Alleyn's School is a 4–18

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

, independent,

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children are given instruction during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compared to a regular s ...

and

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

Dulwich Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of H ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England. It is a registered charity and was originally part of

Edward Alleyn Edward Alleyn (; 1 September 156621 November 1626) was an England, English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of the College of God's Gift in Dulwich. Early life Alleyn was born on 1 September 1566 in Bishop ...

College of God's Gift The College of God's Gift, often referred to as the Old (Dulwich) College, was a historic Foundation (charity), charity founded in 1619 by the Elizabethan actor and businessman Edward Alleyn who endowed it with the ancient Manor of Dulwich in so ...

charitable foundation, which also included

James Allen's Girls' School James Allen's Girls' School, abbreviated JAGS, is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school situated in Dulwich, South London, England. Founded in 1741, it is the second oldest girls’ independent school in Great Britain, with ...

(JAGS) and

Dulwich College Dulwich College is a 2-18 private, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...

. It has been a member school of the

Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), formerly known as the Headmasters' Conference and now branded HMC (The Heads' Conference), is an association of the head teachers of 351 private fee-charging schools (both boarding schools ...

since 1919.

History

Edward Alleyn

In 1619,

established his 'College of God's Gift' (the gift of love) with twelve poor scholars. Alleyn's School is a direct descendant of Edward Alleyn's original foundation and was established as a boys' school in 1882. It still exists as part of a foundation alongside

and JAGS; For the original College of God's Gift, 24 students had to be chosen from the four parishes with which Edward Alleyn had been connected. Saint Giles,

Camberwell Camberwell ( ) is an List of areas of London, area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles' Church, Camberwell, St Giles ...

(in which Dulwich was situated), Saint Saviour,

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

(where the Bear Pit stood on

Bankside Bankside is an area of London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. Bankside is located on the southern bank of the River Thames, east of Charing Cross, running from a little west of Blackfriars Bridge to just a short distance befo ...

), Saint Botolph,

Bishopsgate Bishopsgate was one of the eastern gates in London's former defensive wall. The gate's name is traditionally attributed to Earconwald, who was Bishop of London in the 7th century. It was first built in Roman times and marked the beginning o ...

(where Alleyn was born), and Saint Giles,

Cripplegate Cripplegate was a city gate, gate in the London Wall which once enclosed the City of London, England. The Cripplegate gate lent its name to the Cripplegate Wards of the City of London, ward of the City, which encompasses the area where the gat ...

(home to the Fortune Theatre). Alleyn's became a public school with the election of the Headmaster to the

Headmasters' Conference The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), formerly known as the Headmasters' Conference and now branded HMC (The Heads' Conference), is an association of the head teachers of 351 private fee-charging schools (both boarding schools an ...

(HMC) in 1919.

The Lower School

The 1857 ''Act for confirming a Scheme of the Charity Commissioners for the College of God's Gift in Dulwich in the County of Surrey'', also known as the ''Dulwich College Act'', mandated that the

be separated into an "Upper School", which became

, and a "Lower School" which became Alleyn's. It was redone in 2018 to provide extra classrooms, an assembly room and a play area.

Separation from the College of God's Gift

In 1882, the upper school moved to a new site further south and the lower school stayed put, becoming an independent boys' school. In 1887 it moved to its own site, where the school currently stands. The original school is now the foundation chapel and the offices for the Dulwich Estate, which belongs to the foundation schools.

Independence and co-education

It was one of 179 direct grant grammar schools from 1958 until the abolition of that status in 1976; at which point the school was still boys-only. The Governors then opted for outright

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

and co-education; Chairman Lord Wolfenden explained the decision in the House of Lords on 12 November 1975:

As a responsible body of Governors, we were confronted with an extremely difficult decision. The dilemma is this. Should we, as the phrase goes, "take our place within the pattern of the local education authority", or should we, on the other hand, go independent? In relation to the former of those alternatives, there are two relevant considerations. The first is whether the past history and present nature of a school fits in with the overall structure of the pattern of the local education authority for children in the Dulwich area. The answer is that it clearly does not. A long-established grammar school, annually recruited to carry out what has for long been recognised by a substantial number of LEAs as its specific academic purpose, does not easily transform itself overnight into a comprehensive school to serve a limited catchment area. Even if it could do that, with extraordinary metamorphoses of staff and objectives, there is no evidence whatever that any local education authority would be prepared to absorb it. So the dilemma is resolved, your Lordships may say. Yes, but at what cost? Alleyn's School has no option, whatever its wishes might have been, but to go independent.
Doctrines and ideologies apart, what does this mean in real life? It means that there will now be in Dulwich two independent day grammar schools, one of 1,300 boys and the other of 800 boys, within a couple of miles of each other. It also means that in order to maintain Alleyn's as an independent school its fees, with the removal of direct grant, will have to be put up to something like those of its consistently independent neighbour, Dulwich College. What sense does it make to have over 2,000 places in independent boys' grammar schools, at independent school fees, in one district of South London? We, the Governors of Alleyn's 1847 School think it makes no sense at all, so we are intending to make Alleyn's into a co-educational school. Then, in the Dulwich area, there will be an independent boys' school, Dulwich College, an independent girls' school, James Allen's School, and an independent coeducational school, Alleyn's.

