Dulwich College Preparatory School
Encyclopedia
Dulwich Preparatory School DCPS is a private preparatory school
in Dulwich
, south London
, England
for children aged 3–13 years. It was founded in 1885, and is the largest boys preparatory school in the United Kingdom. It will be known formally as "Dulwich Prep London" from September 2011.
The current headmaster is Michael Roulston. Dulwich College Preparatory School is not officially affiliated with Dulwich College
; however, it does provide a large proportion of the 13+ entrants to the public school.
In 1938, John Leakey, the then headmaster, established an evacuation camp in the orchard on his father-in-law's land at Coursehorn
, near Cranbrook
, Kent
, where the affiliated Dulwich Preparatory School
still is today. Despite the danger in 1940, the school in London was reopened and run along with the school in Cranbrook. There were plans to move the school to the West Country
, but when these fell through the Cranbrook school was evacuated to Betws-y-Coed
in Snowdonia
(there remains a memorial planting of trees in that village in memory of this period). Meanwhile, Coursehorn was being used as a camp for the troops, and in 1944 soldiers had been gathered there in preparation for D-Day
.
Dulwich is a feeder school for Dulwich College
, Alleyns and public schools such as Tonbridge
, Sherborne
, St. Paul's School, Westminster
and Eton
. Many boys at DCPS, Dulwich College Prep School, in year 8, sit scholarship examinations.
Famous alumni include Derek Underwood
, the England cricketer, and musician Donald Swann
, the pianist half of Flanders & Swann, and Nick Easter, the England Rugby player.
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
in Dulwich
Dulwich
Dulwich is an area of South London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth...
, south London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for children aged 3–13 years. It was founded in 1885, and is the largest boys preparatory school in the United Kingdom. It will be known formally as "Dulwich Prep London" from September 2011.
The current headmaster is Michael Roulston. Dulwich College Preparatory School is not officially affiliated with Dulwich College
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
; however, it does provide a large proportion of the 13+ entrants to the public school.
In 1938, John Leakey, the then headmaster, established an evacuation camp in the orchard on his father-in-law's land at Coursehorn
Coursehorn
Coursehorn is a hamlet located immediately to the east of the village of Cranbrook in Kent, England. It is the site of the local cemetery; and Dulwich Preparatory School , which despite the name is not connected with Dulwich College in London, but is connected with Dulwich College Preparatory...
, near Cranbrook
Cranbrook, Kent
Cranbrook is a small town in Kent in South East England which was granted a charter in 1290 by Archbishop Peckham, allowing it to hold a market in the High Street. Located on the Maidstone to Hastings road, it is five miles north of Hawkhurst. The smaller settlements of Swattenden, Colliers...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, where the affiliated Dulwich Preparatory School
Dulwich Preparatory School
Dulwich Preparatory School is a co-educational preparatory school for children aged 3 to 13 years. It is situated in 50 acres of Wealden countryside in the heart of Kent...
still is today. Despite the danger in 1940, the school in London was reopened and run along with the school in Cranbrook. There were plans to move the school to the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
, but when these fell through the Cranbrook school was evacuated to Betws-y-Coed
Betws-y-Coed
Betws-y-Coed is a village and community in the Conwy valley in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It has a population of 534. The name Betws or Bettws is generally thought to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon Old English 'bed-hus' - i.e. a bead-house - a house of prayer, or oratory...
in Snowdonia
Snowdonia
Snowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
(there remains a memorial planting of trees in that village in memory of this period). Meanwhile, Coursehorn was being used as a camp for the troops, and in 1944 soldiers had been gathered there in preparation for D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
.
Dulwich is a feeder school for Dulwich College
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
, Alleyns and public schools such as Tonbridge
Tonbridge School
Tonbridge School is a British boys' independent school for both boarding and day pupils in Tonbridge, Kent, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judd . It is a member of the Eton Group, and has close links with the Worshipful Company of Skinners, one of the oldest London livery companies...
, Sherborne
Sherborne School
Sherborne School is a British independent school for boys, located in the town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset, England. It is one of the original member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
, St. Paul's School, Westminster
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
and Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. Many boys at DCPS, Dulwich College Prep School, in year 8, sit scholarship examinations.
Famous alumni include Derek Underwood
Derek Underwood
Derek Underwood MBE is an English former international cricketer, and a former President of the MCC....
, the England cricketer, and musician Donald Swann
Donald Swann
Donald Ibrahím Swann was a British composer, musician and entertainer. He is best known to the general public for his partnership of writing and performing comic songs with Michael Flanders .-Life:...
, the pianist half of Flanders & Swann, and Nick Easter, the England Rugby player.
External links
- DCPS website
- DCPS in Kent website
- George Marsh, head teacher of Dulwich College Preparatory School, BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, 26 September 2000 - History of Dulwich College Preparatory School in Cranbrook, Kent