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Founded in 1619, we are a vibrant, co-educational independent day school with around 1,300 pupils aged 4-18. Part of the Dulwich Foundation and set in the heart of Dulwich, close to the centre of London.
Aleyn's is one of the country’s leading HMC co-educational day schools, committed to achieving academic excellence within an ethos of strong pastoral care and a vibrant co-curriculum. This holistic approach to education aims to nurture every pupil, enabling each to fulfil his or her own potential while making lasting friendships and enjoying life to the full.
The Alleyn's Art Department is a lively and exciting place. Students value the creative outlet and freedom that Art at Alleyn's allows, as well as appreciating our fantastic resources which enable them to realise ambitious and sophisticated artworks.
Art occupies a unique position in the school curriculum, providing students with the practical and conceptual skills to go on highly rewarding and creative personal journeys. A special language of self-expression and communication, it combines the intuitive, intellectual and emotional faculties. Teaching students to think and act critically and creatively is central to our aims, as is fostering a sense of excitement and possibility, and facilitating works which students create with a sense of pride and achievement.
In Years 7-9, pupils undertake two thematic projects each year, as well as a personal project. Each project is designed to provide an engaging stimulus for pupils to develop their practical skills. A knowledge of art across a broad range of media and contemporary art, as well as older works, provides a resource for pupils. At GCSE, projects are teacher-led initially, becoming pupil-directed later. Pupils may use whichever form is most appropriate to produce a personal final piece in response to the theme. The A Level Art course in the Upper School enables students to start thinking and working as artists and is designed much like an Art Foundation course. Several students each year choose to undertake Art-related further education and gain places on highly competitive Art Foundation and Art degree courses, as well as on Art History and architecture courses.
Art occupies a prominent place in the life of Alleyn's. Each year the Summer Show occupies several public spaces within the school, celebrating students' work outside the department. Other exhibitions and art competitions throughout the year create additional exciting platforms for our students, while regular lunchtime talks and studio visits, with a range of high profile practitioners, further enriches their experience. Visits to London art galleries inspire them, as do our trips abroad to cities such as Venice, Berlin and Amsterdam.
Studying Art History in the Sixth Form at Alleyn's is particularly enriching, given our close links with the Dulwich Picture Gallery and proximity to central London Galleries.
This exciting subject allows students to develop critical and analytical skills, together with acquiring an in-depth knowledge of a broad span of art history. Full of lively discussion and debate, Art History lessons fuel our pupils' deep, personal engagement with art.
Our students study the A Level Art History course. In Year 12, they develop their analytical skills, studying a diverse range of artworks, across the mediums of painting, sculpture and architecture. They also learn about art and architecture of the Baroque period, as well as the contrasting theme of Identities that spans a broad chronology including contemporary works. In Year 13, the theme of Art and War is explored as well as ‘Pop Life': British and American contemporary art and architecture (1960-2015). An engagement with critical texts is also an exciting dimension of the course.
A Level Art History enriches students' understanding and enthusiasm, enabling them to develop well-informed personal opinions, and is pursued both with, and independently of, A Level Art, with students going on to a variety of courses, including Classics at Cambridge, Art History degrees and Art Foundation courses at other top institutions.
Beyond the classroom, Art History has been further enriched by talks delivered by high-profile visiting speakers such as artist Humphrey Ocean RA and Jennifer Scott, Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery, as well as by a range of inspiring trips. These have included many outings to London art venues, including the Tate Galleries, a visit to artist and author, Edmund de Waal's studio, and the National Gallery, where our students recently enjoyed a tour given by Martin Wyld CBE, the gallery's former chief restorer.
Yearly trips abroad to cities rich in art, such as Amsterdam, Berlin and Venice, are another highlight of the Art History year.
Earth is, as far as we know, the only planet in the Universe where life exists, and it has been a living world for four billion years. Biology is the study of life, and at Alleyn's we are passionate about understanding and teaching the essential basis of living organisms. This ranges from the most fundamental biochemistry of genes and the photosynthesis that powers the global environment, all the way to the application of biology to medicine, drug design, veterinary science, synthetic biology, conservation and biotechnology.
We aim to guide our students through the core ideas that govern the living world, and to think about the interconnectedness of nature. But we also want to extend their interest far beyond, including into thinking about how biology shapes behaviour, medicine, ecosystems, and even the search for life on other worlds. We encourage pupils to develop their skills in considering experimental design, in communicating their ideas to broad audiences, and to contemplating the moral questions that modern biology raises: from genetic engineering to climate change to biodiversity.
The Biology Department benefits from teachers with backgrounds in neuroscience, genetics, cancer biology and environmental science, and we are all dedicated to engaging our students on a rich journey of studying life. Our vision is to enhance biological curiosity and we strive to do this with conservation fieldwork, anatomical dissections, a science Book Club, student-run societies (Bio-Soc and Med-Soc) and taking part in CREST Awards. We also celebrate diversity across many biological fields.
Alleyn's is one of the only schools in the country with a permanent Scientist-in-Residence who helps us to extend our pupils' experiences beyond the curriculum and into university level biology, and encourages them to understand the broader social and ethical impact of the latest research. Since 2019, Professor Kevin Fong has occupied this role. He is a National Clinical advisor in Emergence Preparedness Resilience and Response who has not only explained to the students more detail about the emerging picture of COVID-19, but has also as engaged and support the students in a variety of difference topics from genetic disease to space science across all years groups. We have also welcomed a varied range of speakers for public lectures and seminars, including fertility expert Lord Robert Winston, geneticist Professor Steve Jones, palaeontologist Ben Garrod, and psychologist Sarah Jayne Blakemore, who specialises in teenage brain development and has engaged many of our pupils in her experimental work.
