more musical rendition of the School Song than in Singapore (heresy, I know!). Finally, it’s a privilege to visit schools where so much thought has obviously been given to providing excellent facilities from the student’s point of view. The second phase of Singapore, with a stunning Performing Arts Centre, is a case in point. Are there any achievements of the overseas schools this year which you particularly admire? Their ongoing ability to combine examination success, culminating in first-class university destinations, with co- curricular activity of the highest quality has really impressed me. The IB results of Beijing were simply astonishing. I was also particularly struck by how established Singapore felt after barely two years: a great testimony to its staff, students and parents, and the support of DCI. And while all the schools are far younger than ours, I admire the fact that they are authentic schools with a strong, even intimate, sense of community.
In the globalised world we inhabit, our presence overseas strongly underlines our commitment to internationalism
Does DCI have any particular plans for the future? DCI has always sought a sustainable model of growth: its commitment to preserving the excellence of its educational provision is absolute. The school in Shanghai will open a second campus in August, and Dulwich College, Yangon will open a year later. I suspect this current model of growth, closely overseen by our own Governors, will continue. In addition, DCI is doing some pioneering work in curriculum development, in areas such as Mandarin and Early Years. Besides your international work, what links does the College maintain locally? I try to give coherence to everything we do externally, from community service to subject-specific outreach, and chair our Outreach Committee made up of Andrew Threadgould, Damian King, Nick Mair, Andrew Storey and Helen Frater. I am an Academy Ambassador for City Heights E-Act Academy in Tulse Hill, with which we enjoy an educational partnership. As the Academy moves to Key Stage 4 in September, our collaboration is at a really exciting point. I am also a trustee of the College’s Saturday School scheme, which offers weekly confidence-building classes to around 70 pupils from local primary schools ahead of their transfer to secondary school; and I evaluate all areas for potential collaboration with Dr Spence and the College Leadership team. Dr Spence co- chairs the Southwark Schools’ Learning Partnership with the Headteacher of St Michael’s Catholic College in Bermondsey, so I also work closely with him and with Dr Storey (the SSLP staff link) in this area. The Master and Mr Threadgould are also engaged in supporting the state primary schools that comprise the Southwark Teaching Schools Alliance. We also retain a role in offering educational advice to the Council of the Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey, having been the founding sponsors of the Academy on the island, which owed so much to my predecessor as Deputy Master External, Mr Ralph Mainard. Finally, I oversee the College’s bursary programme, and the development of its educational links with JAGS. What have been your most rewarding other experiences since September? Teaching History; spending time with my family on my return from overseas visits; finally reading Dr Zhivago ; and submitting the manuscript of my book on Benjamin Britten and his Russian contemporaries, notably Dmitri Shostakovich, after eight years of research.
Dr Pyke with the Headmaster of the College in Singapore
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