Dulwich College – Winner of Independent School of the Year Award 2022 for Contribution to Social Mobility

Dulwich College is delighted to have been awarded winner of this year’s Independent School Magazine’s Independent School of the Year Award 2022 for Contribution to Social Mobility.

Dulwich College is, and has been since its foundation in 1619, committed to helping academically-talented disadvantaged students from the local community achieve their potential.

205 bursaries

Over £4 million is granted every year to support more than 200 bursary awards in and adjacent to our own borough of Southwark. 148 pupils (74% of bursary award holders) are supported with 75% to 100% of their annual fees, which are often life changing. Two pupils in receipt of 100% boarding bursary awards came to us through the Royal National Children’s Springboard Foundation, which shares our commitment to social mobility and works closely with empowering community organisations.

Spending on bursaries has more than doubled since 2013 and it is our ambition to become a truly needs-blind school, open to pupils from all walks of life.

An egalitarian community

Students in receipt of bursaries are known to just a small number of staff because we believe that every pupil is at Dulwich through merit irrespective of their economic circumstances. Our awards are designed to enable recipients to access a Dulwich education to the full, covering the costs of academic and co-curricular trips as well as travel and uniform.

Pastoral Support

We ensure that every student is fully integrated into College life and pastorally supported. We greatly value the ongoing relationship with parents and carers at every stage during a boy’s time with us. During the pandemic this enabled us to ensure that our bursary holders were able to access online learning through the provision of devices, and had access to free school meals. It gives us great pleasure to stay in touch over the course of careers which are often fascinating and characterised by a desire to contribute to their own communities and the opportunities of others.

Impact

2021 leavers in receipt of bursary awards:

• Almost all are at Russell Group universities, including four at Oxbridge, studying Aeronautical Engineering, Classics, Medicine, Psychology, Mathematics and Economics
• Peter* secured an Apprenticeshipat KPMG
• Nkem, * reading Computer Engineering and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, said: ‘During my time at Dulwich College I have met some incredible people who encouraged me to work hard and aim high. Thanks to their support, I fulfilled one of the biggest dreams of my life.’

(*names have been changed)

A diverse community

Equity, service and excellence lie at the heart of our school ethos. We are a diverse and welcoming community, including language, ethnicity, socio-economic background, religious beliefs, and LGBTQ+ and believe that the many aptitudes of bursary holders are nurtured and cherished at Dulwich, but in a way which never loses sight of the parents, carers and educators who have also contributed along the way.