We firmly believe that biology is a vital and thrilling science, that not only is the root of understanding our living world, but is the basis for many of the dominant industries of the 21st century.
Chemistry can help explain the world around us. It can improve our understanding of how and why substances combine, change and interact with energy.
It is part of our everyday lives: we are all bags of chemicals, we carry out chemical reactions when we cook and we rely on chemical changes to travel. The subject illustrates how human activities have impacted negatively on our environment, but also shows us how understanding chemistry might help us to solve such problems in the future. Chemistry should therefore form a fundamental part of everyone's education.
At Alleyn's, Chemistry is taught as a separate subject from the start of Year 7. Pupils are encouraged to embrace the scientific method and use it to explore theories and models that underpin the subject. Experiments are carried out whenever relevant and possible, making full use of our well-resourced and modern laboratories. These range from an introduction to the humble Bunsen burner right up to using our infra-red spectrometer to analyse chemical samples, as part of a sixth former's independent research project.
The subject is very popular at A level and many of our students go on to study for degrees in Chemistry and Chemistry-related areas, including Medicine, Biochemistry and Natural Sciences. We have a wealth of experience amongst our teaching staff, which includes knowledge of biological molecules and geochemistry.
The department's vibrancy stretches beyond lesson time. Lunchtime clubs have included developing photographic images and making plastic from milk powder. The Chemistry Society has hosted various speakers from Russell Group universities, whilst the Year 12 course involves a day of lectures delivered by top chemists in central London.
Whether or not our students embark upon scientific careers, we aim to nurture their curiosity about the chemical world and its impact upon us. With an appreciation of the periodic table and all it stands for, they can make the wondrous link between us and the stars above.
Classical Civilisation appeals to pupils who are interested in literature, drama, art, history, politics or philosophy, who wish to trace the development of these disciplines from their beginnings in the ancient world.
The subject begins in Year 10 (with taster sessions enjoyed in Year 9), is taught entirely in English, and requires no previous knowledge, only an interest in the roots of our culture and civilisation. Often pupils have enjoyed the cultural aspects of their study of Latin in Years 7 -9 and Classical Civilisation provides an excellent opportunity to explore these further.
The GCSE course contains elements of both ancient Greece and Rome and involves a comparative study of the two, with pupils given the opportunity to study classical literature and visual/material culture in their respective social, historical and cultural contexts. Pupils examine temples, statues, vases, inscriptions, reliefs and frescoes, as well as exploring the timeless epics of Homer.
The A level course is open to both those who have enjoyed the subject at GCSE and those who fancy a new challenge. Its great benefit is its variety, with the chance to study literature, art, history and philosophy. The epics of Homer and Virgil form a central part of the course, while students also have the opportunity to explore and engage with Greek art from the 6th – 4th centuries BC, including vase–painting and free-standing and architectural sculpture. Furthermore, pupils explore classical ideas about love and relationships - key aspects of the literature, thoughts and ethics of any society - through the prism of Roman and Greek philosophy and poetry.
To extend students' learning beyond the classroom, the department offers regular theatre, lecture and museum trips and runs a biennial trip to the classical sights of Italy or Greece. There are also enrichment sessions aimed at preparing students for university, and drawing on the considerable expertise of our teachers.
Studying classical languages is interesting, thought-provoking and helps our pupils to develop a wide range of important and transferable skills, from clarity of thought and attention to detail, to problem solving and analytical thinking. Just as importantly, classical languages are a gateway to cultures that have had a deep and profound influence on the modern world.
Latin
Here at Alleyn's all pupils in the Lower School have the chance to study Latin. The course revolves around a family in Pompeii and, later, in Roman Britain, examining aspects of the history, culture, religion and customs of the Roman world alongside the language itself. Understanding of Latin is built gradually and this, together with the focus placed on the cultural aspects, makes the subject accessible and enjoyable; regardless of the direction their studies take, it is very rare that pupils do not look back fondly on their time studying Latin.
For those who continue with Latin into the Middle School, the study of the language involves a more comprehensive coverage of Latin grammar, enabling pupils to develop their unseen translation skills, while broadening their knowledge of Roman mythology and history. Having developed their linguistic skills sufficiently, pupils have the chance to access some the world's finest literature in its original form, whether it is the poetry of Ovid and Virgil, the history of Tacitus or the letters of Pliny.
At A level, students continue to develop their translation skills to a point where they can tackle passages of original Latin unseen and translate continuous passages of English into Latin. Study of literature also continues, with students having the chance to gain a deeper understanding of some of the great Roman authors, both through translating the texts and in exploring and analysing the style and the social, cultural and historical context within which they were written.
Classical Greek
Classical Greek is a subject that appeals to pupils who particularly enjoy a true intellectual challenge. It is a subject that is available from Year 10 and suits those who have delighted in learning Latin and want to expand their knowledge of the ancient world and understand the huge influence of the Ancient Greeks on the modern world.
The GCSE course is intensive, as it takes pupils with no previous knowledge of the language to GCSE in two years, but is immensely rewarding. Pupils move swiftly from mastering the basics to studying original Greek literature. As with Latin, at A level students continue to cultivate their translation skills, enabling them to tackle passages of original Greek unseen and compose passages of Greek prose, while exploring the work of some of the great classical Greek authors in the literature modules.
Beyond the classroom, we encourage pupils at all levels to broaden their understanding and appreciation of the classical world. We run a biennial trip to the classical sights of Italy or Greece and arrange regular theatre, lecture and museum trips. Our enthusiastic classical sixth formers run a dedicated classics club for the Lower School and we provide lunchtime clinics for pupils encountering difficulties with the languages. For the Sixth Form, we run enrichment sessions, aimed at preparing students for university and drawing on the extensive expertise of members of the department.
