Dulwich College

[goldensophie]

Hi ladies! We are fairly new to the UK (and its unique school system, which is a whole new world to me! @@) and trying to figure out if Dulwich College is the right fit for my boy. After searching a bit my impression is that while it is a great school it is not academically as selective as St. Paul and King's College. Is it in a different league than those competitive day schools in London? Or is it still comparble in terms of score? My boy motivated but not very sporty. Would appreciate if anyone can shed some lights on what Dulwich College is like. Thanks!

How old is your ds abd what entry year are you considering?
St Paul's and Kings are a level above Dulwich but also incredibly difficult to gain a place at, are you following the 7+ thread in this section?
Dulwich is a great school.

He got an offer for DC today after taking its 9+ test in last November. He is currently enrolled in Y4 at a prep in London and we are very happy with the school and where we live now, after moving here from overseas just 6 months ago. So it is a tough decision... We don't want another major change after being here just for a year, but if we don't take the offer, he will have to go through 11+ again, which I heard is alot tougher. I am not sure how well he will do in 11+ and even can get into DC at that point. Is it really harder at 11+ or 13+ (his school current school runs up to 13 years old) Thanks so much for the reply, much appreciated!

I’ve heard it’s a lovely school. Perhaps a bit below the very top but still plenty of bright boys there with a beautiful campus. There must have been a reason you applied for 9+ in the first place? What is the commute like? If it’s close to home, that’s definitely a plus both now and when he’s older and travelling on his own. And avoiding the 11/13+ is worth a lot.

Thanks Jackal for the comment. I had him take the test because I wanted him to get some test experiences and DC was one of the few schools that gives +9, which he could take last winter. It will take around 30 minutes to commute in the morning, which I think is alot. We are happy with the school itself and yes, that he doesn't have to take 11+ is a big plus. I wonder how tougher 11+ (or 13+) is than getting into a school at 9+.

I think you are overthinking the London school scene, keep him where he is and reassess is a year or 2. It's a lot of change and a long commute for a young dc just to avoid the 11plus. London is full of fantastic schools, you don't have to go to the top 2 or 3 to have a great education.
What did the prep school think as no doubt they had to write the reference?

Dear tennissquare, thank you so much for the input, I do agree with you that it is a too long commute. I haven't yet talked to the school about it but I am going to meet with our home teacher next week. Hopefully she can help with decision. We don't shoot only for the very top London schools, but rather what we are concered is that because 11+ is tougher my son could actually end up getting into no schools comparable to even DC then. Also, the junior prep he is attending is rather geard towards getting their kids to a decent senior school, while DC will be much more than that. So a hard decision I think I will have to check ASAP its school bus option and what Dulwich neighborhood is like including rents.

With Brexit, and many families moving out of London during COVID, school places are not too competitive. A friend’s son joined DC two years ago because he was struggling academically in primary school. The more academic children joined the local State Schools. They feel a lot more progressive and innovative, especially Kingsdale for exemple. It’s good to stay open minded, think of the community experience, commute.

Thank you Alice676, your point makes sense and I also notice the rankings of Dulwich have been declining. We turned it down becuase of the commute time but it seems there are also many good schools in terms of curriculum and methodology. Thanks for the input, we will cast a wider net going forward…