Private Boarding School for Boys in South London

Dulwich College, London:
Dulwich College is an academically selective independent boarding and day school for boys located in Dulwich, which lies south of the City of London only six miles from the River Thames. Our boys are aged between 11 and 18, and generally in the top 15 percent of the national academic range. Almost all students proceed to university, with about a sixth being accepted into Oxbridge or top American universities. Boarding at Dulwich is truly international, with boys coming from all over the world, and this adds to a cultural atmosphere of tolerance and intellectual curiosity.

Curriculum:
The basic aim of our timetabled curriculum is to develop boys' knowledge, skills, understanding of concepts, attitudes and confidence. Subjects include English, math, science, business studies, critical thinking, arts, drama, modern languages, design and technology and P.E.

We seek to provide a secure yet challenging environment which encourages participation, curiosity and enquiry. In designing the curriculum we identify five key factors which address these objectives.

Breadth - so that boys are exposed to a wide spectrum of areas of learning (linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, spiritual, moral, physical, cultural, creative and social).

Balance - so that boys develop in all these areas.

Relevance - so that boys will see reasons for learning.

Flexibility - so that at the highest levels of the College, where they must eventually specialise, boys will be offered a wide choice of subject combinations.

Resourcing - so that boys are taught in groups of suitable size in appropriate accommodation by well-qualified teachers supplied with all the necessary aids, equipment and apparatus.

While we attach importance to a boy's intellectual development, we are no less concerned with his personal qualities, which we seek to develop through every facet of his activity at the College, inside and outside the classroom.

All boys at the College are set homework on each of the five school days. For the youngest boys the homework should be about thirty minutes, increasing to one hour in Year 7 and one and a half hours in Year 8 and Year 9. The homework expectation increases to two hours in the last two years to GCSE. In the Upper School homework averages two to three hours each evening.

Lower School:
80 to 90 boys enter the Lower School (years 7 and 8) at age 11. In this part of the College every area of the curriculum is taught by a specialist teacher. During the next two years boys receive a thorough grounding in most of the subjects which will be available to them at GCSE level and a strong emphasis is placed upon the development of basic academic and organisational skills.

A thriving Day House system offers all boys the opportunity to take part in art, drama, music, and debating in addition to competing in a wide range of sporting activities. There is much encouragement at this stage to join some of the many co-curricular activities which are offered.

The Lower School building contains an attractive and well-stocked library as well as its own information technology centre. Lower School boys make full use of the science laboratories, the music and art centres, the design and technology workshops and the PE and sports facilities.

In the first year, forms will spend a week at the College's Field Centre in South Wales, enjoying a mixture of educational and recreational activities. On leaving the Lower School boys progress automatically to the Middle School.

Middle School:
The Middle School (years 9-11) is responsible for boys from the age of 13 to 16 and approximately 60 new entrants are accepted into the College at this stage. There are nearly 200 boys in each of the Middle School's three year groups.

The size of a form will vary. The maximum number of boys in any form or set is 26, but some may be 20 or below. We try to place boys in these smaller forms or sets when we believe a lower pupil/teacher ratio is required. Every form in the Middle School has a Form Tutor who is responsible for the overall progress of the Form, and for the individual members' academic and pastoral progress. Meetings are held at the beginning of the academic year for Year 9 and 10 parents to enable them to meet their son's Form Tutor. Parents are encouraged to contact the Form Tutor whenever they have a concern. In addition, each year group has a designated Year Head who will oversee their progress throughout the three years in the Middle School.

In addition to the classroom we want to see boys develop as individuals. It is during the age of 13 to 16 that boys begin to seek greater independence to become ‘their own man'; this can sometimes cause conflict as they seek to test boundaries and to experiment. It is important, therefore, that a close link be established between the home and school. Equally we believe that boys need to be encouraged to find interests beyond the classroom. It is likely as they grow older that interests developed at this time may become lifelong. We consider that gentle encouragement by the Form Tutor for boys to become involved in extra-curricular activities is the healthiest approach. The House competitions and the various Clubs and Societies will help to provide a boy with a wealth of opportunities in both the cultural and sporting spheres.

Our aim in the Middle School is for boys to leave us as confident young men, confidence derived from their success in their academic subjects, the independence that they have developed in managing their time and being able to recognise their strengths and weaknesses.

Upper School:
Upper School consists of the Remove (Year 12) and Sixth Form (Year 13).

On entering the Upper School boys start their advanced level courses. In the first year (the Remove) boys study 4 subjects. Most subjects follow A level courses, but Classics and Art follow the Cambridge Pre-University (Pre-U) Diploma courses. To guarantee some breadth of study, all boys also take a General Studies course. General Studies incorporates a number of lectures given by visiting speakers, and all boys also study the core components of the Pre-U diploma, Global Perspectives and the Independent Research Report. Global Perspectives teaches critical thinking skills, and boys are required to apply these to global issues in the areas of ethics, environment, economics, politics and technology. These skills are assessed at the end of the Remove Year by an examination, an essay and a presentation. The skills developed in the Global Perspectives course are then used by boys to help them write their Independent Research Report, starting at the end of their Remove Year and drafted over the summer holiday. This report allows them to develop any area of their own academic interest, and is assessed by a member of staff at the start of their final year at the College.

Details of the wide range of subjects currently available may be found in the booklet Advanced Studies which the College publishes annually. The boys may choose freely from these; the timetable is designed afterwards, to incorporate pupil choice.

There is, in addition, a Games afternoon for all boys and time for private study.

In the Remove we expect boys to take 2 modules or examinations in subjects that are following an A level course, thereby qualifying at AS level. In the second year (Sixth Form) boys will continue with 3 of their chosen subjects to Advanced (A2) level. This will form the basis of a boy’s application to higher education. In the case of subjects following Pre-U subjects, all examinations are at the end of the Sixth Form year.

Each boy in the Upper School will follow a course appropriate for him. Thus some will continue with all 4 chosen subjects in the second year.

In the Sixth Form (Year 13) a non-examined Liberal Studies course is provided for all pupils. As before there is a Games afternoon and the opportunity for private study. Some additional lessons are organised to assist those boys preparing for entry to Oxford and Cambridge.

Physical Education:
Dulwich College seeks to educate the whole person, and Physical Education forms an integral part of the whole school curriculum. All pupils, irrespective of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, are capable of physical, athletic and aesthetic responses that extend and enhance their daily experiences. It is through Physical Education that many pupils can succeed and develop.

The purpose of PE is to help pupils to:

• Develop confidence and ability in a range of physical skills and activities in an enjoyable environment;
• Learn to co-operate with others through the development of social skills;
• Compete within rules of fair play;
• Accept winning and defeat with equal dignity;
• Value the contribution that PE has on their health, well-being and lifestyle;
• Be aware of safety codes and react appropriately to any situation that may arise.
• Encourage participation in physical activity after leaving school

Physical Education is a unique medium through which pupils can be provided with the opportunity to develop physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively. We believe we must expose these qualities that are already within pupils and so develop the whole child. People must respect and value themselves so that they can respect and value others. There is a need for the vocational, the academic, the scientific and the aesthetic to be seen as working parallel to each other. Contrary to popular belief, success is not only measured by winning, indeed, Physical Education is not only for the talented: skills can be taught and learnt by all.