All pupils at Alleyn's study Computer Science in Years 7 and 8.
As well as focusing on computational thinking, which develops problem-solving skills and logical thinking, our pupils learn practical IT skills and begin to understand the principles of computer networks and hardware, as well as considering the impact of computers on society.
In Year 9 pupils explore these concepts further, learning to deconstruct more challenging problems and develop efficient algorithms in the form of flowcharts, pseudo-code and executable programs.
For those with a passion for computing, we offer the iGCSE in Computer Science to enable them to tackle increasingly complex problems and enrich their understanding. The iGCSE offers pupils a real flavour of what computer science is, and an appreciation of the challenges and satisfaction of writing computer programmes.
Beyond the classroom, pupils enjoy attending computing clubs, where they take up opportunities to pursue a range of pupil-led activities including Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Micro:Bit and Game Making. If a young learner has a passion for a particular programming language we can support extension activities in a variety of languages, including Scratch, Small Basic, Visual Basic, Python and Java.
In Year 9 we nominate pupils to participate in a Computing Masterclass run by the Royal Institution and delivered by academics and industry leaders for enthusiastic young learners.
Across a number of year groups we use the iDEA Digital enterprise award, which is an international award winning programme, to develop and demonstrate digital, enterprise and employability skills.
Our post 16 offer consists of the Cyber-Security EPQ programme, enhancing progression and developing vital knowledge and understanding for the future.
Dance is a vibrant part of the academic and extra-curricular life at Alleyn's, offering all pupils exciting opportunities to express and explore themselves and the world around them.
Starting in Year 7, boys and girls use the painting by Salvador Dali, ‘The Persistence of Memory', to learn the building blocks of choreographic method by developing and manipulating two motifs taught to them by their teacher to devise their own original piece of group choreography. Inspired by Christopher Bruce's powerful dance work ‘Swansong', based on the interrogation of a prisoner by two guards, Year 8 create a narrative piece of choreography, playing with action, dynamic movement, space and relationships.
Pupils opting to do dance in Year 9 enjoy selecting their own unique starting point, theme and accompaniment to explore spatial design, climax and highlights and inspiring action content.
Dance GCSE is an exciting and creative course that encourages pupils' enjoyment and appreciation of Dance through performance, choreography, experience of live dance and dance appreciation. Dancers will engage in a practical session every week that develops their technical and expressive skills, both as a solo performer and as a member of a group. They also work as a choreographer and engage in a series of practical workshops that develop their understanding of choreographic devices and principles, before eventually applying these to their own original solo or group piece, based on a set stimulus. They also study a range of professional dance works and engage in a range of analysis and appreciation tasks.
Beyond the classroom, the highlight of the Dance year is the hugely popular annual Dance Show, a thrilling evening that celebrates the pupils' varied achievements and features over 130 performers. From classical to contemporary styles, soloists and groups perform self-choreographed and directed works to an eager audience. Such is the popularity of this event that tickets usually sell-out within two hours!
Our world is relentlessly reshaped by our relationship with technology and its design interface. As we try to keep pace with this most technological of ages, it is recognised by the Design Technology Department here at Alleyn's that we must be uncompromisingly inclusive, humane and sustainable in our work, as well as – very importantly - having fun with design and technology. We express these aims in a safe and friendly, yet challenging environment.
With the technological landscape changing on a daily basis, the desire for our young people to be technology smart and as future-ready as possible increasingly becomes a necessity. Our pupils are invited to view the subject as a problem-solving creative pursuit, acquiring a depth of knowledge and understanding of how things work and the possibilities of how we could make things work better, which enables them to make rational, justifiable and innovative decisions. Our pupils develop into empathetic, curious and outward facing designers, capable of looking forward with creative vision and carrying enough robust experience to be courageous and skilled in practical application.
Exploration reveals possibilities. From the first project in Year 7 to the last page of coursework in Year 13 our pupils are encouraged to step into the unknown, take risks, challenge themselves to see things differently and embrace the lessons learnt through failed attempts. We actively encourage the mastering of practical skills through application and practice, the developing of a deeper knowledge through independent study and taking advantage of technologies to design and realise ever more elegant solutions to ever more complex real-world problems. This is the journey we take our budding design technologists on.
Beyond the classroom, pupils and students of all ages enjoy creative clubs and the joy of exploring areas of personal interest. The real design and manufacturing world is where this subject comes to life, so our external links are used to visit world leading exponents such as Bentley Motors, SeymourPowell and Triumph Motorcycles, while our location allows us to enjoy visits to venues such as the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Design Museum. Our young designers are recognised on the wider stage, enjoying an unbroken run of prestigious Arkwright Engineering Scholarship Award and winning national competitions such as the Lord Mayor's Design Challenge.
The Alleyn's Drama Department is a space where pupils can leave behind the complex business of being a teenager in the 21st Century to focus on making and enjoying challenging and lively theatre, developing their confidence, creativity and craft in a welcoming and inclusive environment.
In lessons full of energy and physicality, pupils develop their dramatic literacy and enjoyment of the craft, through dynamic action and vocal training, as well as intellectual challenge. On the theoretical side, we help pupils to develop detailed understanding of theatrical practitioners and build the analytical skills required to understand how successful theatre works to challenge and enrich our world; in the practical elements, we work to develop not just brilliant acting, but expertise in all aspects of stagecraft from lighting design to directing.
In the Lower School, courses are designed to build confidence, teamwork skills and a lifelong love of Drama as pupils explore plays, contemporary issues and theatrical techniques, such as naturalistic acting, Bunraku puppetry, mask-work and devising.
In Year 9, pupils have the option to study drama further, developing their skills in a course based closely on actor-training techniques. They take part in intensely practical workshop sessions that are fun and engaging but also generate a sense of pride in the work and an understanding of the rigour and imagination that goes into theatre-making.
