Alleyn's 11+ 2019

As per previous poster, the number of scholarships does vary from year to year as it depends on which children take up scholarship offers. The proportion of Junior School scholarship children also varies each year.

I think last year around 6 academic scholarships went to Junior School children and this year it was just 2, so less than 10%.

There are huge numbers of applicants for relatively few non-academic scholarships so it is very competitive.

@ChnandlerBong I'm sure it varies a lot year by year but in my experience about 6 of the academic scholarships go to the junior school kids and there are about 36 awarded in total at 11+ now that they 13+ has bee scrapped. However, it's not fixed do its possible in some years it is very different. However, speaking to parents in the school, that seems to be the norm which makes sense as the junior school kids in general are more relaxed about the exam as they have a guaranteed place. The amount of studying external candidates do for years just isn't something any junior school parents I know would ever impose as avoiding the 11+ stress was half the point of choosing Alleyns.

They don’t dominate the academic scholarships- a think they got about half of them in dd’s year so that was with 48 kids in a year of 130 in year 7….

They did dominate the 11+ music and sports scholarships in her year though?

Thanks for this @ConfusedaboutSchool. It is so hard to know how things really are, great to have your feedback.

@effemme the kids at Alleyns don't dominate the scholarships. Proportionally they are slightly under represented for sports, academic, music and art scholarships compared to the new entrants. They do get them though but not beyond what you'd expect proportionally.

Scholarships at Alleyns are just very, very competitive given the numbers that apply.

Thanks all. I am sure they do nit domeinate the classroom, my concern, as @ChnandlerBong mention is wether they tend to get more attention/scholarshio/opportunities as gheya re well know already and ahd lots of the same opportunities within the school already. I guess it is similar at DC. I might have mentioned it already, but my son did not even call back for the second stage of the sports assessment at A - when he thought the other kids were pretty much at similar level and was not impresse - while he got a scholarship at T , where he though kids were much better , that recognised his attitude, ability and mostly potentail to become good sportman and T is a much more sporty school. So , while I was not expecting a sports scholarship at A, I was surprised he got elimintaed at the first round. I would not be surpised if the majority who got the sports scholarship are from the Jr school. So with this considered, I wonder of the same applies to the academics and if my son will end up flaoting in the middle at A.Just thoughts that might be competely wrong.

Sorry my comment about coed and single sex is a personal opinion only- just as a counterpoint to what someone else had said.

And while DD has avoided the all girls school pressure I hated at her age there is no doubt she has grown up more quickly in the coed groove.

Alleyns junior school kids don’t dominate in terms of numbers no, but they are a big group. They seemed to dominate the top sports teams for most of the first year as the PE teachers knew them. No big deal. Perhaps they did at DC too and my F squad son didn’t realise!

Regarding someone's comment about what suits boys and girls better, statistics show that girls are much more likely to study STEAM subject in an all-girls school. The arguments for boys in co-ed is more about socialisation rather than grades. I think picking the school that has your ethos etc is probably more important though I have friends who attended the local Dulwich single sex schools that do feel they were underprepared for interactions with the opposite sex in a natural normal way. Parents can easily manage this though through activities outside of school.

@effemme The junior school children don't dominate at Alleyns. Out of the class of 150, about 48 come from the junior school. The new intake of circa 100 is split 50% state school and 50% prep school-- this is an open policy Alleyns have. So in your son's classes about 1/3 of the boys will be from state school, 1/3 from Alleyns junior school and 1/3rd from other preps.

@ChnandlerBong thanks, your points are exacty what is steering us more towards boysonly and the advice we had has been the same and the opposite of what @Coffeewinecake received : coed better for girls ( they can get too competitive on too many levels) and single sex for boys ( they stay kids for longer with no pressure to be cool for the girls -or compete). Of course pro and cons in both environments.

@coffeewinecake just wanted to say that we chose single sex for ds and coed for dd - at the 2 schools we are discussing - in direct contravention of the advice you've been given! (and would make the same decision again...)

For us, a big all boys school offered ds the possibility to sing in the chapel choir, participate in D team rugby, F team football, E teacm cricket and fencing - none of which are on the table at A. It has also meant he has always been comfortably in the top 25% and has the kudos and confidence that comes from that - at A he would have been in direct competition with the hardworking girls. IN the Upper school, the close pastoral and liberal studies links with Jags have also been great.

Alleyns used to offer a 13+entry so some DPL kids went each year at that stage, but it has now been scrapped so no parent aiming for Alleyns would put their kid into DPL now really?

My advice? go for another private tour. The schools want you and it's a big commitment. Don't make any decision until you have the info you need. And by 'info' I can only mean confirmation that the vibe of the place might suit your child.

No bad choices here.

Any more feedback on these schools from current parents? Went to DC again yesterday I was impressed by receiving a private tour without having asked for one (I just wanted to ask some questions) We went ti another tour at A today and ahd better impressions taht yhe fitrs time round. Still very unsure. Going back to Whigift and T next week

Name changed so past posts are not potentially linked with my kids.

Curious about DC v Alleyn’s as we will be considering the two for DC next year.
I am trying see behind the “stats”and experiences to figure out which would be better for our son. So my comments are not intended to discredit anyone’s experience.

