The Dulwich School Cranbrook Review 2026: All-through day and boarding, with a growing GCSE pathway

That said, external inspection evidence gives a clear quality signal for educational outcomes in the prep phase. The February 2023 ISI inspection judged the quality of pupils’ academic and other achievements as excellent, and personal development as excellent.

The same inspection also records a specific improvement point which is useful for parents of higher-attaining children to ask about. More able pupils were sometimes not challenged consistently in a small minority of lessons, which matters most for families seeking a strong stretch at the top end.

This is a school that tries to combine structure with breadth. In the Prep years, subject specialist teaching and specialist spaces are central to the pitch. The Little Stream building is described as having a dedicated performance space, a Science lab, an Art studio, an ICT suite, and a Music room, which supports a timetabled approach that treats creative and practical subjects as core rather than occasional extras.

In practice, that can show up as earlier exposure to performance, languages, and hands-on making, which is often what parents mean when they want “confidence”. There is also a defined co-curricular architecture that runs alongside timetabled teaching rather than sitting outside it. The school frames this through its “Dulwich Inspires!” programme and wider co-curricular blocks.

At Senior School level, the curriculum intent is explicitly linked to study habits and future pathways. The school references progress conversations, personalised learning programmes and careers advice, alongside a Leadership and Lifeskills course. Within policy documentation, Leadership and Lifeskills lessons for Years 10 and 11 are linked to presentation and debating skills, which is a practical, GCSE-adjacent interpretation of “skills for life”.

Because the school’s age range ends at 16, families should plan early for post-16 routes. That might mean sixth forms at local state grammars, independent senior schools, or sixth form colleges, depending on fit, travel, and subject needs. The school’s own materials emphasise careers advice and structured support at the Senior School stage, which is particularly relevant for a Year 11 exit.

For pupils leaving earlier, inspection evidence indicates a historically strong track record in selective and competitive destinations, including grammar school places at 11 or 13 and entry to competitive independent schools, with many leavers receiving scholarship and exhibition awards. This is useful context for families considering an 11+ or 13+ strategy from a prep setting.

Admissions are handled directly by the school, across multiple entry points from early years through Senior School. Registration is framed as an expression of interest rather than a guarantee of a place, and the school uses taster or assessment days depending on age. For entry into Year 3 and above, the school states that children sit an informal assessment.

For families aiming at Senior School scholarships for September 2026 entry, there is a clear, date-specific timeline published. Application forms and references are due by Friday 5 December 2025, with assessment days running across Monday 19 January 2026 to Thursday 29 January 2026 (by discipline), and outcomes communicated by no later than Friday 20 February 2026.

The school also publishes key admissions diary dates, including a Senior School Open Morning on Friday 1 May 2026, and a Senior Offer Acceptance Deadline on Friday 6 March 2026. These are worth anchoring in your own calendar, then confirming each year as dates can shift.

Parents comparing options should use the FindMySchool Map Search to understand travel practicality, especially if you are relying on an extended day or boarding pattern during the week.

Pastoral systems are described in three strands: structured supervision, access to trained wellbeing support, and clear behavioural expectations.

Wellbeing support includes Place2Talk drop-ins and one-to-one counselling through Place2Be, with weekly counselling described as arranged in consultation with parents. This is a meaningful feature for families who want a visible pathway for support beyond form tutor check-ins.

There is also a clear operational emphasis on supervision routines, registration, and structured oversight across phases, including different start-of-day expectations for senior pupils and age-specific arrangements for early arrivals. For parents, this tends to translate into predictability at drop-off and clearer accountability if something goes wrong.

Co-curricular life is not treated as a generic add-on, and the school publishes specific examples that help parents gauge fit.

On the academic enrichment side, the Super-curricular offer includes Dulwich GT, Coding and Mock Trial Society. Mock Trial is described as pupils taking roles across prosecution, defence and magistrate, using real cases over several weeks, which gives a concrete sense of sustained, project-style learning rather than one-off sessions. The Dulwich Greenpower Team is positioned as a design-and-build engineering project, with a workshop noted as being next to the playing fields.