GCSE Drama combines practice and theory, as well as offering frequent trips to London's most dynamic theatres. Students develop as able dramatists who can interrogate semiotics and understand theatrical decisions and their impact.
A level Drama and Theatre pushes our actors further still to hone their dramatic skills, solve problems, work collaboratively and create independent and innovative theatre within a framework of academic research. They experience richly challenging practical workshops, ranging from the ‘creative anarchy' of Kneehigh to the tragi-comic ambiguities of Chekhov and the ambitious physical theatre characterised by Frantic Assembly.
The Drama team is passionate about the remarkable alchemy of Drama in all its forms and our teaching is built upon an enduring respect for the courage it takes to stand up tall, no matter what the stage, and say something truthful about what it means to be a human being.
Economics has traditionally been defined as the study of how society allocates scarce resources. This is done through analysing the behaviour of individuals, firms, the government, and other institutions. Students are encouraged to adopt a critical viewpoint on a wide range of relevant issues such as:
Do we make rational choices?
- Why does the government intervene in some markets but not in others?
- How does the financial sector operate?
- What are the effects of Brexit?
- Do heavily indebted poor countries need international trade or aid?
In terms of skills, Economics facilitates the acquisition of logic and critical thinking which provides the foundation for the intellectual challenges students considering a university education will encounter. It is an ideal link subject between Arts and Science based A Levels. Economics allows students to continue to develop their numerical capabilities whilst at the same time improving and finessing their essay writing skills. Both qualities often sought by universities and employers alike.
In a rapidly changing world, economic and financial literacy is increasingly important in most career paths. Students are encouraged to apply theoretical frameworks to complex real world examples and so generate useful conclusions. This prepares students to tackle many of the grey areas that occur in life with confidence and analytical rigour. Our economists go into a wide variety of careers because the subject also provides a commercial and regulatory understanding of how most sectors of the economy work.
We teach in a seminar-style using current news and data with an open discussion as the foundation of a lesson. Simulations and games are integrated into lessons to help illustrate concepts. We believe it is particularly important for students to experience some of the institutions they study, through:
- Visiting speakers from universities and business
- Lectures in central London
- Support for entrants to essay competitions (Royal Economic Society, IEA, Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, and Corpus Christi Cambridge)
- Investment competitions
- Information on places available on taster days at financial institutions
- Summer placements in think tanks and also at the John Locke Institute where one of this year's Year 12 students won a scholarship
- A variety of overseas study visits, most recently to an international Economics and Comedy Festival in Kilkenny, Ireland
In literature and journalism, tweets and posts, words influence and shape our lives. We believe that critical reading and thinking is integral to the intellectual culture of Alleyn's, in order that our pupils might flourish and fly, not just academically, but personally.
Our English classrooms are vibrant and exciting. Pupils feel safe to discuss, debate, explore and question their teachers, each other, themselves and society at large in order to become critical, discerning and sensitive readers. Whether discovering the subtext of a novel, comprehending the persuasive techniques of a hard-hitting piece of journalism, or appreciating the beauty and complexity of a poem, we encourage pupils to love language and understand its power.
At the same time, we guide them in mastering the craft of communication, so that they are capable not only of writing with impact, clarity and subtlety, but also of speaking with confidence, within and beyond the classroom.
Our teachers are passionate about designing dynamic, challenging and inspiring lessons: you are as likely to find Year 7 using found objects to inspire creative writing or Year 8 writing their own children's books as part of a linguistics module as you are to see Year 9 revelling in the language of Romeo and Juliet. At GCSE pupils explore a vast array of texts to encounter different cultures and eras. Many pupils join us for English Literature A Level, or AS English Language, where a seminar-style approach encourages the expression of opinions and palpable intellectual excitement.
With our roots in the vibrant world of Elizabethan theatre, we guide pupils of all ages to love Shakespeare and the theatre, and take every child in Years 7 -11 to see a production. Study days, visiting speakers and authors, as well as external lectures, provide vital opportunities to challenge their ideas and appreciate different viewpoints. Pupils also find their own voices through writing: The Trib magazine is written and edited by pupils, poetry and creative writing competitions are held in school and we regularly enter national competitions such as New Views, a playwriting programme run by the National Theatre. Creative writing residential trips and a literary sojourn to Dublin take pupils to new places, both real and imaginary.
Students taking A Level Film Studies have a passion for film and, through their studies with us, develop their ability to analyse film and expand their knowledge and understanding of the language and contexts of film. They learn to interrogate how concepts such as narrative, genre, representation, spectatorship, and aesthetics are used to create meaning, by deconstructing the work of internationally renowned filmmakers.
Film Studies encourages our students to engage with and explore a wide range of film; to develop and sustain confident, personal responses to film in essays; and to enjoy a variety of films across several major genres. These include films from different cultural perspectives, films from the Silent Era to the present day, and different forms of film, including documentary films, short films, and experimental films. In Year 12, students study five films, concentrating on 20th century Hollywood, and the contemporary US/UK Film Industries and cement their understanding of film theory through practical film-making, including coursework that sees students planning, shooting, editing, and evaluating a 4-5 minute short film on a theme of their choice. In Year 13 a further six films are studied in a wider variety of genres, including a foreign language film, a documentary, and three films that are linked by theme.
