Dulwich in Singapore

The news has been around for some time that Dulwich College and Singapore are coming together. After a long process that involved winning a competitive tender against at least 19 other schools, Dulwich College International were selected by the Singaporean government to gain the right to open an International school in Singapore. Dulwich College in Singapore is slated to open in August 2014 with the objective to impress in terms of campus and facility design and through to faculty and curriculum delivery. In this short article we introduce you to the team at our new Dulwich College Management Asia office in Singapore, the Headmaster Designate Mr Nick Magnus and the project itself. The Dulwich College Management Asia office is currently a small team consisting of Matt Simmons who was the inaugural Director of the Dulwich International High School Programme (IHSP) in Zhuhai and was then instrumental in opening the Suzhou IHSP in September of this year. Matt is now the Director of Business Development South East Asia. Matt is joined by Diana Gan, DCI Legal Counsel. A native of Malaysia, Diana has been with the Dulwich group for nearly 4 years. Kelvin Yue, a Singaporean, joined the team late last year as Business Development Associate.

inDulwich.com speaks with Nick Magnus, Headmaster Designate Dulwich College in Singapore

Following 5 ½ very successful Years as the inaugural headmaster at Dulwich College in Suzhou, China, Nick Magnus was appointed as the Headmaster of Dulwich College in Singapore and relocated there in July this year. Nick will be building his second Dulwich College and commence his third International Headship. Nick has been married to Sonia, a teacher and former Deputy Head for 17 years and they are blessed with two young Children. In his spare time, Nick enjoys all sports but particularly Golf and Cricket, he loves to cook, read and follow the all too predictable fortunes of his beloved Plymouth Argyle Football Club. His extended bio is below. We took this opportunity exactly two years out to ask Nick about the Singapore project.

inDulwich.com: What attracted you to the Singapore position?

Dulwich College in Singapore has the potential to be one of the very best International schools in the World. The city, the clientele, the competition, and the life style are all factors that will demand the very best but in return offer tremendous rewards as well as professional and personal opportunity. I’ve always said that a Dulwich in Singapore is like being offered the chance to manage Manchester United. I have always fancied having a go at emulating Alex Ferguson (but with more of a sense of humour!) and this is my chance.

inDulwich.com: How will it be different to Suzhou i.e. what are the different challenges?

All of the Dulwich’s have identical core values and many other similarities but they are also unique and different in their own ways. This is largely down to the city that the school is located in. Singapore and Suzhou are very different places. I am certainly looking forward to no more winters.

inDulwich.com: What will you miss about Suzhou?

I loved my time in Suzhou and the place will always be special to me. It is such an easy city to live in and has a lovely relaxed pace of life. I have so many good friends there and I will miss the people, the local cuisine and the golf courses. The school will always be a part of me. I know I will be regularly checking out their website and newsletters when I am old, grey and retired.

inDulwich.com: What are some key issues in the Singapore market for parents – i.e. a look at what schools exist there already?

Singapore boasts of some of the very best schools in the World and the clientele will have the very highest expectations. Saying that, there is a shortage of places at the top tier schools and Singapore is crying out for a Dulwich. I am going to assemble the very best team and we are going to take Singapore by storm. It’s going to be tough and we will need to be at the top of our game. I’ve got some great plans for DCSG but I don’t want to give away too much right now. Watch this space…