Development

Alleyn's started developing a new theatre complex, named the Edward Alleyn Building, on 10 February 2007. The £8.5 million building was completed in 2008 and had a Grand Gala Opening in 2009.

Extra-curricular activities

The school has one of the largest

Combined Cadet Force The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which operates in schools, sub divided into Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and Royal Air Force sections. Its aim is to ...

s in the country, where students can choose between joining the Royal Navy Section, Army Section or RAF Section. The Alleyn's CCF is led mainly by its Cadet

NCOs A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted rank ...

who are Sixth Form students responsible for teaching the younger cadets. These are led by a team of Senior Cadet NCOs under the Cadet RSM and members of adult staff. These Cadet Force adult volunteers have a range of military, civilian or teaching backgrounds. The Alleyn's CCF offers a JNCO CADRE, a unique leadership and advanced infantry training programme, as well as visits to European Battlefields, military bases in England and Wales, and recent courses in

Northern Sweden Norrland (, , originally ''Norrlanden'', meaning 'the Northlands') is the northernmost, largest and least populated of the three traditional lands of Sweden, consisting of nine provinces. Although Norrland does not serve any administrative pu ...

and

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

. The Alleyn's CCF takes part in annual parades in

Dulwich Village Dulwich Village is an affluent area of Dulwich in South London, England. It is located in the London Borough of Southwark. History "Dulwich Village" is also the name of the village High Street. Residents in Dulwich Village have to pay ground re ...

with the contingents of

and JAGS on Remembrance Sunday. For Remembrance Sunday 2022, Alleyn's was invited to provide a stair party of cadets from the Army Section for the arrival of HM the King at the

Cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...

in London. The CCF is also closely linked to the Alleyn's School Rifle Club which competes in various cadet smallbore and fullbore target rifle competitions. DofE is also offered, with students taking part in volunteering, skills based activities and a final expedition at the end of the year. Music and Drama also form a large part of life at Alleyn's with the Michael Croft Theatre (MCT) being a point of pride for the school's Drama department who put on shows there. The music at Alleyn's is equally distinguished, with performances at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a G ...

and

St John's, Smith Square Smith Square Hall (formerly St John's Smith Square) is a concert hall in the centre of Smith Square, City of Westminster, Westminster, London. Its name was changed by its current operator, Sinfonia Smith Square, in 2024. Originally a church, ...

, as well as music tours to Italy, France and Poland.

Heads of the school

*1882–1902: Rev. J. Henry Smith (head of the Lower School at Dulwich, 1875–1882) *1919–1940: R. B. Henderson *1945–1963: S. R. Hudson *1963–1966: Charles W. Lloyd *1967–1976: J. L. Fanner *1976–1990: D. A. Fenner *1992–2002: Dr Colin H. R. Niven *2002 - 2010: Dr Colin Diggory *2010–2020: Dr Gary Savage *2020: Mr Andy Skinnard *2021– : Jane Lunnon

Alleyn's Old Boys and Girls

School alumni are known as ''Alleyn Old Boys and Girls'', or ''Alleyn's Old Boys and Girls''. This should not be confused with ''Old Alleynians'', the name of

alumni. * Felix Barrett, theatre director * Stuart Blanch, Baron Blanch (1918–1994),

Bishop of Liverpool The Bishop of Liverpool is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Liverpool in the Province of York.''Crockford's Clerical Directory'', 100th edition, (2007), Church House Publishing. . The diocese stretches from Southport in the n ...

, 1966–1975,

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, 1975–1983 *

Tom Brooke Thomas Brooke (born 1978) is an English actor. He is best known for playing the roles of Thick Kevin in '' The Boat That Rocked'' (2009), Bill Wiggins and Andy Apsted in the BBC One television series ''Sherlock'' and ''Bodyguard'' respectivel ...

* Nancy Carroll (born 1974), actress * Jack Chalker (1918–2014), artist * Eden Cheng * Cyrus Chothia * Jonathan Clark, bishop * Donal Coonan *

Ray Cooney Raymond George Alfred Cooney Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 30 May 1932) is an English playwright, actor, and director. His biggest success, ''Run for Your Wife (play), Run for Your Wife'' (1983), ran for nine years in London's West E ...

(born 1932), playwright and actor * Sir Henry Cotton (1907–1987), golfer * Francis Cubbon * Theo Dan * Peter Darling, choreographer * Nicholas Day, actor * Luc de Fougerolles * Mike Edwards, cricketer * Kenneth Farrington *

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(1899–1966), novelist * Rich Fownes * Pixie Geldof *

Julian Glover Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English actor with many stage, television, and film roles. Classically trained, he is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Gl ...