Beyond the classroom, students develop their understanding of the world of film exhibition, with trips to the BFI IMAX, the Ritzy in Brixton, the East Dulwich Picturehouse, and to a West End multiplex. They also benefit from the experiences of outside speakers: most recently from the OSCAR-winning documentary filmmaker and AOB, Orlando von Einsiedel (The White Helmets, 2016); the presenter of the BBC's Inside Science, Dr Adam Rutherford, on the making of the film Ex_Machina (2014), for which he was a script advisor; and the film composer, Harry Escott, who scored Shame (2011) directed by OSCAR winner Steve McQueen. Students are encouraged to extend their experience of film-making beyond school and, in recent years, students have attended prestigious BFI (British Film Institute) Film Academy courses, and entered various film competitions including the Bank of England Film Competition and the SpoKE Art Documentary Competition.
In the Film Studies Department we pride ourselves on offering information and support around careers in film, can advise on the best choice of film courses at university, and push our students to have as wide a variety of contact with the film and creative industries as possible.
At Alleyn's it is our strong desire that A level Film Studies should inspire our students to take their learning beyond the confines of the classroom, and develop the interpersonal skills that will serve them well in Higher Education and the workplace.
Food and Nutrition is one of the core subjects that underpins the wellbeing agenda at Alleyn's. The subject aims to empower our pupils with an understanding of the essentials of healthy eating, so that they can set their own goals and pursue nutritional wellbeing as a priority at all stages in life.
The relationship between diet and health lies at the heart of the subject and pupils consider questions such as: how do we optimise the nutritional value of ingredients? Is fish a superfood? And what if the world went vegetarian? Food provenance and the environmental impact of food sourcing stimulates classroom discussions around wider ethical and socio-economic issues facing society including fair trade, sustainability and the use of additives and genetic modification in food. Pupils are encouraged to critically analyse the food choices they make for themselves and the impact this can have on their health, the environment and other people.
Throughout their study of Food and Nutrition, our pupils learn to prepare a repertoire of mostly savoury, nutritionally-balanced dishes. With a large practical component, pupils are expected to plan their own menus and express their creativity, while learning increasingly complex technical skills such as pastry-making, the preparation of meat, portioning a chicken and filleting fish. Teamworking is a core part of the practical subject but ultimately our aim is to provide pupils with the skills they need to take responsibility for monitoring and maintaining their wellbeing.
Lower School pupils (Years 7 and 8) enjoy a largely practical Food and Nutrition curriculum, with pupils investigating the meaning of a balanced diet (including the Eatwell Guide), the major food groups, essential nutrients and food science. Additionally, our Year 8 pupils investigate the factors affecting food choices such as nutrition, budget, religion, ethics, marketing and the needs of people with conditions such as diabetes or coeliac disease. Lower School pupils may attend our biennial trip to Venice, compete in cookery competitions such as Form Masterchef and attend an after school cookery club.
Middle School pupils (Years 9, 10 and 11) may elect to study GCSE Food and Nutrition as a choice selected from one of the creative option subjects. Covering topics such as the relationship between diet and health, food safety and food science, as well as practical cookery, pupils can also enjoy trips to Borough Market and participate in House MasterChef, Molecular Gastronomy Club, and our Duke of Edinburgh or Middle School Cookery Clubs. We also offer 5-week enrichment classes to Years 11 and 12 focussing on how to cook a variety of cheap and nutritious meals as a university student.
In Geography we strive to develop in our pupils a passion for our very diverse and amazing planet and equip them with the skills required to understand the complex interactions between people and the environment.
Through teaching in both the classroom and in the field, we aim for our pupils to become responsible global citizens who think critically and empathetically about issues from climate change to globalisation, from regeneration to coastal management. Whether studying our local geography of London, debating how we can achieve energy security or walking on a glacier in Iceland, pupils are encouraged to be inquisitive independent learners who think as geographers.
Throughout the pupils' time in the Department, a broad range of topics are covered introducing students to key areas of both physical and human geography. From the geography of rocks to which country will be the next superpower, lessons are planned to be challenging and fun, and draw on the latest resources and technology. Whether it's mapping and presenting data, using images and digital maps to find out what a place is like or reading a broad range of texts, pupils develop diverse skills which enable them to engage with world issues. Fieldwork is an integral part of the subject and all pupils have the opportunity to go on at least one fieldtrip a year where the emphasis is on the development of analytical skills. Geography is a popular option at GCSE and A level where contemporary topics are explored, such as the urban challenges facing London and Mexico City at GCSE, and water security at A level. As pupils often say, Geography helps them to understand their world.
Beyond the classroom, there are many opportunities for pupils to widen their geographical horizons. Popular biennial overseas trips to Iceland and Switzerland enable pupils to experience different environments. In addition, there are opportunities to attend lectures held at Alleyn's, other local schools and at the Royal Geographical Society in London. A student-led Lower School Geography Club organises popular quizzes and all pupils in the Middle and Upper School have the opportunity to volunteer for Missing Maps, mapping places in the world which need maps for humanitarian purposes.
In History lessons at Alleyn's we aim to show pupils that History is not just a series of dates, battles and monarchs, but a lively, rich and at times combative debate, fueled by a process of investigation, analysis and enquiry.
When our pupils engage with this process, they not only develop inquisitive, challenging and critical minds, but also a lifelong love of History that leads many to pursue the subject beyond school.
History classrooms at Alleyn's are lively places, usually filled with debate and heated discussion, which pupils of any age and level of expertise can feel engaged with, as we involve ourselves in the messy area of human relations. At the heart of every History lesson are questions, many of them with no definitive answer, and our pupils come to understand that it is only by taking up the challenge to pose questions, and developing the historical skills necessary to investigate them, that we can drive our knowledge and understanding of the past. In History, we place particular importance on the development of analytical skills, supported by the ability to select and effectively use evidence to defend an argument, valuing the qualities of perception and judgement as well as intellectual independence.
