Thanks all - very helpful.

Hello
I think it's really important to stress that ALL the schools are really good.

It's horribly stressful for parents and their children to get into a London day school but it's also horribly competitive for the schools so they're all upped their game.

In my day...

Hi Angus

I agree with Wheresmyschool when it comes to the school rankings based on results. My son sat 13+ entrance exams for both Alleyns and Dulwich and he has told me that the exams were similar (the same level of difficulty). The main difference (as Wheresmyschool said) is in the number of places offered- Alleyns told us that they offer 15-20 places at 13+ and approximately half of those places are offered to girls. Dulwich offers about 80-90 places (out of about 150 interviewed post exam, if I remember correctly).

The boys in Year 9 at Dulwich are put into classes based on the results of their entrance exam and interview, so the more academic boys are together initially and then the classes are mixed up (but still set for languages and maths) based on GCSE choices in Year 10.

My son chose Dulwich and we are very happy with that choice. I would definitely say that the boys are intellectually stimulated and challenged. He is happy at the school because of the sheer number of opportunities offered, the fact that the school likes to say "yes" to boys who want to try something new- whether it be a new language not normally offered or a new club (keeping chickens or building robots- the choice is staggering) and the wide range of sports offered (many more than Alleyns).

I would highly recommend going to one of the Dulwich open days if you are considering the school- they can answer any questions that you have about the entrance exams but if you want to take a look at past 13+ papers to see what the entrance exam is like, then you can find them on the website.

Hope that helps!

Hi
If there is a hierarchy of academic achievement it goes something like

1. St Pauls/Westminster/Kings

Then...

2. Alleyns/JAGS

Followed by

3. Dulwich, Whitgift

Then

4. Emanuel/Streatham and Clapham/Trinity/Sydenham High

One of the main reasons Alleyns is harder to get into is that it's mixed and has a smaller intake, so it has half the places and twice the applicant pool.

Dulwich is trying to up the academic ante but these things take a few years to flow through

Probably a silly question but... How academically selective is Dulwich college at 13? For example, is it less so than Alleyns?

Thanks