In the arts, music provision is unusually specific for a 2 to 16 school. The school describes choirs from Year 1, string groups from Year 3, and ensembles including jazz, brass, flute and orchestra from Year 5, alongside Rock School at lunch and a Jigs and Reels club. Art extension is also formalised, with an Advanced Art Club for Years 7 to 9 aimed at pupils considering GCSE Art.

Outdoor learning and trips are another pillar. Outdoor Education is framed as regular rather than occasional, linked to curiosity and wellbeing. For older students, the school also references activities such as Duke of Edinburgh, Combined Cadet Force, fencing and water sports at Bewl Water, signalling a programme that expects participation beyond lessons.

Fees are published as termly and inclusive of VAT from Autumn Term 2025. Prep fees range from £5,768 per term in Year 1 up to £8,608 per term in Years 5 to 6. Senior School fees range from £8,680 per term in Year 7 to £9,160 per term in Years 10 to 11.

There are also one-off admissions costs. Registration is £90 for Fledglings to Year 6 entry and £120 for Senior School entry, and the acceptance deposit is £500 for Early Years and Prep entry or £600 for Senior School entry (refunded in the term after the child leaves).

For financial support, the school runs scholarships across multiple disciplines with published assessment dates for the 2026 entry cycle. Scholarship materials indicate that awards can involve fee remission and that bursaries are means-tested and allocated according to financial need, but the school does not publish a simple “percent receiving bursaries” figure in the materials accessed for this review.

The daily structure varies by phase. Nash House has an Early Morning Club 8.00am to 8.30am, then classroom activities through to 3.30pm, with after-school care running 3.45pm to 5.30pm. Little Stream (Years 1 to 4) ends at 3.45pm.

Extended day is a major practical advantage for working families. Breakfast Club runs from 7.15am for Year 1 onwards, after-school provision is available (including tea to 6.00pm on most days), and older pupils can stay until 8.00pm via day boarding arrangements, with Years 9 to 11 also offered supported study.

For transport, the school publishes a dedicated transport and travel guide and references bus-service options, plus an “easy commute” claim linked to rail travel from Staplehurst into central London terminals.

Boarding is a defining feature for Years 5 to 8, and it is structured in a way that suits families who want weekday flexibility rather than full-time residential schooling.

The school describes three types: weekly boarding (four nights, Monday to Thursday), flexi boarding (one fixed night per week), and day boarding (staying until 8.00pm). Boarding is based in the Manor House, with staffing described as including a Housemistress and Deputy Housemistress, tutors and gap assistants.

For many families, the practical implication is that after-school life can be a feature rather than a scramble. If your child thrives with structured evenings, supervised prep, and predictable routines, this format can work extremely well. If they need downtime at home every day, day-only patterns may suit better.

• The GCSE pathway is still relatively new. The school has been expanding its Senior School years and now runs through to Year 11, so families should ask what published GCSE outcomes look like for the most recent cohorts, and how subject options have settled.

• Challenge for the most able needs probing. External inspection flagged that in a small minority of lessons, more able pupils were not consistently stretched. Ask how this is monitored now, particularly as GCSE classes broaden in range.

• A phone-free stance is a positive for many, but it is a real culture choice. If your family expects routine phone access during the school day, clarify how communication works and how devices are handled.

• Boarding is flexible, but it is still boarding. Weekly and flexi patterns can build independence quickly. Some children love that; others take time to settle.

This is a school with a clear practical proposition: an all-through experience from age 2 to 16, strong wraparound options, and a boarding model designed for weekday flexibility. The newest chapter is the Senior School, with purpose-built space and an explicit push towards independence, study habits, and a calmer social culture through phone-free routines.

Best suited to families who want continuity across phases, value structured co-curricular and super-curricular opportunities, and like the idea of later years being designed around GCSE readiness rather than just “more of prep”. Admission is the hurdle; once secured, the day structure and breadth of programme can make family logistics much easier.