The journey through History at Alleyn's is a rich and varied one. From an investigation in Year 7 discussing ‘why William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings' to an Upper School extension class on ‘The Great Cat Massacre', pupils are encouraged to engage with topics or time periods with which they are less familiar and to form their own judgement based on the evidence presented or, indeed, to undertake their own research and present an alternative view. Pupils also enjoy engaging with both their local and family history such as their study of archival material during their study of old boys' experiences in WWI during Year 9. At GCSE, pupils study a more global context with reference to various key episodes from the 20th century, while A level pupils revel in the rich variety of the course, as they engage with material from both early modern and 20th century history.
The Department encourages rigorous academic research and believes in the importance of encouraging pupils to broaden their historical horizons, with plenty of opportunities for all pupils beyond the classroom, whether through trips (a lower school visit to Hampton Court, a GCSE trip to Berlin or an A level visit to North America, for instance) or our vibrant Middle and Upper School History Societies which meet regularly and feature a great range of talks by pupils, teachers and distinguished outside speakers.
Maths is all around us. Everything we see and do can be described mathematically. It underpins science and technology, making it a hugely relevant and exciting subject. At Alleyn's we believe a strong grounding in maths is fundamental to a rich understanding of the world around us. Through fast-paced lessons delivered by passionate, well-qualified teachers, our pupils develop problem-solving skills that will last a lifetime.
Everyone at Alleyn's studies Maths up to GCSE level and a large proportion of the Upper School study for A level.
Along the way, pupils may also have the chance to:
- represent the school in the national Team Maths Challenge or the Hans Woyda Competition
- compete for their Form or House in internal competitions
- deliver a talk to their peers at Maths and Physics Society
- attend student-led problem solving and cipher clubs during their lunch break
- win the Pi memory challenge on March 14th (3.14)
At its heart, Maths is about solving problems. We teach our pupils fluency with key techniques, but we also share our passion for puzzles and investigations. Here are some questions that get our pupils thinking. The first might be tackled by a Year 7 student, the last by a Year 13.
- What fraction is half way between 1/3 and 1/5?
- How many numbers less than 100 have an odd number of factors?
- What is the area of the largest triangle you can fit inside a circle with radius 1?
- What is the largest five-digit palindromic number that is divisible by 45?
- If four friends put their names in a hat and each drew one name out at random, what is the probability that only one person drew their own name?
- If I throw a ball at 100mph vertically upwards, how long will it be in the air before I catch it?
- Can you prove that the sum of consecutive integers will never be a power of 2?
To communicate with people in another language is one of the most exciting and satisfying feelings one can experience. From music to literature, politics to history, the study of Modern Languages not only engages, excites and inspires our learners to broaden their horizons, but it also prepares them for the global workplace by developing that most sought-after of skills – intercultural communicative competence. At Alleyn's, pupils embark on a rich journey that leads towards linguistic mastery and cultural understanding in French, German and Spanish.
In Year 7, pupils begin with a language carousel in the Advent term consisting of four weeks each of French, German and Spanish. Pupils then select two languages, starting one in the Lent term and embarking on a second in Year 8, alongside their first language option. From the outset, we encourage confident communication through a focus on grammar and spontaneous speaking. Lessons are multidisciplinary, with activities built around authentic resources and rooted in the practical use of language. As a department, we are proud of the variety of approaches we offer our pupils across all key stages of their language learning.
Beyond GCSE, our students receive a holistic A Level experience, covering many rich and varied aspects of literature, film, current affairs, history and society at large. Our primary aim is to nurture a curiosity for, and a love of, language, which, over the years, has encouraged an ever-increasing number of our students to continue their language learning at university.
Lessons are tailored to support individual learning differences. Moreover, for bilingual and multilingual pupils, we offer an accelerated programme of study with the opportunity to sit the DELF, DELE or ZDAF examinations, as appropriate.
We provide an inspiring enrichment programme to promote independent learning and foster interest beyond curriculum study. Each year, pupils compete in a Spelling Bee, in national competitions such as UKLO and inter-school Debating, and many perform in our annual MFL concert. Our thriving Modern Languages Society is chaired by Upper School students who organise the most wonderful array of talks, both from visitors and speakers within the school community. All pupils are encouraged to submit articles written in a foreign language on a topic of their choice for the biannual MFL magazine, The Polyglot Papers. We offer frequent study and cultural trips abroad and, more recently, we have launched a successful programme of email exchange programmes across all languages for pupils in the Middle and Senior Schools.
Music permeates our everyday lives. From concert halls to the cinema, Spotify to iTunes, podcasts to Muzak, music is more diverse and readily available than ever before. At Alleyn's, we encourage pupils to appreciate, understand, and think critically about the music around them.
Our curriculum enables pupils of all backgrounds, experiences and standards to engage in the three core musical disciplines as outlined by the National Curriculum: performance, composition and listening. Over the course of Years 7-9, all pupils studying Music perform in two major concerts in the MCT: the Year 7 Concert in January and the Year 9 Music Festival in July. At GCSE and A Level students continue to build upon these skills through the study of an eclectic array of set works. At all levels, we enjoy drawing upon the often-diverse musical experiences and backgrounds of students to create a learning environment that is open, hands-on and intellectually stimulating.
Beyond the classroom, we have a thriving co-curricular scene, enabling pupils to explore their musical interests further. Students enjoy making use of our extensive resources in their own time to advance their skills, whether that is practising for a class concert in one of our well-equipped practice rooms, working on Logic or Sibelius in one of our two Mac Suites, or recording a composition in our recently refurbished Recording Studio. Located as we are in one of the cultural capitals of the world, we also enjoy regular concert trips to major London venues to complement academic studies.
Music Scholarships, Exhibitions and Bursaries
Various generous Music Awards are available at 11+ and 16+. More information on these, including the dedicated Open Morning for potential music scholars in October to which all interested applicants are encouraged to attend, can be found in the Admissions section.
