Dulwich Prep & Senior

What Dulwich Prep & Senior does

Dulwich Prep & Senior is an independent day school in South London, operating across two sites: Alleyn Park in Dulwich (covering Years 1 through 11) and Gallery Road (Nursery and Reception). Founded in 1885 and constituted as a Charitable Educational Trust since 1957, the school serves approximately 800-1,000 pupils — predominantly boys, with co-educational provision in the Early Years — on a 29-acre campus. It is privately funded through termly tuition rather than government grants. The school has held ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate) excellent ratings and is positioned within the UK independent preparatory school tier.

The school's core product is a continuous educational journey spanning Early Years through Year 11 (the latter added in September 2025), with a curriculum covering academic instruction, 150+ co-curricular clubs, over 550 individual music lessons per week delivered by 30+ visiting specialist instrumental teachers, competitive sport, and international tours. Specialist facilities support music, drama, science, and sport. The educational arc now extends from age 2 through to GCSE level, making it a vertically integrated provider within its catchment. Operational leadership is provided by Head Master Miss Louise Davidson (in post since 2019).

The business model is tuition-based with three termly billing cycles per academic year. Term fees range from approximately £6,165 in Early Years to £13,385 in senior years, translating to roughly £18,500 to £40,000 per pupil per year. Revenue is essentially long-cycle contracted (each enrolled pupil represents 3-14 years of fees depending on age of entry). Customer acquisition is driven by reputation, parent word-of-mouth, the alumni network (DPAA), and formal admissions events. Recent strategic moves — the 2024 rebrand to "Dulwich Prep & Senior," the 2024 launch of a Two-Year-Old provision, and the September 2025 opening of a Senior Section — indicate a vertical-integration growth strategy that captures both younger and older pupils within a single institution.

Name

Dulwich Prep & Senior

Legal name

Dulwich Prep & Senior

Website

https://dulwichprepsenior.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1885

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Dulwich Prep & Senior is an independent boys' day school (co-ed in Early Years) in South London, serving pupils aged 2-16 across two sites on a 29-acre campus, operating as a Charitable Educational Trust with tuition-based revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (61), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA), School-Age Wraparound Care (Ages 3–5) (EDACAHAA), School-Age Wraparound Childcare Centers (Holiday/Break Care) (EDACAAAL)

Keywords

• Independent boys school
• Preparatory education
• Primary school education
• Senior school education
• Boarding school services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: Primary revenue stream from termly tuition fees covering curriculum tuition, lunches, most clubs, activities and day trips, special education needs provision and counselling. In Years 4 to 9, fees also cover one term-time residential trip each year.
2. Boarding Fees: Flexi-boarding at £75 per night, weekly boarding at £270 per week, and termly boarding at £3,330 per term. Boarding fees include breakfast, supper, and comprehensive wraparound care.
3. Catering: Breakfast at £5.00 per breakfast per person, and supper at £9.00 per supper per person, charged as add-ons to school fees.
4. Music Tuition: Individual music instruction delivered by peripatetic teachers at a suggested rate of £30.00 per lesson from September 2025.
5. Swim School: Saturday Swim School operating from 8.00am to 12.30pm offering lessons following Swim England Learn to Swim Framework from stages 1-10, plus rookie lifeguard classes.
6. Holiday Clubs: Children's Holiday Club offering summer holiday clubs and activities for girls and boys, with separate booking system.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Dulwich Prep & Senior is a selective independent boys' school (co-educational in Early Years from age 2-4) delivering an integrated educational journey from age 2 to 16. Core offerings span Early Years (Fledglings, Nursery, Reception), Pre-Prep (Years 1-3), Lower School (Years 4-6), Middle School (Years 7-8), and the newly opened Senior Section (Years 9-11) for GCSEs, supported by boarding, wraparound care, and over 150 co-curricular clubs.

Product overview

Dulwich Prep & Senior is a selective independent boys' school (co-educational in Early Years from age 2-4) offering an integrated educational journey from age 2 to 16. The school operates across two sites (Gallery Road for Early Years; Alleyn Park for Years 1-11) spanning 29 acres. Its core educational phases comprise Early Years (Fledglings, Nursery, Reception), Pre-Prep (Years 1-3), Lower School (Years 4-6), Middle School (Years 7-8), and the newly established Senior Section (Years 9-11). The offering is augmented by a comprehensive co-curricular programme of over 150 clubs, Swim School, Holiday Clubs, @38 Wraparound Care, and Boarding options. The school maintains strong pastoral care systems, values-based education, and a track record of pupils transitioning to top senior schools with scholarships and awards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• @38: Wraparound care provision offered before and after school, from 7.00am to 7.30pm
• DPLink
• Legends

