Dulwich College

Dulwich College was founded in 1619 with a student population of 12. Over the years this has risen to 1500 with over half being in the senior school. With only 120 boarders, this is a London day school along the lines of St Paul's. All boys are allocated to one of eight houses and pastoral care is good. Those that do board do it in comfort as all boys over 16 have their own rooms with en-suite facilities while those under 16 share a room.

Dulwich is very academic as the results clearly show, but there seems to be a good balance here with a lot of sport on offer and with 60 acres of playing fields there is space for every activity. Rugby and rowing are strong and the college has its own boathouse on the Thames. Extra-curricular clubs have an astonishing variety from the Lego club to the Political Society rubbing along with the more traditional challenges posed by the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, Scouts and Combined Cadet Force. Like St Paul's, this school will appeal to London families who don't particularly want their sons to board. But unlike some other top London private schools social intake is more comprehensive which has some commentators labelling it as a comprehensive school that charges fees!

If you haven't gone through the junior school, places are limited to enter the senior school but not impossible. So register as soon as you can and keep Dulwich close to the top of your list.