Working closely in line with the School's vision, the PE and Games department sets out to enable in pupils positive values and attitudes that will enable them success in every aspect of their lives.
Building on this with technical skill and tactical understanding we aim to produce purposeful, respectful independent performers who value determined effort, through the demonstrable application of these traits, Alleyn's pupils go on to achieve quite remarkable things on the sports pitch.
Alongside their Games afternoons, Key Stage 3 and 4 pupils receive a dedicated PE lesson. Delivered co-educationally, children work on a rotation of activities experiencing a variety of individual and team sports, pitched appropriately for their level of experience. This allows all pupils to progress their own pace and for even the most able to feel stretched and challenged.
PE is often a pupils' first experience of sports such as basketball, fives and water-polo, and staff create a supportive and safe environment to give all pupils the opportunity to develop positive relationships with physical activity and their peers as well as the chance to build technical proficiency and tactical understanding. With an emphasis on transferable skills, the curriculum lessons are inextricably linked with the co-curricular.
Every aspect of an Alleyn's pupil's physical education plays its part in providing a cutting edge approach that encourages them to demonstrate commitment, independence and determination in choosing for themselves to extend their learning through the co-curricular offer.
Pupils in the Upper School receive a Games afternoon where they choose from an ever greater range of activities, providing further opportunities for new experiences. With instruction offered in activities as diverse as yoga, climbing, track cycling and shooting, there is something to engage all our students. Whilst pupils are encouraged to seek out new challenges and experiences, for those who have found their passion and may be pursuing an elite performance pathway, there is opportunity for specialisation as they progress through the school. For these pupils and others who are committed to co-curricular teams, the games afternoon provides an additional opportunity for fixtures and targeted training in the pursuit of improved performance and excellence.
A level Physical Education is offered to students in the Upper School and is well-suited to those who wish to pursue the academic as well as the practical aspects of PE. The course allows pupils to explore their own performances in greater depth through video analysis and challenges them to apply psychological and physiological performance theory to optimise their performance in their chosen field.
Regardless of their starting point, we hope that every girl and boy leaves Alleyn's with the confidence and inclination to pursue a healthy relationship with physical activity. We hope they recognise all of the mental and physical health benefits this brings and are engaged and confident enough to continue their sporting journey and seek out further challenges beyond their time at school.
It is in the pursuit of knowledge and what we can say about our knowledge, that Philosophy is interested. As a discipline, it takes us on a journey where the destination is almost less interesting than the conditions of travel.
As many philosophers have said, this is a subject where questions come easily but answers remain elusive, and the joy - at every level - is in pursuing the right questions. Some of the matters that taxed philosophers years ago have now become the domain of the natural sciences, but many fundamental questions remain: what, for instance, is the 'good life'? Who, or what, am I? Does free will exist? What value is there in art? Do animals, or indeed humans, have rights?
Through Philosophy, pupils learn the importance of reasoned, critical thinking, and of justifying and making logical steps in their arguments, developing skills that underpin so many other disciplines, like mathematics and languages.
At A level, our students are committed to the world of ideas and enjoy sharing that commitment with one another and the teacher. Classes explore some of the great themes of the subject with topics including how we know (Epistemology), what can be said about belief in God (Metaphysics of God), what it means when we talk about a person having a mind (Metaphysics of Mind) and how we talk about behaviour and ethics.
In Year 9, some pupils also enjoy a block of Philosophy lessons as part of an enrichment carousel, undertaking a course that introduces some fascinating philosophical ideas and asks them to think critically and engage in discussion, as they consider issues such as happiness, responsibility, free will, epistemology and politics.
Outside classes, the student-run Philosophy Society puts on lectures and discussions, delivered by students, teachers and outside speakers, with alternative clubs also run for Middle School and Lower School pupils. Many attend the Philosophy and RS Film club and visits to conferences are popular.
Our students go on to study a range of courses at university, equipped with skills of problem-solving and analysis, and a real conceptual grip. Even more importantly, regardless of their destination, they enjoy the intellectual journey itself!
Physics is the most fundamental Science. Everything in our lives, on this planet, on every planet, all the way to the far reaches of the universe, behaves according to the laws of physics. At Alleyn's, we span the cosmos in our love of Physics, from the limits of space, to the beginning of time and everything in between.
We are passionate about teaching and learning in Physics, and want our students to be inspired and enthused. We have undertaken trips to CERN, the NASA Space Centre at Houston, TX, and the Diamond Light synchrotron source, and are looking forward to planning future visits. Physics is a practical and technological subject, which makes things possible in every area of modern life, from treating cancer to the World Wide Web and developing sustainable energy solutions. Physicists solve problems, and we hope to develop a love of problem solving in our students.
As with all the sciences at Alleyn's, Physics is taught by specialists from Year 7 onwards. Pupils in the Lower School investigate core concepts such as forces, electricity, waves, energy, astronomy, thermal physics and electromagnetism, largely through investigation and practical experimentation. Teaching of Astronomy is enhanced through the use of our own 11-inch telescope housed in an observatory on top of the Science building, and workshops at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. Study at GCSE level, which starts in Year 9, and at A level is enriched through lectures, book clubs, and research projects. GCSE Astronomy is offered off-timetable.
Under the guidance of our staff, with backgrounds in superconductivity, particle physics, chemical physics, computing, and STEM, our students have the opportunity to think, invent, design, collaborate, mentor and communicate. Upper School students organise their own Mathematics and Physics Societies, run the Lower School Science Club and tutor younger students at our regular lunchtime clinics. They build mini-satellites to transmit to a ground base via the European Space Agency school's satellite project, CanSat.
