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British boarding school has Bermuda in its sights

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The campus of Dulwich College in London (Photograph supplied)

A prominent British private boarding school is now looking to court students from Bermuda.

Dulwich College in London has taken interest in the island after the success of Bermudian students Kenza Wilks, a Rhodes scholar, and his younger brother, Kennedy.

The school will be represented on Sunday and Monday at the international schools fair offered by the British school placement service BvS Education.

Carmel Baxter-Wilks, mother of the two Dulwich graduates and a former member of staff at the school, will attend the fair to represent Dulwich and answer questions in the Trudeau Ballroom at the Hamilton Princess Hotel & Beach Club.

Joe Spence, the head of school, said he was “humbled and heartened by Carmel’s story of her experiences as a Dulwich College parent and member of staff”.

Dr Spence added that the college would “warmly welcome applications from families in Bermuda to join”.

Dulwich College is seeking students from Bermuda (Photograph supplied)

Ms Baxter-Wilks, who led the independent boys school’s medical centre, said its location in South London and proximity to Gatwick and Heathrow airports made Dulwich a plus for students from the island.

She said that the family was also drawn by its academic reputation and the diversity of staff and students.

“Something that became apparent early on was the vast number of extracurricular clubs and activities on offer at the school,” Ms Baxter-Wilks said.

“This was especially true for my Year 9 boy, Kenza, who took an early interest in debating.

“He was encouraged to pursue this and was expertly coached, and by the time he reached his final year at the college, he was captain of the England debating team, winning the World Schools Debating Competition in 2016, held in Stuttgart.

“He was also winner of the World Best Speaker award at that same competition.

“The wealth of languages on offer at Dulwich was also a real bonus, and Kenza quickly decided that Chinese was something that he wanted to pursue and excel in.”

Ms Baxter-Wilks emphasised the different experience of her younger son, a keen sportsman who represented the school.

Kennedy, who graduated this summer, was “heavily involved in the Afro-Caribbean Society and the Entrepreneurs Society”.

Now studying law, Kennedy was able to obtain two work experience placements at a law firm in Bermuda, “highlighting the fact that even though he’s at school in London, doors are still open for him back home”.

“Although quite different from each other, both my sons have reached their academic potential at Dulwich and haven’t had to look outside the college in order to fulfil all their extracurricular needs.”

More than 20 nationalities are represented at the boarding school, she added.

This year marks the first for Dulwich to be represented at the annual schools fair in Bermuda.

Ms Baxter-Wilks said representatives of schools would be on hand at the fair from 1pm to 5pm on Sunday, and from 4pm to 7.30pm on Monday.

The fair, with schools from Canada and Britain, is free to enter.

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Published October 05, 2023 at 7:51 am (Updated October 05, 2023 at 8:34 am)

British boarding school has Bermuda in its sights

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