Warden

Ms Jenny Davey brings to Glenalmond College an exceptional breadth of international experience, academic leadership, and long-standing commitment to educational excellence.

Born in the United Kingdom, Ms Davey spent her early childhood abroad, living across Ghana, Sierra Leone, Curaçao in the West Indies, Nigeria, and Zambia. This formative international upbringing fostered a lifelong appreciation of languages, cultures, and global perspectives that has shaped her career in education.

A highly accomplished linguist, Ms Davey has taught Spanish, French, German, and Portuguese to A-Level, combining academic rigour with a deep commitment to inspiring confidence and fluency in her students. She studied Modern Languages at the University of Edinburgh, where she was awarded three academic scholarships, having previously received an offer from Oxford University. She went on to complete her PGCE at Lancaster University, choosing a pioneering course in modern language pedagogy that contributed to a wider shift in innovative teaching practice.

Throughout her career, Ms Davey has been actively involved in national and international education development. She has served as Secretary of the Independent Schools Modern Languages Association and is an Associate Assessor for Education Scotland, contributing to inspection and quality assurance across the sector.

Ms Davey has played a central leadership role at Glenalmond College since 2009, holding a series of senior positions including Deputy Head  and Sub-Warden. In these roles she has led major developments in curriculum design, academic standards, staff development, and whole-school strategy.

As Sub-Warden Academic, she has held responsibility for academic leadership across the College, managing senior academic staff including Heads of Department, the Director of Studies, Head of Sixth Form, Exams and Careers teams, and wider academic support roles. She has led the development of the School Academic Improvement Plan, ensuring data-informed decision-making and a clear, shared vision across the College community.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms Davey designed and implemented Glenalmond’s remote learning strategy, ensuring uninterrupted learning continuity and sector-leading digital provision. Her leadership in this area was widely recognised for its effectiveness, innovation, and positive impact on pupils, staff, and families.

She has also introduced and developed whole-school appraisal systems, professional development frameworks, and staff wellbeing initiatives, including coaching programmes and regular staff engagement surveys. These initiatives have strengthened professional culture and supported continuous improvement across the College.

As Deputy Head, Ms Davey led significant enhancements in classroom practice, including the introduction of developmental observation models and a bespoke CPD programme focused on literacy, numeracy, and reflective practice. She also developed university outreach and admissions support programmes that expanded pupil aspiration and success in competitive higher education applications.

Earlier in her career at Glenalmond, as Head of Modern Languages, she transformed departmental performance, significantly increasing attainment and participation, while embedding a culture of excellence and collaboration. She also led national-level initiatives to promote language learning and broaden participation across Scotland.

Ms Davey has extensive experience beyond school leadership. She is Chief Examiner for the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme Reflective Project (Spanish) and Assistant Examiner (English), responsible for assessment quality, examiner training, and standard setting.

She contributes to school inspection and authorisation processes, delivers national and international CPD, and is currently involved in curriculum review and assessment development within the IB framework. She has also worked with Ofqual on standards and assessment in modern languages and has led national conferences focused on curriculum reform and pedagogy.

Ms Davey joined Glenalmond in 2009 and has remained deeply committed to the College ever since, having first developed a strong personal connection with the school in 2009 prior to joining.

She brings to her role a belief in education as a transformative force rooted in high expectations, strong relationships, and a commitment to developing young people who are confident, curious, and capable of shaping their futures.