I know a massive cohort of boys moved from Dulwich Prep to DC at 13+/11+ and I presumed this was partly due to the traditional end point of DPL and start point of DC. Previously for a boy to go to Alleyn’s they would have to self prepare and leave at a non-traditional point. Although I think DPL now prep at 11+.

Parent comms - as a parent I would LOVE detailed info from the schools esp as teenagers rarely divulge much of their day. However, part of me thinks that this is doing a disservice to the pupils who should be managing and figuring their way through the complexities of a secondary school timetable and homework. As much as I want to oversee their work, I need to let go and they need to develop independence. I suppose the league tables (a very blunt tool) show that at the results are achieved, somehow.

Interesting insight re: sport. I will need to have a think and a discussion with DH and DS about this. He is not very sporty but may love being part of the D team or hate that he will take part regardless.

I also met a DC teacher who said that they would chose co-Ed for boys and single sex for girls and this has been playing on my mind as there was no reason for him to lie to me (unlikely I will ever see him again, unless DS goes to DC!).

I appreciate this is only one person’s view but I have only spoken to teachers of these schools in an open day setting and they naturally spin the advantage of co-Ed/ss to suit the school they are trying to “sell”.

just on the parent comms. Waaaay stronger at DC - we had emails about missing/poor quality homework right from the off which meant ds was very quickly encouraged to focus! He's also always had reports for the extracurricular activities so we can see what he's been doing. Don't think we've ever had that from A apart rom for the paid for music lessons.

One factor for me was wanting co-ed but maybe because I’m more used to that, I wanted a mix of types there but I assume DC has that still

Didn’t..

We did t actually apply to DC as would have used the outstanding ED state if not A but I actually regretted that decision after the date had passed

But I’d always thought state or Alleyn’s so I guess it worked out

Music and academics are good, dc does many clubs which are great, but I get the sense sport might be better at DD - hard to know without trying both

The school fits Ds though so far, and we have got a grades card recently - so a term in

I think you can’t go wrong really with either for sporty, academic dc so tough call

I am just pm you as I have DC in one of those schools ! And another DC on local walking distance school!

@Iamsodone thanks.I had the same impression about boys choosing other schools vs girls chosing Alleyns.
Now the decision will be wther to go local with n scholarshipo or further away with scholarship ( Whitgif and Trinity)

My DS was offered a place at A a few years ago, and didn’t want to take it. I think what shifted him is the sports scholarship assessment day as he said he would go to any of the other boys’ schools he had offers from.
BTW I have also observed that boys will choose DC over A (or another boys school), and girls will tend go to A over JAGS.
A works for children who know what they want and are self starters, as the school tends to let them find their own feet (which means some might not do no clubs unless told and other will embrace it all!). The touch is very soft at A.
If you would rather have a more prescriptive school, with more obvious added value then go for DC as they provide more of a frame, guidance and direction. Sports also will be better at DC, it’s very much optional at A.
On the communication to parents (I have a nephew in both), A’s is not as good as DC, at least in the lower /middle school, at A you can go on months on before getting a grades sheet or school report, again that softer touch might work for certain families. Good luck, they are both great schools, just depends what you are looking for.

Thank you. It does feel more elitist. The fact that kids who have connections with the school ( parents or grandparents who attended) is another sign of this. Sure it is an amazing school but probably fits better those "lucky" ones who jave been there since the very beginning.

Yes, so sorry - parent/home communication is better at DC.

I have also heard that Alleyn's favour their junior school when they award scholarships. Have heard that in the context of music.

I would agree with ChandlerBong. I absolutely wouldn't worry about state versus private intake at either of these schools.

I am a state primary school teacher who has seen my own pupils go off to these schools and then parents with younger kids still at the school feed back. The philosophies of the 2 schools are quite different. Alleyn's tend to check-in and extend their scholars more, but leave others to find their own way. This has often resulted in parents finding out quite late their kids haven't been handing in work etc. At Alleyn's the parent - home communication is very good and those children who do fall behind (which is quite normal btw) are supported at school and home with catchup before it becomes more of an issue.

Re: Sport - again I have had parents with very sporty boys go to Alleyns and be very disappointed with the offering.

DC is hard to beat in my view. An amazing school catering for all types of boys.

might be worth posting anew thread for this one?

DC - the junior school kids don't seem quite as dominant in Y7 as at Alleyns. DS definitely wasn't aware who was new and who wasn't. The intake is v diverse with lots of scholarships and bursaries helping that. The sport provision is amazing. They have to do Saturday sport in Y7 (rugby/football/cricket in that order) and it definitely helps them all settle in. As they move further up the school, athletics/golf/skiing/rowing/badminton/fencing all become options which is great for the sporty boy (and also good to get the non sporty like DS off their bums!)

Alleyns is smaller and the sport is not quite so democratic. Team selection was initially v junior school biased and they generally run fewer teams. No rugby - as I'm sure you know?

As a final point, having a DS who is now desperately wishing he was in a coed school (to meet girls.....) I have no regrets about choosing DC at 11. The teaching, the sport, the music, the non curriculum opportunities. For him, they've been brilliant. The ethos of the place has made him the confident], inquisitive sixth former he now is, and I wouoldn't change the decision if I had to make it again.