether you are aiming for indie all the way or state grammar?

For us it’s independent all the way through for various reasons . However that seems like such a long way away and it’s hard to justify the decision now for the next 6 years because of that . It’s an important point though .

Although secondary is a long way off, I think you need to think about the end destination and work back from that. Gayhurst will prepare for grammars and fewer boys will go on to board at 11/13. If you are thinking of boarding in the future you could also look at Caldicott?
I know parents with boys at The beacon and Davenies and both have very positive things to say. I’d see which one suits your boy better.
Also think about logistics of where your daughter is and where she will be going for secondary. You really don’t want to spend your days stuck in traffic