We are passionate about communicating Science effectively and creatively, and encourage students to talk about their work, whether it be through three-minute mini-lectures in Science Week, presenting talks or academic posters, or writing essays beyond the curriculum for competitions. Many of students write up their work as CREST Gold Awards and our Alumni regularly return to give university-style tutorials, in preparation for UCAS applications.
We believe in the value of Physics, not just for future engineers and research scientists, but for all of our students at Alleyn's, to understand the nature of reality and appreciate the beauty of the universe, whichever career path they are drawn to.
In Politics at Alleyn's we aim to stimulate our students' interest in the world and foster their understanding of it.
As they explore the relationship between political ideas, institutions and processes, our students gain a critical understanding of the complex dynamics of their world and the systems of power that govern it. In discursive, seminar-style lessons, difficult concepts are discussed with rationality and tolerance and our students thrive on lively debate about a wide range of controversial topics.
Politics also provides students with the opportunity to explore philosophical concepts such as the nature of democracy, and political ideas such as feminism and nationalism, alongside current domestic and international political issues.
Studying British and American politics is perhaps more exciting now than ever, as Brexit looms and other widespread constitutional reforms have changed our political map, the EU continues to develop and the political landscape of the US alters. Comparisons between the British and American systems also remain an important part of understanding the principles of constitutions and government, as does the study of political theory, which underpins the principles of ideologies and political parties: ever more significant in times of British multiparty politics. Few events symbolise democracy better than elections because they can change a country so significantly and by studying elections, students gain a greater understanding of the intricacies of campaigning and voting behaviour and the reasons for, and impact of, low turnout.
The Politics Department has a thriving student-led Politics Society whose members meet each week to discuss events and present to their peers on topics as varied as the reasons for high murder rates in Honduras and the merits of the current UK election systems. High-profile speakers, from Shami Chakrabati to Nigel Farage, have also sparked vigorous debate and provoked challenging questions from our pupils
Many of our students are inspired to pursue Politics – and related courses such as International Relations, PPE and HSPS – at university. In a world where young people are sometimes charged with a lack of political engagement, political passion and informed debated are very much at the centre of the Alleyn's learning community.
Psychology permeates every aspect of our lives – in fact, it is through the study of psychology that we gain understanding of how our experiences come to exist. In a very real sense, our brains create our entire universes, and it is in these that we live. As a consequence, studying Psychology means stepping back from what we take for granted, such as our senses, memory, and our sense of self, and trying to understand how such things come to exist.
Studying Psychology in the Sixth Form at Alleyn's means exploring almost every aspect of human experience, from how individual neurons in our brains communicate, right through to how social influences can lead people to carry out atrocities such as the Holocaust. As such, studying Psychology involves asking some of the most interesting questions it is possible to ask:
What is memory?
- How does our biology and our social world affect our behaviour?
- What makes people prejudiced or commit evil acts?
- What causes mental illness, and how can it be treated?
- How can people lead more rewarding lives?
- How do magicians pull off their tricks and why do people believe in weird things?
- What is love?
- How should children be cared for?
- What is the best way to learn?
- What is consciousness itself?
Yet these questions merely scratch the surface of this fascinating subject and and we help our students to understand that to study the subject well, they will need to be insatiably curious about themselves, other people, and the world around them. They won't learn the answers to all of these questions in our lessons, but they will learn how the answers might be uncovered: by studying Psychology, students develop the intellectual rigour and scientific discipline to investigate the world for themselves.
At the heart of our approach is the desire to inspire curiosity and encourage intellectual rigour and independence. We aim to provide every opportunity for our students to develop these qualities, so not only do they often benefit from listening to leading academics who are invited to Alleyn's to talk about their research, they also explore areas that have piqued their interest and give lectures of their own. Perhaps most excitingly, our students are regularly given the opportunity to be participants in ground-breaking research by academics at universities such as UCL and King's College London.
Today we live in ‘the age of reason', yet the eternal questions remain to challenge us: the search for the truth about who we really are has never been an easy one. Religious Studies examines the question of God's existence and of how we can more fully understand ourselves.
Religious Studies at Alleyn's has a proud tradition of offering engaging, intellectual and innovative discourse to challenge our students. The RS department prides itself on encouraging our students to think clearly, critically and honestly whilst developing understanding and tolerance of a variety of religious and secular beliefs and traditions. Students have a wealth of opportunities to engage in lively debates on some of the deeper ethical and religious questions that are presented in the news and concern young enquiring minds.
In Years 7-9, students have the exciting opportunity to explore those philosophical and theological questions that challenge them personally and intellectually. What, for instance, is truth? How did the universe get here? Are science and religion compatible? And what happens when we die? Our unique approach to RS encourages our students to think deeply and creatively so that they are challenged rigorously, intellectually, spiritually and emotionally.
Students will often have heated debates on matters of life and death and explore a wide range of topics that are authentic, controversial and nuanced, with no easy answers. Religion is about the imagination, emotions and relationships and many of our students are inspired to study RS further up the school, where they enjoy discussing issues such as whether euthanasia should be legalised, whether there can be love without justice and whether forgiveness is always right.
Our courses are driven through debates and seminar-style lessons where students feel safe to express their opinions, often with intoxicating excitement: the heated discussions frequently continue well after the lesson has finished because we give students the opportunity to express some of their most profound ideas through the ‘spirited arts' and through sophisticated discursive composition.
Religious Studies is about life and so the department offers a wonderful range of trips to introduce our students to other world views and to a range of fascinating religious practices, opening their minds in an experiential way. In the past, we have explored Zen Buddhism in Japan, Tai Chi in China, heard the Pope's address in Rome, encountered Dipavamsa Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Hinduism in India. The rigour and challenge of RS prepares our students for further study of religion and philosophy, but also of the humanities, law and the ethical side of medicine, as well as motivating our young people to question what it means to be human.
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