| Established | 1885 |
|---|---|
| Type | Preparatory School |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Headmaster | Michael Roulston |
| Location | 42 Alleyn Park Dulwich London SE21 7AA England |
| Local authority | Southwark |
| DfE URN | 100862 |
| Gender | Boys |
| Ages | 3–13 |
| Colours | Navy Blue and Black |
| Website | www.dcpslondon.org |
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.[1] 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, Robert Craven, the business author and Nick Easter, the England Rugby player.