In the late 19th century, the opportunities of the Industrial Revolution spurred the parishioners of St Dunstan-in-the-East to re-establish the school on lands owned by the church.

The architect Edward Middleton Barry designed the college's main building, which is a late extant example of the Gothic revival in London.

At the time, Head Nick Hewlett said 'As one of the first schools in the world to have invested in science and technology laboratories, it seems fitting that, 130 years on, we are creating state-of-the-art STEM facilities for the next generation of Dunstonians.'

Speaking about the merger, St Dunstan's Head, Nick Hewlett, said: 'We are delighted to be bringing our schools together, which will strengthen and enrich both our communities.

The houses were named after places near to the school (e.g. Catford, Forest Hill, Hither Green) and pupils were allocated to them based on where they lived.

The programme is named after the second headmaster of the college, the Revd Forder, who believed passionately that schools should offer more to the education of young people than classroom learning.

Revd Forder's education philosophy was to put the health and character of a pupil above the acquisition of knowledge, which led to the introduction of a pioneering programme of 'outside activities'.

The first programme which ran at the end of the school day on three afternoons each week included 'wireless telegraphy, dramatic works, French reading, the production of an honest newspaper, map modelling or lecturettes on industries or photography'.

[19] The Forder Programme now has more than 90 activities for pupils to choose from, including the college's Combined Cadet Force[20] and the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

The 1994 college Chronicle describes the festival as 'catering for the souls' and it contained an array of eclectic events including the St Dunstan's jazz group, lectures given by writers Brian Masters and Gwendoline Butler, and a Shakespeare play with a twist, entitled 'A Pocket of Midsummer Night's Dream'.

The now two-week event is a firmly established highlight at the end of the academic year, enabling pupils to engage with a huge variety of activities and performances, involving not only the college, but also the broader Lewisham community.

[22] The college's archives contain a rich collection of artefacts relating to the history of the school as well as of the local area.

The college also operates a dedicated site with digitalised archives[25] which have been of fascinating interest for pupils, alumni and members of the local community.