Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, founded in 1619. It is one of the oldest independent schools in England. Over the years the college's network has expanded to include schools in Seoul, South Korea and Singapore as well as Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou and Zhuhai in China.

Established in 2004, Dulwich College Shanghai is an international school which provides education to students from age 2 to 18. Late last month, Dulwich College here in Shanghai started its new autumn semester and also welcomed its new headmaster, Damien Charnock. The Global Times caught up with Charnock Thursday for an exclusive interview.

1. What sorts of activities and plans are scheduled for the coming semester at Dulwich?

Perhaps the activity which the children will most enjoy is China Week. All of the students in the junior school and senior school - with the exception of year-13 students - go off to different places around China to do a variety of activities; such as outward-bound and cultural activities, as well as community services. Students spend the week in specific areas to get to know different parts of China and to understand their host country. This is always the highlight of their year.

In October we have diversity month, with is all about diversity of the arts. Throughout the month, we will host four concerts with well-known musicians and artists.

At the end of our term, we have our Christmas production show which is hugely popular. This year (the show) will be Gilbert and Sullivan's opera The Mikado.

2. What qualities characterize Dulwich Shanghai and what makes it different from other international schools?

We are a British curriculum school so there is a distinctive British feel to what we do here in Dulwich. (The curriculum) is obviously adapted to international conditions, but we follow the national curriculum of England and Wales.

We are also a very academic school and a selective school. We put academic achievement at the heart of what we do. We think that's vitally important for our children's future success.

Our students are developing to become fully rounded individuals. A Dulwich education is very broad and goes beyond the classroom. What the students do on the sports field, what they do in the theater, what they do with their musical instruments, or in terms of their outward bound activities - these are all important.

3. What kind of students does Dulwich Shanghai try to foster?

We are looking for well-rounded individuals who can make good relationships and sustain them, who are good citizens, who make contributions to society, who will certainly be academically successful but will have a strong sense of service as well, who can collaborate with each other, who can lead as well as be part of a team. These are vitally important characteristics, but certainly what's distinctive of all our students is strong engagement; not only with the curriculum, but with their wider lives.

4. How many students are currently there at Dulwich Shanghai? Which countries are they usually come from?

There are 1,450 students and they come from a wide variety of countries. We have a significant number of Chinese students. But also mainly we take students from the UK, the US and European countries.

5. How do you arrange classes for students from different countries? How many students are there usually in a class?

Students are very much mixed up. I think one of the best things about our school is that children are mixing with people from very different countries so they learn hugely from each other.

In our (International Baccalaureate) classes - which are for top-year (students) - the classes are very small; sometimes with only eight or nine students in a class. In the junior school, we have some larger classes but no classes have more than 20 students.

6. Wellington College International Shanghai just opened its doors last Monday to its first intake of students and Harrow School Shanghai is reportedly set to open next year. These are all independent educational institutions with origins in Britain. How do you feel about the competition posed by these schools?

I always believe in competition. With competitors, we can seek to be as good as we possibly can. It's good there are more international schools coming into the area.

The expat community of Shanghai is likely to increase with the local government's plans for further development. With more international companies coming to this area and there will be a greater need for international schools. The market is going to increase.

Dulwich has a very distinguished program. We are very different from Wellington or Harrow. We have a very good track record of successes. We are known to others in the city and we are one of the best international schools in the world, with a very fine academic tradition.

7. Dulwich has many schools around the world. What is the role of an international school in a foreign city?

International schools are mainly founded to serve expatriates. That's what they were originally for. But times change and schools change as well.

I like the idea that we will be more integrated with the local community and with the local Chinese population. I hope we can develop even further to form links and cooperate with local national schools… we should look forward and make rich and wide-ranging relationships. We can benefit from this and I hope we can be a benefit to the community as well.

Artworks by students hang on display at the school.

 

The library at Dulwich College Shanghai

Photos: Wang Zhefeng/GT

Headmaster Damien Charnock addresses students. Photo: Courtesy of Dulwich College Shanghai