Products and services

• Early Years (Fledglings, Nursery & Reception) Early childhood education for children from age 2 (Fledglings and Nursery co-educational, transitioning to boys-only from Reception) set across five acres of fields and woodland with an award-purpose-built building.
• Pre-Prep (Years 1-3) Education for Years 1-3 at the Alleyn Park site with a more formalised curriculum including English, Mathematics, Science, specialist teaching for PE, Games, Swimming, Music, Drama, MFL, Life Skills and Computing.
• Prep School (Lower School Years 4-6 and Middle School Years 7-8) Preparatory education for Years 4-8 with specialist teachers across sports, drama, music, art, design technology, computing and modern foreign languages, preparing pupils for senior school transition and scholarships.
• Senior Section (Years 9-11)

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of leavers secure first-choice senior school destination (2020-2025)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Holroyd HowecoreOthersThe school's caterer working with the school to create a thoughtful, vibrant, and flexible catering offer. Holroyd Howe prepares handcrafted dishes daily from ethically sourced natural ingredients, with menus on a four-week rolling basis featuring nutritious, sustainable, and inclusive options.
• Thomas SchoolwearcoreOthersOfficial uniform supplier located at 8 Croxted Road, London, SE21 8SW. Provides new uniform fittings and online shopping with click and collect or delivery options.
• Vectare (Foundation Schools Coach Service)supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTransport provider for the Foundation Schools Coach Service serving Dulwich College, Alleyn's School, and James Allen Girls' School. Organised walking bus and coach service to help families meet demands of busy family lives.
• Dulwich College, Alleyn's School, and James Allen Girls' SchoolsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation Schools partnership for shared coach service. Schools collaborate on transport arrangements for families using the FSCS network.
• Swim EnglandsupportingOthersGoverning body whose Learn to Swim Framework is followed by the school's Saturday Swim School. All instructors are Swim England-qualified or equivalent teachers.
• Jubilee Centre for Character and VirtuessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch centre whose framework for character education influenced the school's eight core values: Love, Courage, Gratitude, Humility, Justice, Self-Discipline, Service, and Honesty.
• Local Schools NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local schools including opening pool for swimming lessons, loaning musical instruments, funding wellbeing initiatives, and running joint events such as TEDx Youth talks.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Colet Court: Independent boys' preparatory school in Barnes (west London) feeding St Paul's School; similar selective, single-sex prep model with strong 13+ destination outcomes and comparable premium fee structure.
• King's College School, Wimbledon: Independent boys' school in Wimbledon offering Reception through Sixth Form. Comparable all-through boys' model with strong co-curricular and sports programmes; similar outcomes-driven positioning.
• Eaton House Schools: Group of London independent preparatory schools offering co-educational and single-sex education across multiple sites. Comparable premium positioning and similar co-curricular emphasis, with a multi-site growth model that contrasts with Dulwich Prep & Senior's single Dulwich campus.
• Arnold House School: London independent boys' preparatory school in St John's Wood for ages 5-13. Comparable size, selectivity, and premium fee structure; competes for the same central/north London families.
• St Paul's Juniors: Junior school of St Paul's School in Barnes, London, offering selective boys' prep education. Comparable selective admissions, premium fees, and scholarship preparation focus.
• Westminster Under School: London independent boys' preparatory school feeding Westminster School; operates in the same elite London prep segment with selective admissions, premium fees, and similar scholarship-track outcomes. The most direct positional comparable to Dulwich Prep & Senior.
• Sussex House School: Boys' independent prep school in Chelsea for ages 8-13, focused on 13+ senior school preparation. Highly comparable selective admissions, scholarship preparation focus, and London premium positioning.
• The Hall School (Hampstead): Independent boys' preparatory school in Hampstead, north London, with a similar broad co-curricular programme and premium fee structure. Direct competitor in the London boys' prep market.
• Wetherby School: Independent boys' preparatory school in west London serving ages 4-13, with similar premium fees, small class sizes, and a co-curricular-rich offering. Competes for the same London boys' prep market segment.

Emerging players

• Dulwich College: Senior school that is the primary destination for Dulwich Prep & Senior leavers (36-48 leavers per year with 18-30 scholarships). Operates a separate all-through boys' model that is functionally adjacent rather than directly competing, but shapes the Prep school's outcomes narrative.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DulwichPrepAlum
• Facebookfacebook.com/DulwichPrepSenior
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/dulwichprepsenior
• Instagraminstagram.com/DulwichPrepSenior

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dulwich Prep & Senior