Since 1885 the Prep has been at the forefront of preparatory schooling in England. Generations of boys (and Nursery-aged girls) have benefited from a school that has embraced change, kept pace with pedagogy and technology, and looked to inspire excellence in its pupils.
On 1st September 2011, the school’s name was changed to Dulwich Prep London, launching a new and exciting era in its growth and development.
Dulwich Prep London is essentially a boys’ school with about 850 pupils between the ages of 3 and 13. In the Early Years Department, girls are also welcomed.
Dulwich Prep London inspires excellence and our greatest success is measured by the character of our boys.
Our values sow the seeds of possibility in the mind, heart, and spirit of each boy and create the right culture and the right conditions to allow these possibilities to flourish and become real.
For our boys, their time at school is about more than preparation for exams, it is preparation for life. We believe that an education rooted in teaching character is what sets our boys apart.
Through Justice, Gratitude, Self-Discipline, Love, Honesty, Humility, Courage, and Service we want to teach our boys how to be kind and offer help where it is needed to play fair and tell the truth no matter who is listening to join in and play their part whilst letting others be heard to appreciate the world around them and how valuable their contribution is and always to have a go.
Our school’s priority is the well-being and happiness of the boys. Each boy’s sense of belonging is paramount to his success and the continuing success of the school. Our boys are challenged in their pursuit of excellence and we support each boy as he finds what he is good at.
We want our boys to leave us having experienced the very best in pastoral care, teaching, and learning, having enjoyed the most dynamic and demanding academic and co-curricular programs, and having made friends for life.
These are the key building blocks for the school, but it is our values that act as the cement which bonds everyone and everything together. Our values create Dulwich Prep London’s special atmosphere.
At Dulwich Prep London we recognize that learning is an exciting journey upon which every student embarks and understand that each student’s ‘learning journey is unique.
We believe that learning can be seen much like a muscle. The learning muscle can be fuelled, trained, and subsequently strengthened by a plethora of different opportunities and experiences, each tailored to the individual.
Through an innovative and challenging curriculum, Dulwich Prep London seeks to foster a growth mindset in all of its students. Many educators want children to ‘reach their potential. At Dulwich Prep London we believe that there is no limit to a child’s potential. Through recognition of endeavor, appropriate challenge, and the development of a learning toolkit we hope to enable every child to find success in the future, most likely in professions or scenarios that we cannot begin to imagine.
At Dulwich Prep we seek to promote independence in learning and aim to develop learners who move into senior schools with confidence in their strategies for learning and thus welcome academic challenge. The developmental process is gradual and inextricably linked to maturity, however, support structures and scaffolds are put in place for each student from the very beginning of their learning journey.
The curriculum in the Lower School offers a seamless transition from Pre-Prep Years 1 and 2. Many of the subjects continue to be delivered by class teachers, however, the number of specialist subject lessons increases. This helps the boys to become more independent and experience a variety of teachers and teaching styles whilst also enabling the reinforcement of a growth mindset in each boy. Whilst subject knowledge remains an extremely important facet of the curriculum, the focus on skills and the continued incorporation of support for the development of characteristics of effective learning also has great emphasis.
A wider range of academic subjects is taught in sets, which help respond to the needs of each individual and provide appropriate challenges for every ability level. Utilizing the foundations laid in previous sections by class teachers, form tutors help provide pastoral support to the boys but also help guide their tutees through the academic rigors of each day.
Subjects formerly taught within a topic-based approach become discrete lessons in this section of the school. Specialist Geography, History, RS, Art, and DT teachers help each boy progress through thought-provoking schemes of work which help develop subject knowledge but also, and importantly, new skills relevant to each subject area.
The Upper School curriculum prepares boys for exam success whilst continuing to foster a love for learning. Boys are taught to think and reflect on their learning and Costa’s Habits of Mind continue to provide a framework of learning which helps them face and overcome the academic challenge. We recognize that the boys, at this stage in their education, are of ‘secondary’ age and require a curriculum and support network which is relevant, inspiring, and challenging.
Beyond the academic subjects, boys enter a creative rotation through Years 7 and 8 where they explore Art, Design and Technology, Music Technology, Cooking, Robotics, and Computing. A careful balance between the academic preparation for exams and the broadening of an individual’s horizons is sought and managed. An appropriate work-life balance is encouraged to ensure boys are learning efficiently and effectively, but most importantly, with passion and drive.
Dulwich Prep London FS 1 to FS 2 8 Gallery Road SE21 7AB +44 20 87665531
