Alleyn’s School 
The Alleyn’s Schools Group has its roots in the rich heritage of Alleyn’s School in Dulwich, South London. It’s origins can be traced back to the enterprising Edward Alleyn in 1619. Today, we are a dynamic and distinguished collection of schools that share a desire to remain at the forefront of education.
The origins of Alleyn’s School can be traced back to a remarkable actor and entrepreneur who lived in England under the reign of Elizabeth I and James I, Edward Alleyn. He founded the ‘College of God’s Gift’ after a vision on stage inspired him to provide an education for children living in poverty. Later, in 1882, the College of God’s Gift split into two schools: Alleyn’s School and Dulwich College.
Edward Alleyn’s legacy is an important part of who the Alleyn’s Schools Group is today. His career as an actor, theatre owner, educator, and benefactor was defined by his entrepreneurial spirit and his single-minded zest for life. His vision to provide an education for ‘12 poor scholars’ was based on a desire to provide opportunities for children from impoverished backgrounds so that they could go on to give back to society. The Alleyn’s Schools Group seeks to embody the same ethos of entrepreneurialism and opportunity, as we prepare our pupils with the skills they need to navigate the world around them, and to carve out their own unique and impactful paths in it.
The cornflower, Edward Alleyn’s favourite, marks the beginning of every pupil’s journey at Alleyn’s: in the Cornflower Ceremony, its passing from Head to pupil welcomes each child into a long tradition and our shared mission to become “All We Can Be.” Across our schools it embodies continuity, belonging, and identity, binding pupils to one another and to generations past and future, and serving as a lasting touchstone of their Alleyn’s experience.
In 1605, determined to atone for a life of worldly preoccupations, Edward Alleyn set about creating his great charitable foundation: ‘Alleyn's College of God's Gift', which was to consist of twelve poor scholars - six poor brethren and six poor sisters. The Master was originally to be chosen from a list of two, by lot (hence ‘God's Gift'). The original Foundation building, still existing in the centre of Dulwich Village, consisted of a Chapel, with residences for the Master and staff in the centre, almshouses to the left and a school to the right.
‘Alleyn's College of God's Gift' was opened with a great feast on 1 September 1616: Edward Alleyn's fiftieth birthday.
Letters Patent (a grant from the monarch) to recognise the Foundation were given by King James I on 21 June 1619.
Alleyn's School became a separate part of the College of God's Gift in 1882, before moving to its present site on Townley Road, Dulwich, in 1887.
In January 1941, during the Second World War, 200 boys from the Alleyn’s Junior and Senior Schools were evacuated to Rossall School in Lancashire to start a new chapter of their education, away from the dangers of wartime London.
Following the abolition of Direct Grant status and the withdrawal of the Inner London Education Authority's annual grant to the School, the Worshipful Company of Saddlers agreed in 1970 to provide funds to support Alleyn’s School, and this association continues with the investiture of Saddlers' Scholars each year.
In 1976, Alleyn's School became co-educational, and was in fact one of the first independent schools in the country to do so.
Alleyn's Junior School was opened in 1992 as a fully co-educational linked school, sharing the site and its wealth of facilities.
In February 2025, Alleyn’s Schools Group was launched, working in partnership with global education group Cognita to run the newly named Alleyn’s Regent’s Park and Alleyn’s Hampstead in North London. In July 2025, Alleyn's Oakfield was announced as the newest member of Alleyn’s Schools Group.