DC vs CLS boys

Yes and the grammar schools are often full of heavily tutored children since year 2! Amazing results from your son!! I’m hoping I’m able to tell you in a few months my son has managed to achieve similarly.

Thank you for all your help!!!

I came across a publicly available High Court anonymity order dated 20 March 2025, concerning the case KIC v Dulwich College (Claim No. KB-2025-000971)

Case Details

• Case Title: AHJ -v- Dulwich College (with an anonymity order protecting the identity of the claimant, referred to as 'AHJ')
• Court: Civil High Court, King's Bench Division
• Date of Order: December 20, 2024 1]

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5fbe78bd8fa8f559e5b116b7/Mr_D_Eade__vs__City_of_London_Corporation_-_Judgment.pdf

Hello, thank you so much for this! That is so reassuring. He’s at a prep school and we have no tutor. Our confidence was knocked slightly as he passed wallington and Sutton grammar however missed Wilson’s with his English mark for stage 2 (however we only started prep for this a month prior).

Prep school have always held him out to be extremely bright so now I’m questioning everything (even the scholarships they are telling me he’s likely to get).

Well done to your son, absolutely amazing, you must be so proud as his mother, I can’t even imagine. Hoping my son does as well. X

Why my atom only shows %
e g 80% or 90%
not figure like 144 .

only cat4 shows 141/141 or 122/141

Hi, for all those in this thread who said their children got academic scholarships (amazing!!!!), what were your boys getting in Atom. My son’s prep school have told me he’s very likely for a scholarship at DC and will get into CLS, however I’m not too sure. Maths ranges from 142-149. However English, VR and NVR are at the moment in the mid teens at 115. I know we have 6 weeks until the exam, however how much difference will 6 weeks make? In his school quest assessments he gets 130-142 in all subjects, however doesn’t seem to do as well in the Dulwich mocks on atom.

Thank you for your perspective. However, there is a fine line between offering helpful advice and adopting a subtly patronising tone. Unsolicited guidance, an implied sense of intellectual superiority and benevolent condescension can make an otherwise polite response feel rather dismissive.
Raising legitimate concerns about an institution is not necessarily a failure to assess information critically. Responding by instructing someone on how to research or make decisions, rather than engaging with the concerns themselves, can come across as institutional defensiveness.
Genuine dialogue requires intellectual humility, not an assumption of superior judgement.

Found staff review

DC:

Poor management leads to quick staff turnover”
“Nice for teachers. Not for anyone else.”
Don't work here!”
The politics, snob attitude, two faced personalities”
“Very stressed children”

CLB:
lack of respect”
“dictatorship style of management”
“blame culture”
“lack of support for HR team”
“too many agency or contract staff.”

What’s update .
may I ask how he getting on for last 3 months thanks

I have to disagree: it does influence positively uni applications (as many other things do!), and I say this as someone with lived experience - so I guess we are your evidence!

Completely agree with the benefits of a scholarship for the child - certainly worth thinking about. Just clarifying that 11+ scholarships dont strengthen university applications. It is a small detail but many read these threads over time and take statements at face value. I say this as someone with experience in admission and colleagues in the space. Would be interested to see evidence that it does in some unis

To the OP - worth comparing sports, academic attainment, commute, cost including scholarship and the benefits of a scholarship during school across the 2 schools and then determining which factors matter most for your child and family. ChatGpT is very good at helping you present this in a table that can help you make up your mind.

Yes, agree - I wouldnt choose based on the scholarship alone. But having similar opportunities from good schools, this IMO an important decision factor. The scholarship granted at 11 usually carries through middle and senior school if results are mantained. It is a great recognition: the scholars represent the school in external events, they have extra enrichment opportunities, etc. In some schools they wear a differenr tie, or a lapel pin. To me, this was a mire important factor in the mix than, for example, location. Now that we are approaching that stage, it will undoubtely strengthen uni applications, here and abroad (particularly at a time that there is a bit of a bias from UK unis against private schools). Scholarships are selective, in an already selective environment - they do mean something.

I would not choose a school on the off-chance that a scholarship at 11+ would matter. Well above that would be performance in the school over the years. I would however factor in the validation a child gets from receiving a scholarship, any extra opportunities and the financial impact of a scholarship

School reference will mention scholarships, as well as leadership positions, etc. Everything matters

How so re university applications? Most top unis are mainly moved by predicted grades, results in entry exams and possibly school reference/place in cohort. I dont see how a scholarship at 11 makes a difference and I have been involved in admissions at a highly regarded uni

I have a son at City (a second son at another school) and know friends at DC. Both are equally good: the difference in academic results, if any, is minimal, and by the time they finish school they may have even flipped! All the things that have been said here are good advice. One more thing to consider is the scholarship. IMO, this is a big deal, not only for the recognition and enrichment opportunities it carries whilst at school, but also has a positive influence in uni applications. This carried a weight in our decision and dont regret it.

I've got two with academic scholarships at DC and yes, there's absolutely plenty to challenge them! Not just academically but also leading or taking part in all manner of co-curriculars. There's more than you could possibly imagine to suit every type of student, not just the standard sports and clubs - teams up to F/G so everyone can take part - but also the likes of rowing, drone-making, knitting, or additional Japanese, Arabic or Italian, as well as maths and STEM olympiads etc, to name but a few. Also, despite it being a big school, there's lots of mixing outside your child's year group, with older boys helping lead and mentor younger ones.

As someone mentioned earlier in the thread, the exam result differences may lie in the bigger intake of DC and a consequently bigger spread but there's no shortage of bright and hard-working boys there. It's easy to get fixated on league tables during the 11+ process as it's a tangible metric but in reality, both schools will offer excellent academic opportunities so I'd go with what appeals beyond academics alone. Hope this helps!