Dulwich College 8+

[Aba1]

Hi. My son has secured a place at Dulwich College at 8+. We are in central London so wanted to know from some parents whose sons go to DC from here as to how easy it is to navigate it all on a usual school day. Also any feedback on the school life would be great. I’ve heard good things about the school but have also come across some mixed reviews. Any insight would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

Hi. We are in a similar situation except our offer is for 13 plus. I can see there is a school bus from Lancaster Gate but it will take us 15 minutes to drive to LG to put him on the bus. There is also a train from Victoria but I am not sure how reliable those trains are... May I ask you to share the info about the mixed reviews please? We have not even been able to see the college although we have tried to arrange a visit since last summer. Drives me mad, to be honest.

Hi there. Thanks. We’ve seen the school and our experience has been fantastic. When I say mixed reviews it’s more towards it being a bit snobbish but we didn’t find it so at all. Wanted to hear from current parents If they can share any insight.

I can only talk as a parent with a DS joining at 7+, but we are currently at the DC Primary and very linked into the school. I also know a lot of DC parents with younger siblings. I certainly haven’t experienced any snobbery. I certainly consider myself very non snobby and down to Earth and do not feel remotely worried about this!! It is of course a proud school, steeped in history, with a strong and connected alumni. But how far you want to integrate into school life is entirely up to you. They have lovely summer & Christmas fairs which we have always found relaxed and enjoyable, as well as more formal balls which we haven’t yet done. Was it anything specific you were concerned about? We are over the moon DS is joining in September

Thank you so much @DirtyDancing for replying. Very happy to hear your experience. Was just looking to hear from a parent as to what their experience has been. I have no doubt about the abilities of the school. It is very much a well rounded school with some very exceptional qualities. Do you think families are more local ie live in Dulwich or children do come from other parts of London ? Thanks once again.

I believe families come from all over. Which makes the school fairly rich in diversity which is great. It does perhaps mean for more local families there is less of a sense of local school community / local play dates etc. I would say small local cohort, bigger south London cohort and then boys who travel in my coach/ train. I know the victoria train route well, I would say it is reliable and trains are about every 15 mins. The station is on the same side of the south circular as the school, close, but a few busy but minor roads to cross to DC.

Hi, I have a son who joined this year in y3. We're very happy so far. Absolutely wonderful teacher, great little class (very international, not snobbish at all), lots and lots going on in the school and many opportunities for the kids (even in homeschooling time).
We're not bursary, but very down to earth (crappy car, mostly cycling, encouraging our children to buy second hand and care for the environment etc.). And overall truly happy with DCJS. Our son takes the coach (from Clapham) most of the week and loves it :-) Hope that helps.

Another DCJS mum here with a supremely crappy car. Not living locally (couldn’t afford to) but our son adores the coach. He has made friends from all over SE London. His teachers so far have been terrific. This year’s in particular is outstanding because of his passion and emotional intelligence. The pupils in DS class are very earnest and hardworking. Not a hint of snobbishness so far. More ethnically diverse than his previous state school. Mostly medical families and other professionals who work their socks off to pay for the fees. Not the place for anyone who wants to ‘buy in’ to the Uber posh ranks as they are in a tiny minority here! Indeed, Dr Spence’s aim for D.C. as a whole is to get much closer to the school’s original purpose 400 years ago: to give more ‘poor’ boys a chance of a decent education. He is state educated himself and is on a social mission to widen access. If I was a ‘snob’ I would want a refund! I don’t think you will regret it.

As a Mum with a DS joining in September this makes me very happy to read! We are so excited for our DS. Also glad to know we won’t be the only ones cycling!

Thank you all for responding. I am very happy to hear all the positive experiences. Very helpful.

Not DC but DPL mom, but we take the same school coach as DC and have the same hours. A fairly early morning start (7.15am at bus stop) but the kids get used to it fairly quickly. The drawback is that they are very tired at the end of the day, so no time for extra clubs/homework at least in junior school. You can join school clubs but the late bus reaches 6.30pm or later, depending on traffic. Make sure you have some kind of tracker (I didn't give a phone in the early years) as the pickup time can vary A LOT depending on roadworks and traffic.

Overall, they have fun on the bus and make lots of friends from all over London.

Thanks @DPLMom for the advice and feedback. If you don’t mind, what part of London do you reside? Just trying to figure out where we should move as we would like to be closer to the train station and a decent distance from the school though moving to Dulwich isn’t an option. Closest we can do is Victoria station. Would that be too far if DS is to take a bus? Thanks

DPL provides a map of students all over London (with GDPR aspects considered of course) - does DC have similar? It may be worth asking them so you can 'plan' your station. I just asked DS and he says the Victoria buses are quite empty and most kids tend to get off at Clapham. So it may be something worth thinking about.

We are in SE London so probably outside your consideration area - happy to DM.

Thanks @DPLMom. This is indeed very helpful. I will ask DC for the bus routes and map of students and plan what works the best. Victoria doesn’t seem like the best option if the bus gets empty by then.

A friend’s son at D.C. lives in Battersea and catches the same coach as the one that goes out to Chelsea so there are some boys who live north of the river.

Thanks @DistractMeNow. This is very helpful to know.