(born 1935), actor * Victor Groom * Harry Guntrip (1901–1975),

psychotherapist Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of Psychology, psychological methods, particularly when based on regular Conversation, personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase hap ...

and

Congregational Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...

minister * Eddie Hardin * Chris Harper, RAF officer * Michael Hastings, playwright *

David Hemmings David Leslie Edward Hemmings (18 November 1941 – 3 December 2003) was an English actor, director, and producer of film and television. Originally trained as a boy soprano in operatic roles, he began appearing in films as a child actor in the ...

* Terence Higgins, Baron Higgins *

Douglas Higgs Douglas Roland Higgs FRS (born 13 January 1951) is a Professor of Molecular Haematology at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, at the University of Oxford. He is known for his work on the regulation of alpha-globin and the genetics ...

* Sir Joe Hooper (1914–1994), director,

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, 1965–1973; Government Intelligence Co-ordinator, 1973–1978 * Sir Michael Houghton, 2020

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laureate and co-discoverer of

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Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director, producer and writer.Obituary, '' Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and '' Vanity Fair'' an ...

(1893–1943), actor, 1907–1910 * Zezi Ifore * R. V. Jones (1911–1997),

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis List of intelligence gathering disciplines, approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist Commanding officer, commanders in decision making pr ...

expert; Professor of Natural Philosophy,

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

, 1946–1981 * Baron Ajay Kakkar (born 1964), Professor of Surgical Science,

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, London (Roper's House; also a school governor) * Frederick Keeble *

Jude Law David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He began his career in theatre before landing small roles in various British television productions and feature films. Law gained international recognition for his role in An ...

(born 1972), actor * Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen (born 1965), television presenter and architect * Peter Lyons (1927–2006). Musician. Director of Music,

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; Master of Choristers and Director of Music,

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and

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; Headmaster, Witham Hall School *

Kelvin MacKenzie Kelvin Calder MacKenzie (born 22 October 1946) is an English News media, media executive and a former newspaper editor. He became editor of ''The Sun (United Kingdom), The Sun'' in 1981, by which time the publication had been established as Br ...

* James Bolivar Manson (1879–1945), painter and director of

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, 1930–1938 * Mitch McGugan, musician *

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* Louis Partridge *

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(born 1984), singer-songwriter (Spurgeon's House) * Ben Preston * John Pretlove *

Walter Pretty Air Marshal Sir Walter Philip George Pretty, (2 May 1909 – 17 January 1975) was a Royal Air Force officer who served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Signals Command from 1961 until 1964. RAF career Educated at Alleyn's School, Pretty joi ...

* Sir V. S. Pritchett (1900–1997), writer and critic * John Pullinger * Tilly Ramsay * Colin Robbins, software engineer * Jacob Shaw (born 1988), cellist * Robin Shroot * Ed Simons of

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* Kenneth Spring * Mickey Stewart (born 1933), cricketer *

John Stride John Edward Stride (11 July 1936 – 20 April 2018) was an English actor best known for his television work in the 1970s. Biography Stride was born in London, the son of Margaret (née Prescott) and Alfred Teneriffe Stride. He attended Alleyn' ...

(1936–2018), actor * Dobrinka Tabakova *

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(1941–2012), actor * Hannah Ware (born 1982), model and actress, ''

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'' *

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(born 1984), singer, journalist * Arthur Watson (1880–1969), editor, ''

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'', 1924–1950 * Cullum Welch *

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(born 28 ...

(born 1986), vocalist and songwriter of

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(Spurgeon's House) *

Samuel West Samuel Alexander Joseph West (born 19 June 1966) is an English actor, theatre director, and narrator. He has directed on stage and radio, and worked as an actor in theatre, film, television, and radio. West was nominated for the BAFTA Award f ...

(born 1966), actor * David Weston, actor * Felix White (born 1984), guitarist and vocalist of The Maccabees * Philip Woodfield * Sir Frank George Young (1908–1988),

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; first master of

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, 1964–1976 *

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, film director

Gallery

File:AlleynsSchoolMainBuilding.jpg, Main entrance File:Alleyn's School, Dulwich, front of main building.jpg, Front of the main building of Alleyn's School File:AlleynsSchoolBuildingWorks.jpg, Building work commencing on the new Edward Alleyn Building File:Alleyns School Student Playing Fives.jpg, Two Alleyn's students playing

Fives Fives (historically known as hand-tennis) is an English handball sport derived from ''jeu de paume'', similar to the games of handball, Basque pelota, and squash. The game is played in both singles and doubles teams, in an either three- or f ...

File:Alleyn’s School, Lower School building.jpg, Lower School building File:St Barnabas and Alleyn’s School, 2020.jpg, Alleyn's main building (right) and Saint Barnabas' Church (left)

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* {{authority control 1882 establishments in England Church of England private schools in the Diocese of Southwark College of God's Gift Dulwich Educational charities based in the United Kingdom Educational institutions established in 1882 Private co-educational schools in London Private schools in the London Borough of Southwark Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference