Dulwich College International deepens roots in Asia

British school group continues to invest in high-quality education

In 1619, when Edward Alleyn decided to establish Dulwich College in London, the entrepreneur could hardly have imagined that its practices and ethos would take root and flourish centuries later in China.

One of the oldest independent schools in the United Kingdom, Dulwich College has a long history of academic excellence, innovation and respect for tradition. Its academic strength is matched by its broad and challenging co-curricular program in sports, music, visual arts, drama and debate.

During a visit to China in July 2003, the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair attended the inauguration of Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong, among the first British international schools in China and the first Dulwich College International school established by Education in Motion, in partnership with the Dulwich College in London.

For over 20 years, Dulwich College has partnered with EiM exclusively, successfully developing a global community of DCI schools with a considerable presence in China. The DCI family, since the first school in Shanghai, has expanded to seven cities in China, South Korea and Singapore, serving more than 10,000 students aged 2 to 18 from over 60 countries.

Fraser White, founder and chairman of EiM, said while international education has certainly changed over the past 20 years, its core foundations remain constant.

"We still have the same dedication to developing confident, intrinsically motivated young people who make a positive difference in the world. We continue to put students first while building a strong connected family of schools, all with a pioneering spirit that has seen us keep pace with a world that is changing faster than ever," White said.

He emphasized that, as one family of schools, EiM takes pride in leveraging its collective strength to offer world-class experiences to all students.

"Through partnerships with leading educational and artistic institutions such as the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Northern College of Music and Australian National University, our students can participate in diverse global events and learn directly from practitioners across disciplines.

"The network also fosters a sense of connection across the school family, allowing students to grow in supportive local environments while engaging with peers from around the world," White said. Regularly, students from the Dulwich College in London travel to Dulwich International schools for large-scale academic and co-curricular events such as the Dulwich Olympiad, a sports, drama and arts event that takes place every four years. There are also opportunities for colleagues to share ideas and develop their careers.

In China, DCI has established a presence in Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou in Jiangsu province and Hengqin in Guangdong province. Among them, Dulwich College Beijing, or DCB, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, is currently ranked within the top International Baccalaureate Schools in China. Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong and Dulwich College Suzhou also rank among the country's leading IB schools, according to EiM.

"This reflects not just growth, but sustained investment in people, communities and educational quality," said Lesley Meyer, EiM's chief education officer.

"Each of our schools is designed to respond to its local context while remaining firmly anchored in the values and heritage of Dulwich College. The longevity of our schools, the strength of our alumni community, and the success of our students all point to a long-term partnership with China that continues to evolve and deepen," she said.

Global citizenship

As part of its holistic education, DCI places great emphasis on global citizenship. Grounded in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this approach encourages students to cultivate a global mindset and create a positive effect on society and the planet.

DCB's annual Planet Hack competition offers a vivid example. Initiated in 2022 by DCI and Australian National University, the hackathon brings together students from across the school family each year to address real-world challenges through science and technology.

The 2025 theme was "Storing the Future: Energy for a Changing World", focusing on affordable and clean energy. During the two-day immersive workshop, the young innovators progressed from brainstorming and model design to programming and final presentations, contributing their ideas to discussions around the global energy crisis. The event not only lays a foundation for students' future academic path, but more importantly, fosters their creativity, resilience and collaboration.

Cultural fluency and understanding are also considered a key competence for global citizenship, which has been embedded into language courses, co-curricular activities and other cultural learning experiences.

A highlight is that Mandarin learning has been an important part of DCI's curriculum throughout its history and now it employs three pathways to meet the learning needs of each student.

Deeply integrated with its communities, DCB organized a hutong trip for junior students, through which they learned about its history, significance and challenges residents face in modern times, and then they came up with creative solutions for hutong's sustainable development.

"We hope our graduates can thrive wherever they are and respect different perspectives while having confidence in their own culture and roots," said Cameron Pyke, head of DCB.

As new technologies are transforming education, the pioneering educators are also exploring a new question — how to prepare their students for the age of artificial intelligence.

"Our approach has been to embrace innovation such as AI thoughtfully, while still preserving what is fundamentally human — critical thinking, creativity, empathy and a strong sense of responsibility," Meyer said, adding that their job is not to shield students from AI, but to teach them how to thrive in a world where it is ubiquitous.

"We aim to be intentional about when and how we use AI, and to build AI literacy across staff and students so they understand both its strengths and limitations," said Pyke.

To promote ethical and effective AI-use on campus, DCB has introduced the AI guidance policy and launched a non-examined course, FutureTech, which encourages students of Year 10 and Year 11 to complete AI-focused micro-projects or delve into future problems.

"Parents are also important partners in this work. We now hold regular sessions to help support families and communities in understanding e-safety," Pyke said.

Pathway into China

Looking ahead, EiM is planning to strengthen its existing schools in China, ensuring they remain leaders in international education through outstanding offerings, teaching and learning, while contributing to high-quality, internationally recognized pathways for international students into and through China.

The group is developing the Dehong Scholars Programme — under which students from outside China are offered paid scholarships to study at Dehong International Chinese Schools, the bilingual sister schools to DCI, according to White.

These students will complete their A-Level courses in line with the UK national curriculum alongside intensive Chinese language immersion, thereby expanding their future university options.

Wo Hui Mandarin, a brand under EiM dedicated to Mandarin learning, will play a vital role in this program. In close partnership with Chinese Testing International, the official examination board behind the Chinese Proficiency Test, or HSK, Wo Hui Mandarin promotes Chinese language learning globally — encouraging more students to engage with the language, experience the real China and pursue further study in Chinese institutions.

Furthermore, Wo Hui Mandarin and Chinese Testing International have jointly launched HSK GO, an AI-powered adaptive learning system and the official Chinese learning application for HSK certification. It was designed to make Chinese learning clear, structured and achievable by guiding learners step by step toward study success.

All of these initiatives share the same goal: to make Chinese learning engaging, accessible and enjoyable — inspiring more learners worldwide not only to learn the language, but also to deepen their understanding of Chinese culture, White said.

zhanglinwan@chinadaily.com.cn