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Our View
This architecturally impressive day and boarding co-ed on London’s South Bank doesn’t just cater for its pupils while they’re at the school, it prepares them to be successful 25-year-olds too. A grown-up space with the right amount of independence allowed as they grow up, a strong sense of community that binds all ages together supportively and ambitious sights that the school shepherds pupils towards – all of this makes DLD College unique. It’s a delicate balancing act of academics and nurture, but as head James Kidd says, ‘If pupils feel safe and connected then this is the starting point to have opportunities to feel good about themselves – and then they will flourish.’
Where?
Just five minutes’ walk from Westminster Tube and Waterloo mainline stations, the DLD College London campus is right in the centre of the capital with the Houses of Parliament and the River Thames on the doorstep. It’s dominated by a cool, curved futuristic tower, with 15 cylindrical steel-and-glass storeys.
Inside, there’s a light-filled multipurpose atrium hung with the 56 flags of the home nations of its students that’s used for assemblies and as a social space where pupils can hang out and play table tennis against teachers as well as their peers. Above that are more than 50 state-of-the-art classrooms, study hubs, plus a drama studio, media and science labs, art, graphics and photography studios, a broadcast studio and music practice rooms, all accessible from wide, curvy hallways.
Head
James Kidd joined as head in September 2024 and has over 20 years working in education under his belt; he was formerly senior vice principal at DLD College London, and before arriving here he was assistant head at St John’s School, Leatherhead. Welcoming and chatty, he’s a teaching head, taking the Year 12s for business and economics, and from his study at the heart of the building he ensures he always has his finger on the pulse.
Since arriving, he has rejigged the house system, making it more cohesive and introducing inter-house competitions which, he tells us, ‘everyone has bought into very quickly’. He wants pupils to be self-sufficient by the time they leave for university and the curriculum is tailored to support this. ‘We are the safety net underneath this tightrope; we help pupils to bounce back up when something goes wrong,’ he says.
Admissions
The school is non-selective with a 50:50 split of domestic and international students. New taster days for pupils from local schools see cohorts getting involved in activities their teachers think they’ll enjoy most, and they also have a one-to-one meeting with the head. Pupils who apply must provide a past school report and attend an interview and those joining for A-levels or BTEC programmes must have a minimum of five GCSEs at grade 4 or above. Anyone wanting to take the International Foundation Programme must have passed GCSE English or have an overall IELTS score of 5.0.
There are bursaries and scholarships available, valued at between five and 50 per cent of fees, as well as the Alpha Scholars Programme (also up to 50 per cent) for students who can demonstrate brilliance and leadership qualities.
Academics and destinations
Academics are important here, and pupils are expected to be engaged in, and take ownership of their educational journey (the head encourages them to identify their personal legacy and what they want to achieve during their time here). There are 11 lessons per day, each 35 minutes long. While many are doubles, maths and coding are only ever single lessons as concentration in these subjects has been shown to be better in short, sharp bursts.
The Year 9 curriculum is interdisciplinary, with three courses embedded in a traditional timetable of subjects (history, maths, English, etc) which take in people and places (sociology, psychology); creative arts (art, drama, graphic design, photography); and digital futures where pupils learn about crypto currency, marketing, media, coding and business. Year 9s also spend Fridays working on what the school calls London Learning, with trips to places such as the Tower of London and project-based research that ties in with other subjects.
The school offers a wealth of GCSEs (which can also be taken as an intensive one-year course) and 21 subjects at A-level. There are also options to study vocational BTEC qualifications in business, performing arts, sports management, creative digital media production and E-sports, which covers everything from online streaming to sports marketing, management and competitive gaming. For international students, there is an Academic Preparation Course – a one-year course that can be taken before GCSEs or A-levels – and the International Foundation Programme, a one-year alternative to A-levels.
Classes have on average 12 pupils which means there’s tons of individual support, including dedicated university advisors who work with each pupil from the Michaelmas term in Year 12 until they get their results. There are also subject clinics, enrichment weeks and visiting careers speakers. Lots of leavers go on to Russell Group universities, especially those in London such as Imperial, King's College, LSE and UCL, and business, economics and maths are the most popular degrees. Popular international destinations include universities in Switzerland, Italy, the US and Canada.
Co-curricular
Pupils head to nearby Archbishop’s Park, which has football and tennis courts, for sport. The school has football, netball and basketball teams. There is also an on-site gym and a basement area for Pilates, yoga, table tennis, board games and soon a space to play padel. Opportunities to learn rowing are also available for those who are interested. The whole school does weekly PE on a Friday afternoon.
Art is very popular – and the school’s proximity to the capital’s many art galleries is a real draw. There are plenty of talented artists at DLD College London – last year, 98 per cent of art A-level grades were A* to B.
The school day includes a dedicated hour for co-curricular activities each afternoon, with more than 50 different options for students to pick from – from animation and boxing to chemistry Olympiads, public speaking, a ukulele band and DofE, with all three awards offered. The school is keen to deliver a holistic education and encourages pupils to get involved in the arts and sciences beyond the core exam content (plenty of speakers from these fields come in to talk to students).
Years 9 to 11 have a weekly careers lesson with a specialist careers advisor. Work experience is encouraged and partnerships have been established between local institutions, such as St Thomas’ Hospital, so that aspiring medical students can shadow doctors. Community projects including local food banks, Evelina London Children's Hospital (part of St Thomas's) and the Sutton Trust ensure that pupils are not confined to a privileged bubble.
Boarding
Full boarders make up 60 per cent of the pupil body – and it’s no wonder DLD College London has won awards for the experience it offers. Accommodation – 200 single rooms, all with an ensuite, and arranged around the building’s central atrium – feels like university halls (indeed, the college views boarding as a stepping stone between school and university) and there are comfortable common rooms with far-reaching views across London. The structure of the boarding is built around close-knit huddles, which aim to encourage communities of friendship, with doors between different groups. There’s even a wellbeing garden with planters and seating.
All students have an hour of supervised homework and after supper are allowed to go into London for 90 minutes in groups of three (with their phones). Weekend activities are all about getting out and exploring the capital, with day pupils welcome to join in.
School community
At the Wellbeing Centre, pupils have access to nursing, counselling, life coaching, as well as neurodiversity specialists who provide learning support. In fact, the focus on wellness is so outstanding here that DLD College London was the first school in the UK to win the gold award for ‘Mental Health in Boarding’, awarded by the Carnegie Centre of Excellence. In addition, there is a mentoring and tutor system to support new and younger children settle into the school, plus two school dogs students can walk. Pupils tell us that school rules are simple and centre around punctuality, respect and tolerance for others. Vertical tutor groups, houses and boarding corridors create a community feel where everyone looks out for everyone else. Boarders have curfews, and the school ensures individual safety with an app called Reach, which enables pupils to let the school know where they are when they head off campus. Graduation ceremonies are held in the Houses of Parliament, and students organise their own prom (even managing the budget too) in an iconic setting. Past locations include the Globe Theatre.
And finally....
A unique place for young people who like to march to the beat of their own drum, this school has no uniform, everyone is on first-name terms (teachers too) and students have a real voice. Mutual respect and tolerance is at the heart of the community and with London on the doorstep as an extended ‘classroom’, the school feels like it’s breaking the mould for education.