Dulwich Cranbrook tells us what adventures extra curriculars hold beyond the classroom

At Dulwich Cranbrook, every child is furnished with the skills and confidence to develop and grow, empowering them to steer the course of their future. Our broad and deep co-curricular programme gives every pupil the opportunity to discover their passions. It is a vital component of Dulwich life, in order to equip children with the skillset, confidence and drive to forge a future-ready path for themselves.

This term sees the launch of Dulwich Cranbrook’s Senior School up to GCSE. Our senior pupils have access to a vast co-curricular offering. Over half of our pupils play a musical instrument, our advanced artists are working at GCSE level by Year 8 and all our children learn to speak and perform in public as part of their Drama lessons. Our co-curricular offering includes Rock School, Debating, Gardening, a solar car team, and a Combined Cadet Force (CCF) from Year 9 upwards. There is genuinely something for everyone. More importantly, the ethos of the school is such that, as our children become teens, they do not have to hide any part of themselves to fit in. They combine being on the football team with being on the chess team, they don’t stop singing in the choir, worried that their friends won’t think it is cool. One of our resident rock bands played live for the coronation in Cranbrook Town in the summer term and scores of their peers came along to support them. Taking part is celebrated.

Dulwich has always had an excellent reputation for sport. Our broad sports offering strikes a balance between traditional, competitive team sports and individual sports and pursuits. Our aim is to ensure each and every pupil feels inspired to pursue a healthy and active lifestyle in a way which is right for them. In delivering that aim, we offer a unique programme alongside our impressive team sports. On Matches afternoon, children can choose from competitive fixtures or our Dulwich Inspires programme. In the Spring Term, alongside hockey and football matches, those less keen on those particular sports were instead mountain biking in the beautiful Kent countryside. In the Summer Term, while the majority play cricket, our Inspires group are learning to sail. Dulwich Inspires allows every pupil to look forward to sport afternoons, to challenge themselves and to experience success.

A Dulwich education extends well beyond our campus. This month we host our overnight ‘ice-breaker’ camp in Lordship Wood for our Years 7s, with a focus on building new friendships and developing leadership skills in the first weeks of term. Additional Year 7 trips include a theatre trip, a French trip and a visit to the Imperial War Museum as part of their WW1 Enquiry Week in the Summer Term. Optional trips include an international visit to either Italy or Spain and a ski trip. In Year 8, pupils take part in a week-long outdoor education trip, taking on a physical and psychological challenge, like climbing Snowdon. In Year 9, their whole year group trip has a careers focus, this year touring and working in Formula One’s digital broadcast studio.

All of this is supported by a real focus on wellbeing. Having had the advantage of planning our year 7-11 provision from scratch, we are able to re-think the teenage experience. We are designing a school around the needs of our teenagers, a Senior School to thrive in, not simply survive in.
dulwichcranbrook.org

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