Around 50 - 54 pupils join the Junior Schoolin Year 3. For 2025, a small number of these places have been offered to pupils currently at DUCKS (who sat the 4+ Deferred Entry assessments). The remaining 40-45 places will be offered to applicants who sit the Year 3 (7+) entrance assessments when they are in Year 2.
For 2025, we also have six to eight additional places for entry into Year 5 (9+), creating forms of around 20 - 21 pupils.
Admissions update 2025 entry
Due to a very positive Year 3 (7+) acceptance rate this year, we will not be holding Year 4 (8+) entry for September 2025. We do not anticipate resuming 8+ entry going forward.
Junior School Life
Junior School Life
Our younger pupils talk about life in the Junior School.
Online booking for Years 3 and 5 entry in 2025 is open.
Junior School Open Days
Families of boys looking for entry to Year 3 or Year 5 in September 2025 are warmly invited to visit the Junior School on our Open Days. Places can be reserved below.
The Admissions team are always happy to talk to families on the phone and to answer any individual queries regarding the application process.
Our website is updated regularly so please do look at it to capture a flavour of what life at Dulwich College Junior School could be like for your son.
Open Morning
Date
Arrival Times
Saturday 12 October 2024
9.30am and 11.15am
You will be able to see the Junior School in action with tour guides from Years 5 and 6 and hear from Dr Joe Spence, Master of Dulwich College, and Dr Toby Griffiths, Head of Junior School, who will be speaking during the morning. Followed by a tour of the College with tour guides from the Upper School.
Dr Toby Griffiths, Head of Junior School, will be speaking about entry into the Junior School and the value of a Dulwich Education. Followed by a a tour of the Junior School with members of staff and a chance to talk to Junior School pupils.
The Head of the Junior School leads tours for up to seven sets of parents on some Wednesday and Friday mornings. The visits are an excellent opportunity to see the Junior School at work and to discuss the details of the entry procedure. To reserve a place please contact the Registrar, Mrs Cara Norfolk on 020 8299 8432 or by email norfolkc@dulwich.org.uk.
Registered Parents' Evening
Date
Arrival Time
Wednesday 20 November 2024
7pm
This evening is exclusively for those parents of boys registered for September 2025 entry. Speakers include Dr Joe Spence, Master of the College, Dr Toby Griffiths, Head of Junior School and a Year 13 pupil who began his Dulwich College career in the Junior School. Junior School staff will be on hand to answer questions after the presentations.
Safeguarding
All visitors to the College, including prospective parents, are asked to read our Safeguarding Policy.
For applicants sitting the Entrance Examinations in the UK.
Online registration for entry to Year 3 and 5 in September 2025 is now open. The registration deadline is Monday, 28 October 2024, midday.
The registration fee is £160 and is non-refundable.
To complete the online registration form you will need the following:
Your son’s passport or birth certificate
A recent photograph of your son
Educational Psychologist report (if applicable)
Details of any medical condition indicating examination concessions
A debit or credit card to pay the non-refundable registration fee
If your son is in receipt of the Pupil Premium, a letter from your current school confirming this
If your son is in receipt of the Pupil Premium, you will not need to pay a registration fee. Please complete the online registration form, tick the Pupil Premium box and upload a letter from your current school confirming this. Please complete the form up to the point of making payment and then call the admissions team ahead of submitting the form who will complete the registration process for you. (tel: 020 8299 9263 or the.registrar@dulwich.org.uk).
New users
To use our Admissions Portal to register for an event or submit a registration form for the first time you will need to set up a user account.
If you have registered to attend an event since April 2024 or registered for your son to sit our examinations in the past you will already have created an account. Please sign in before continuing.
To complete a new registration form please select 'Add New Applicant'. If you are re-applying for the same son please do not edit his 'past application', instead select 'Add New Applicant'.
You will then find links to events and additional forms specific to your son's application in your 'Checklist'.
Applicants will complete online assessments in small groups as well as some short assessments of writing and maths. The online assessments will be completed on desktops with a keyboard and mouse.
Stage 2 Assessment
Applicants who have shown sufficient promise in the assessments will be invited back in January for a one-to-one interview with a member of Junior School staff. During this assessment stage, we will assess their literacy, numeracy and offer applicants the opportunity to work with others, showing their interest and aptitude for learning.
The majority of Year 3 (7+) applicants who are successful in our entry procedure will be working at a teacher assessment of Greater Depth by the end of their Infant or Pre-Prep school or achieving standardised scores >120.
Decisions on an applicant’s suitability will be based on their online assessment results, their attainment and potential in literacy and numeracy, the one-to-one interview, their approach to learning as demonstrated throughout their time with us, and their school report.
Please note that we are aware that some schools’ timeline for entry is different to ours. If you are holding an offer from another school, and have not heard a decision from us, please contact us for further advice if you have any queries.
Disability and Special Educational Needs
Please notify the Junior School Registrar by Monday 28 October 2024 if your child has any specific learning needs or disabilities, which might affect the administration of the 2025 assessments. Sending any professional reports and recommendations is essential so we can ensure suitable access arrangements are made.
What are we looking for in the Dulwich College Junior School Assessments?
It is important to stress that we are looking for potential in the applicants; children who will thrive at Dulwich College to the age of 18. Our challenge is to find students with potential whose natural ability will grow with the challenges and breadth a Dulwich education provides.
Online Assessments
The children do not need to do any preparation for the online assessments. These assessments will look at the applicants’s English, Maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning competencies. Ideally, they will have used a computer with a mouse beforehand, but this is not a barrier to doing well in these assessments. We have the support in place to help all applicants in these assessments.
Reading, reading and reading
Your son should read aloud; he should discuss the stories read, their meanings, any new vocabulary encountered, the feelings of characters and how stories relate to other books, authors and the world around them.
Numeracy
Children should have a good level of numeracy and be able to understand number problems in context. An ability to link topics and use appropriate strategies to explain their thinking will be useful.
Writing
Applicants will be asked to write in response to a given stimulus. We are looking for boys who can express themselves clearly and creatively using interesting vocabulary and accurate punctuation. They will not be asked to write a structured story.
Speaking
Applicants will be encouraged to speak about themselves in a one-to-one interview with a member of the Junior School staff and discuss their genuine interests and enthusiasms and issues around them. Quiet or shy boys can very effectively relay the topics that fascinate them with our gentle and supportive staff.
On the Assessment Days
We aim to make the days as normal and as welcoming as possible with our Junior School teachers encouraging and supporting the boys. Along with the invitation to the assessment days, details will be provided about what the boys should bring and the structure of the day. We offer frequent breaks and provide healthy refreshments to help ensure that your son’s visit to Dulwich College Junior School is positive and memorable.
The Junior School Registrar, Mrs Cara Norfolk, is responsible for dealing with all enquiries to the Junior School and for the administration of the entry procedure for Years 3 to 6.
