WHAT? WHERE?

This elegant red brick school in leafy Dulwich, South London, is the largest boys’ Prep in the country, with 810 pupils across Early Years (co-educational for boys and girls 3-4 years), Pre-Prep and Prep (until 13 years). Established in 1885, it moved to its current site in 1893 and is now a mix of Victorian villa and tasteful modern additions spanning a cool 29 acres for its day and boarding pupils – roomy even by countryside school standards.

Predominantly pupils live in the local area, but there’s flexi boarding Monday to Thursdays for those who can’t tear themselves away from the school day. Class sizes are capped at 20, all the better to educate the boys already vetted through the selective admission process, where academic ability along with a desire to get stuck in to Prep school life, are high on the wish list. Coinciding with the school’s 140^th anniversary, changes are afoot from Sept 2025, with GSCE provision being offered for a brand new Y9-11 cohort, and Early Years provision expanding to include two year olds.

FACILITIES

/SPORT

Plenty of investment and grand facilities to please parent and pupils here. There’s an onsite multi-use Sports Hall for Years 3-8 for basketball, badminton, indoor hockey, gymnastics, along with a climbing wall and 4 full size cricket nets. Also on site is the major trophy provider, a 25m six lane swimming pool that has helped pupils become U12 & U13 London League Champions, and ESSA national finalists in 2023. You’ll be relieved to know that all children from Y1 have weekly swimming lessons at school, although there’s also a Saturday swim school should you need it. Part of a 10-year plan to further rubberstamp Dulwich Prep’s national swimming creds is an upgrade to the changing rooms and new pool lining.

There are three large local playing fields used by the school, with Mary Dathelor most in use for rugby, cricket and football fixtures (the U11 footie team were IAPS national finalists in 2023), with a 300m track for summer meets and Sports Day. Aside from the main sports on offer, there’s a strong extra-curricular programme at the school that includes sports such as karate, fencing and waterpolo.

/CREATIVE ARTS

There’s a purpose-built music block used by all pupils from Pre-Prep upwards that includes a 300-seater concert hall, fully-equipped music tech studio with Mac Labs, an exhibition space with grand piano in situ, 14 individual practise rooms and various small group rehearsal areas. Unusually for a Prep school, there is an individual Head of Music Tech which gives the music department a modern counterpart to the classical mainstay of orchestras and wind bands.

Music here is a big deal, with children able to learn an instrument from Year 1, and more than 90% of pupils playing at least one instrument – outside of specialist music schools, this is (I think from memory) the highest percentage I’ve come across, it’s very impressive for a Prep school. Aside from the concert hall, there’s also an outside amphitheatre/performance area, and past performances have included Southwark Cathedral as a venue.

In terms of theatrics, Dulwich Prep has a neat celeb flex – Hugh Bonneville and Chiwetel Ejiofor were both pupils. The children here can take advantage of a multi-use teaching black box space/studio theatre (seating 150), and performing in a mind-boggling 15 productions a year across the whole school, including an original panto, whole school play and an annual School Musical for boys in Middle and Upper School. Boys in Year 8 spend two weeks with a West End director creating and then performing original works.

/GENERAL

All the usuals but done well. There’ a library for each section of the school, with the Senior Library light and bright with a mezzanine garlanded with greenery. There’s a computer suite with 20 desktops, the dining hall is huge, modern and bathed in natural light, overlooking the outdoor area. 2012 saw the opening of three new science labs, cookery room and a fully-equipped DT workshop. At the top of the building is an observatory.

LITTLIES

The Early Years provision for Nursery and Reception children is off site in a purpose-built building in five leafy acres of its grounds and woodland, and has been recently zhushed in calming colours and natural wood rather than plastic. It’s a beautiful, calm setting, and it’s the outdoor space that will probably impress you most, with a mud kitchen and bug hotel in the adjacent forest where Nursery to Reception spend an afternoon each week (the school is gearing up to become an official Forest School), pirate ship, a ‘road’ for scooting and biking, small football pitch, sandpit, and scramble. The Early Years school hall is used for wrap around care (7.30am start and 5.30pm latest pick up) as well as lunches and performances.

ACADEMICS

Dulwich Prep is firmly in its comfort zone here – plenty of academic high-flying, with a cool 95% of boys going to their first choice Senior school. Although Dulwich College is the obvious next step for many of the local kids (be warned though – the schools are not connected, so don’t bank on it) Dulwich Prep has sent its pupils to 50 different schools since 2020 so it’s not a case of one size fits all here. In 2023, 42 scholarships were won by Year 8 boys, with academic scholarships ruling the roost – 20 Academic to 15 for Sport, 4 for Music and 2 for Art, giving strong hints as to where the particular strengths of the school lie.

This being an independent Prep, you won’t be surprised to see Latin on the curriculum from Year 6 to Year 8. Both French and Spanish are taught from Year 1 – 5, then one of the two languages is chosen to pursue from Year 6. Mandarin and Greek are both offered as clubs if you really want your son to be a global citizen, though it’s good to see in the extra-curricular offering here that there’s plenty of non-academic thrills too – LED Light Sabre, improv comedy, coding, darts, skateboarding, karate, cookery, yoga and a whole raft of music and sports clubs make up the 100+ activities on offer here.

PASTORAL CARE

Dulwich Prep has the retrospective honour of being the first London school to make the decision to shut down for Covid. The Head Master Louise Davidson had been in situ for just three months at the time. Looking back now, it showed both Davidson’s ability to make tough decisions, and the school’s priority of putting child wellbeing front and centre. Post Covid, a new Wellbeing Suite (which includes the medical rooms) has been created, easily accessible off the main playground area. Both the nurse and school counsellor can be found here, and boys can drop in as they wish. There are mindfulness and yoga sessions available for those children who need it, and pupils from Year 1 use the weekly Rate My Week app, which gives a running insight into how they feel and shared with their form teacher.

BOARDING

Newly brightened up, and with nine places available in two dorms (one of six, one of three), this is a bijou boarding provision, and probably the more fun for it. Available from Y3, boys can stay here from Monday to Thursday nights for a £75 fee including supper and breakfast.

THE HEAD

Louise Davidson is the Head Master – a title she decided to keep because, well, why not? Professional, inspiring, and nobody’s pushover, she’s been in the hot seat since August 2019. Previously she had been Head of Boarding at King’s Canterbury, SENCo and Deputy Head at Torriano Junior School in Camden and most recently was Executive Principal and Institute Director of Diverse Academies Trust in Nottinghamshire. Davidson teaches the Upper School at Dulwich Prep and clearly likes to be in the thick of things, doing gate duty every morning as well as snack and playground stints. She’s moved her office to the centre of the school, with an open-door policy (nose the herringbone wooden floor and velvet sofa) and has been instrumental in moving the school towards its GSCE status.

QUIRKS

Surprisingly plenty. The Head Boy changes every term here for starters – not unheard of, but quite unusual. There’s a magnetic device in the dining hall that ‘sucks up’ your cutlery as you put your finished food tray on a conveyor belt which is wildly popular with children (as well and your childish reviewer). A large double-fronted, mesmerising floating wall aquarium sits enticingly opposite the science labs. There’s a holiday cookery club that’s open to the whole local community. Less quirky than inventive but worth the mention is Prep+, a raft of school-organised trips to theatres, concerts, opera etc to help the boys from Y5-8 gain an appreciation of the arts.

WRAP AROUND CARE

Rainbow Club for the Early Years children starts on their own school site on Gallery Road at 7.30am and runs until 5pm before transferring to the main Alleyn Park school site until 6.30pm. Years 1 and 2 are able to book for 7am drop off with a 6.30pm pick up. From Year 3 it’s a 7am drop off and 7.30pm latest pick up. The before and after school provision here is very flexible, with parents able to book single sessions or individual combinations. Breakfast is provided for early morning drop offs and children staying after 5pm are offered dinner.

SEND

The Head Master’s previous experience as a lead SENCo augurs well for the provision here. Aside from the fee for an initial Ed Psych report, there is no additional cost for pupils needing extra SEND support, with all fees absorbed by the school – trust me, this is not the norm! The Nov 2022 ISI report shows 136 pupils identified as having SEND including autistic spectrum conditions, 94 of whom receive specialist help.

ISI REPORT

There have been several ISI inspections recently – May 2023 (Material Change), September 2022 (Regulatory Compliance) and October 2018 (Integrated Compliance and Education Quality). All compliance standards are met and the school has been rated excellent in all areas of educational quality. See all reports here.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

Mobile phones are handed in on entry to school and collected again on leaving. They’re not allowed during lessons, tutor group time or clubs before or after school.

TRANSPORT

The school is next to the main road so car drop offs are discouraged. There’s a walking bus from the Alleyn’s Head pub car park from Year 3 at 7.50am where a member of staff walks with the children the last few hundred metres to school. Walking and biking to school are common, and there’s also a coach service available that also includes pupils from Dulwich College, Alleyn’s and JAGS.

FEES

Very reasonable for London, especially as the fees include lunch, day trips, most clubs, SEND provision and counselling, plus for Y3-8 pupils, the cost of a residential trip each year. Music tuition isn’t included (well, you can’t have everything) and is £22.50 per lesson, with 30 lessons per year.

The school fees per term are: Early Years (Nursery/Reception) £5375; Pre-Prep (Y1-2) £6135; Lower School (Y3-4) £6960; Middle and Upper School (Y5-8) £7795.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Dulwich Prep has a strong local reputation for its academic and sporting prowess. The Head Master seems popular with parents and pupils, and is seen as strict but fair – she’s very hot on manners and kindness by all accounts. Most parents seem relaxed about Dulwich Prep’s move into the world of GSCEs which is largely seen as a new string to the school’s bow.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: Academic boys who want to get stuck into Prep school life and its all-rounder provision. Despite Dulwich Prep’s large pupil numbers, staggered play and lunch times and individual entrances for the different sections of the schools creates a ‘small school’ vibe, so it can appeal to both those who like smaller and bigger ponds.

Not for: If your child isn’t interested in learning, he’s in the wrong place. The school takes a clear line on poor behaviour so pupils who like to tightrope on the rules might not make it into Y9-11 in 2025.

Want to see for yourself? Be my guest!Early Years (Nursery & Reception) tours take place on Thursdays at 9.15am. Tours of Alleyn Park (Years 1 to 8), and the new Senior school opening in September 2025 take place on Tuesday or Thursday at 9.15am.

Prep School: 38-42 Alleyn Park, London, SE21 7AA.
Early Years: 8 Gallery Road, London, SE21 7AB.

dulwichpreplondon.org

Dulwich Prep, Dulwich

You may also like