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Founder's Week

A 400 Archive page published in 2019

Friday 21 June sees the launch of our highly anticipated Founder’s Week at the heart of the 400th anniversary celebrations. The programme is deliberately pupil-centric, which we hope Alleynians will delight in now and recall later with affection and pride.

On School Service Day 1,400 pupils and 200 staff are helping in community-focused projects and fundraising events. These include three sponsored charity events: a football tournament for Year 7s; an endurance challenge for Year 8s; and a walk in aid of Save the Children for Year 9s. Older pupils are involved in a dozen long-standing volunteering projects, working with foodbanks, local primary schools, King’s College Hospital, care homes and with City Heights E-ACT Academy, our educational partnership school. There are a team of rowers picking up litter on the towpath at Chiswick Eyot, a variety of bands busking outside the Dulwich Picture Gallery and a group of over 70 boys gardening in Dulwich Park. Our 400 Junior School and DUCKS pupils are hosting Summer Fetes for the wider community.

Our Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, includes a procession of 18 College rowers bearing a special message and culminates in the ringing of the Cathedral bells. The journey of the Gloriana, the Queen’s rowbarge, is from Putney to Westminster, looping under the Millennium Bridge where the Junior School will be stationed with flags.  During the morning every Alleynian will receive two 400th anniversary gifts from the College: a quatercentenary tie and a colourful, illustrated history of the College Dulwich 400.

An off-timetable day of Free Learning incorporates STEM activities in the ShackleSTEM marquee (Y7), Art and Science collaboration workshops with pupils from JAGS (Y10), Battle of the Bands music ensembles (Y13), and post examination fun for Y11 and Y12 with It’s a Knockout inflatables and races on the Tank Fields. Other year groups will be undertaking trips and expeditions into central London and further afield.

Sports Day at Crystal Palace includes House competitions embracing swimming, athletics, badminton, basketball, volleyball and tennis.

House Singing for every boy from Year 3 upwards builds to an afternoon competition of performances on the grand stage on the front lawns and adjudicated by Rodney Clarke OA.

After Friday’s annual Commemoration Service with our Foundation Schools JAGS and Alleyn’s at Christ’s Chapel of God’s Gift, our Saturday Founder’s Day Concert and Fireworks sees the week ending, literally, with a glorious bang.

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