8 | Wealth & Finance - Private Education Awards 2024 Most Progressive Independent School 2024 - South East England St Dunstan’s College on Stanstead Road, London, is comprised of a nursery, junior school, senior school, and sixth form. A trailblazing independent institution that has offered a forward-thinking education since 1888, St Dunstan’s proudly boasts what it calls “The St Dunstan’s Difference”, a set of eight distinguishing points that highlight the heritage of the school and its unique approach to education. Promoting high achievement without the arrogance and championing individuality, diversity, and equality in equal measure, St Dunstan’s is as progressive as it is exemplary. Providing students of all ages with a broad, liberal, and exciting academic education, St Dunstan’s College nurtures an ambitious and forward-looking academic community that strikes the balance between embracing the modern and respecting the historic traditions that have defined more than 130 years of excellence. A school driven by the values of courage, creativity, confidence, compassion, and curiosity; this selfless institution prides the development of the individual over the personality of the school as a whole. Championing the diversity of its pupils, St Dunstan College’s motto, Albam Exorna, or “Adorn the White”, is a reference to the white shield of its logo, a blank canvas that students are invited to project their own hopes, dreams, and stories onto. Whatever their ambitions, the school strives to support and inspire every pupil to unlock their full potential, be comfortable in their own skin, and stay determined to do good for themselves and their community. Since the school is situated in a vibrant corner of South-East London, these possibilities are endless. Offering students a co-educational environment that aptly prepares them for a world outside of school, many of the facilities of this estate are virtually brand new, with St Dunstan’s having undergone a major redevelopment in 2021 that saw it add a new junior school, STEM block, sixth form centre, performing arts centre/theatre, and a number of outdoor education/recreation facilities. St Dunstan’s’ epicentre, The Great Hall, has also undergone extensive renovation in recent years, all whilst keeping its wonderful historic charm. As seen through the new £25 million STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) facilities mentioned above, science has always been a huge part of the school, something that dates right back to its first headmaster, who was also a chemist, Mr. Charles Maddock Stuart. As a result of its science-driven leader, St Dunstan’s College was the first school in England that was designed with built-in science laboratories, and in the early days, the school’s curriculum offered three times the amount of science lessons as were traditionally provided. Today, with 12 state-of-the-art labs, as well as engineering workshops and purpose-built mathematics classrooms, St Dunstan’s is keeping the spirit of its inaugural headmaster alive and continuing to train the next generation of experts in these vital fields. Science is far from the only area of focus for St Dunstan’s, and over the years, numerous headmasters have come along and further advanced the curriculum, be it with an emphasis on sports and the outdoors, caring for students as individuals, or underscoring the importance of resilience and creativity. It is for this reason that St Dunstan’s’ senior school for 11–16-year-olds today boasts a varied curriculum that builds off of the legacy of its former headmasters. Students will be afforded the opportunity to study numerous subjects, as well as take part in a range of inclusive co-curricular activities. With the 17 taught subjects spanning the basics of maths, English, and science, as well as some of the more specialised areas of interest like art, drama, music, and languages from Latin to Spanish, there is something for everyone to enjoy at St Dunstan’s. As many parents know, secondary schools across the UK often fail to prepare their students for life. Focusing on a traditional academic education is important, but these subjects do little to help an individual as they leave a schooling environment and make their own way in the world. To remedy this, St Dunstan’s offers a robust additional curriculum named after former headmaster Charles Stuart. Covering everything from relationships to future skills, public speaking, and even building furniture, St Dunstan’s’ pupils are given a curriculum for life. It is not just the senior school where St Dunstan’s shines, and its brilliance can be felt right from its nursery, which takes on children aged both three and four. The school’s nursery curriculum is very much guided by the interests of children at this age, and staff here embed within them a number of key learning behaviours that will serve them well as they progress on through their academic journeys. Celebrating learning and play, pupils leave this nursery with a range of budding interests and the confidence to try new things. Then comes the junior school, which sees pupils from four onwards provided an opportunity to make their first marks on the aforementioned blank canvas that is the St Dunstan’s shield. Ensuring academic rigour, exploratory play, and a tailored approach to learning, pupils of this co-educational junior school benefit majorly from having a form teacher who will deliver the majority of their lessons, ensuring familiarity and a strong learning relationship. There are also a series of specialist teachers on hand whose knowledge far exceeds the core curriculum. At the other end of the scale is St Dunstan’s’ sixth form, which builds off of the previous education of students and the diverse Lewisham community in which it is set to offer pupils an individualised future, one that considers their personality and not just their grades. Through its providing of The St Dunstan’s College Diploma, a threefold programme consisting of three or four A-Levels subjects, a number of leadership opportunities, and additional future-proof qualifications, St Dunstan’s goes against the exam-driven norm to focus on the person. This is not to say that St Dunstan’s does not deliver when it comes to exam results, as it far exceeds the UK average. For example, just last year, its GCSE results saw 68% of students achieve grades 9-7, or A*-A in the old system. When this is extended from 9-6, or A*-B, a further 16% of students are brought into the fold. A similar story follows regarding the A-Level results, with 58% students receiving an A* or an A, and 86% receiving A*-B. This highlights ““We are proud of our historic façade, but all the more excited by the energy and colour that is exuded within.” - Headmaster Mr. Nick Hewlett. ”
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