THE LOWER SCHOOL: A poor beginning
In 1870, the Senior and Junior Schools moved to the New College (now known as the Barry Buildings) whilst the Lower School stayed at the Old College in Dulwich Village. This new ‘ Lower School ’ was an entirely separate school to the Upper School. It was intended as a school for the poorer classes, and its aim was to transform these indus- trial class boys into respectable middle - class citizens. However, the course of this transformation was not easy. It is recorded that Lower School boys refused to sing at Speech Day and the teachers were instructed to work on the boys ’ pronunciation. These pupils were so bad at Latin that it was dropped from the curriculum and re- placed by Physical Science.
Some Lower School students did progress to the Upper School as shown by one boy, the son of a builder, who was granted a free Head of the Junior School, Terry Walsh, giving an assembly to the Junior (Lower) School in the foyer of the Christison Hall, presumably mid - 1970s
place in the Upper School and proceeded to Balliol College in Oxford. In 1871 the College was inspected by the Endowed Schools Commissioners. They were critical of the school and its policy of increasing fees and Dulwich was becoming more of a school for wealthier residents. They also proposed to close the Lower School, de- molish the existing chapel and build a new one. Then, when Alleyn ’ s School was constructed, the Lower School was moved to that site. In 1948, a building which was
36
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker