Dulwich College

Dulwich College was founded in 1619 by the Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn under letters patent from King James I. Alleyn — for whom Christopher Marlowe wrote the title role in Doctor Faustus and who performed at the Rose Theatre — endowed the original "College of God's Gift" to educate twelve poor scholars alongside almspeople. The school took its current form when it moved to its present 75-acre site in Dulwich Village in 1870 under the Master Alfred Carver. Today Dulwich is a boys' day and boarding school for ages 2-19, with around 1,820 pupils in 2018 (Wikipedia) and currently nearer 1,920 in the schoolscout records.

Dulwich sits firmly in the top tier of London independent schools. It is a member of the HMC and the Eton Group (a twelve-school consortium of historically leading English public schools) and was ranked by The Schools Index among the 150 best private schools globally and the top 30 senior schools in the UK. Academic performance is strong: the 2025 A-Level cohort recorded 67.7% of grades at A*/A, with a consistent record of Oxbridge offers and a growing pipeline to US Ivy League destinations.

The school operates as a Foundation alongside two sister institutions: Alleyn's School (mixed) and James Allen's Girls' School (JAGS). Boarding is run from three houses for boys aged 11-18, while day pupils belong to one of eight house structures whose names — Sidney, Spenser, Marlowe, Drake, Grenville, Howard, Raleigh, Jonson — reflect the school's Elizabethan literary inheritance.

Dulwich's most striking feature is its alumni network — "Old Alleynians" — which spans literature, exploration, the arts and public life. Sir Ernest Shackleton, Sir P. G. Wodehouse, Raymond Chandler, Michael Ondaatje and C. S. Forester all attended. So did Oscar-nominated Chiwetel Ejiofor, Bridgerton's Nicholas Galitzine, former Bank of England Governor Sir Edward George and the politician Nigel Farage. The current Master is Dr Joseph Spence, in post since 2009.