The John Roan School

The John Roan School
Address
Maze Hill Greenwich , Greater London , SE3 7UD England
Information
Type	Secondary
Motto	[Honore et labore] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)
Established	1677 (1677)
Founder	John Roan
Local authority	Greenwich
Department for Education URN	100192 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Headteacher	Des Malone
Gender	Coeducational
Age	11 to 18
Enrollment	1147
Former name	John Roan Boys' Grammar School
Website	http://www.thejohnroanschool.co.uk

The John Roan School is a secondary comprehensive school in Greenwich, Royal Borough of Greenwich, south-east London.

Location

Since 1928 the school has been located east of Greenwich Park and south-east of Greenwich town centre, having moved there from Victorian purpose-built premises in Eastney Street (now Feathers Place).

The school is currently split over two campuses — Maze Hill, where the 1920s grade II listed neo-Georgian building (architects Percy Boothroyd Dannatt and Sir Banister Fletcher) stands, and Westcombe Park — named after the roads on which they lie (respectively Maze Hill and Westcombe Park Road).

The foundation stone of the Maze Hill buildings was laid by Sir George Hopwood Hume MP, local politician and chairman of London County Council, in 1926. The school had two opening ceremonies: one in 1927, by Herbert Fisher MP, and another following completion in 1928.

The John Roan Playing Fields are located approximately two miles (3km) to the south, in Kidbrooke Park Road, west of Sutcliffe Park.

History

Grammar schools

The current school was originally two grammar schools. The boys' school was founded in 1677 and the girls' school in 1877 through a charitable endowment by John Roan, Yeoman of Harriers to King Charles I, who left a substantial amount in his Will:

"to bring up so many poor town-born children of Greenwich at school, that is to reading, writing, and cyphering, and each of them forty shillings [per annum] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) towards their clothing until each of them shall accomplish the age of fifteen years. The said poor children shall wear on their upper garment the cognisance or crest of me, John Roan."

The stag's head badge – derived from John Roan's personal coat-of-arms – has been worn by Roan school children ever since. The first chairman of the governors of the school was Dr Thomas Plume, the vicar of Greenwich.

For much of the 18th century, the school was in the charge of the Herringham family who provided four successive headmasters from 1702 to 1785. The first headmaster of the boys' school from 1877, when it opened in Eastney Street, was Mr C.M. Ridger who held the post for 33 years. He was succeeded by Mr T.R.N. Crofts (1911–1919), Mr A.H. Hope (1919–1930), Mr W.J. Potter (1931–1938), Mr H.W. Gilbert (1938–1958) and Mr W.L. Garstang (1959–1974) – all of whom made significant contributions to the grammar school. The Hope Memorial Camp at Braithwaite, near Keswick, Cumbria was established in Mr Hope's memory shortly after his death in 1930. The first headmistress of the Roan Girls' School was Miss M.M. Blackmore (until 1895) followed by Miss M.S. Walker (1895–1919), Miss M.K. Higgs (1919–1944), Miss M.E. Barnsdale (1944–1962), Miss M.S. Chamberlain (1962–1968) and Mrs M.J. Barber (1968–1980).

Comprehensive

It became a comprehensive in 1983, when Roan Grammar School for Boys and Roan School for Girls merged with Charlton Boys School.

Potential relocation

The John Roan School, Westcombe Park site

During the first decade of the 21st century, the local council proposed to relocate the school to the Greenwich Peninsula, but, facing growing local opposition, it eventually scrapped the plans. Critics among parents and local residents argued that the current sites were good, and that money should instead by invested to refurbish the current sites. The proposed site was also near to an old gasometer, which would need to be dismantled at considerable cost for safety reasons, and alongside the busy A102 Blackwall Tunnel southern approach road.

With relocation ruled out, the Westcombe Park buildings were demolished in the summer of 2012 prior to construction of replacement buildings, and the Maze Hill site will be refurbished and remodelled; both phases use funding originally granted when the school was due to move to the Peninsula.

Motto And House Teams

The school's motto "With honour and hard work" (Latin: Honore et labore). The John Roan also has 4 house teams, named after people who have had quite a profound impact on history. They are: Seacole, Da vinchi, Darwin and Stopes. The John house teams are named after- Mary Seacole, Leonrdo Da vinchi, Charles Darwin and Marie Stopes. Two tutor groups per year are in the same house team. There are also house leaders and competitions amongst the four housees

Alumni

See also Category:People educated at the John Roan School.

• Asad Ahmad, London BBC news presenter
• Dave Berry, former MTV presenter
• David_Hillier, former Arsenal Footballer

Roan Boys' Grammar School

• Stanley Alexander MBE, proprieter and Editor from 1951–66 of the City Press (London)
• Sir John Atkins, KCMG, KCVO, MRCP, LRCP, MB (left Roan 1901) Assistant Director-General, Army Medical Services, later Deputy Director Medical Services in Great Britain
• Prof Richard Bishop CBE, Vice-Chancellor of Brunel University from 1981–9, Kennedy Professor of Mechanical Engineering from 1957–81 at UCL, and President from 1966–8 of the British Acoustical Association
• Prof Reg Chapman, Professor of Physiology, University of Bristol 1985–95
• Ian Church CBE, journalist, Editor of Hansard from 1989–2002
• Roger Courtney, Chief Executive from 1990–7 of the Building Research Establishment
• Rt Rev Ralph Dean, Archbishop of Cariboo from 1971–73 (Bishop from 1957)
• Harry Denford, comedian, playwright and actor
• Sir Jack Drummond, biochemist who separated Vitamin A, and declared the chemicals that are now known as Vitamins A, B & C, and was murdered in France in 1952
• Martin Dunford (1970–77), co-founder of Rough Guides
• John Henry Gay (1874-1879), poet and novelist
• Prof David Hamblen CBE, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery from 1972–99 at the University of Glasgow, President from 1990–1 of the British Orthopaedic Association, and from 2001–2 of the British Hip Society
• Peter Hofschröer, historian of the Napoleonic Wars
• Canon R C Howard, Headmaster of Hurstpierpoint School, 1945–64, Hon. Canon of Chichester Cathedral
• George Howe, James Watt Professor of Electrical Engineering from 1921–46 at the University of Glasgow
• Prof Douglas Inman, Professor of High Temperature Electrochemistry from 1986–1996 at the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine and Founding Editor of the Journal of Applied Electrochemistry
• Donald Keating, QC, Bencher of Lincoln's Inn and expert in the Law and Practice of Building Contracts
• Peter Guy Ottewill, RAF pilot awarded George Medal for bravery
• Prof Denis Owen. Professor of Zoology, Univ of Sierra Leone 1966–71. Professor of Tropical Ecology, Univ of Lund, Sweden 1971–73. Phylloxiphia oweni (a West African hawkmoth) and an entire genus of Ichneumon wasps named after him.
• Rev Brian Pearson, Director General from 1997–2000 of the Church Pastoral Aid Society
• Hugh Phillips, orthopaedic surgeon and President from 2004–5 of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and of the British Orthopaedic Association from 1999–2000
• Rev Keith Pound, Chaplain-General from 1986–93 of the Her Majesty's Prison Service
• John Regis, athlete
• Rt Rev Gavin Hunter Reid, Bishop of Maidstone from 1992–2001
• Ian Rickson, Artistic Director, Royal Court Theatre, London 1998–2006. Inter alia directed Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem(2009)
• Steve Rider, TV sports presenter
• Dr Alfred Salter (1873–1945), Member of Parliament for Bermondsey West
• Arthur Smith, comedian
• Richard Smith CBE, Chief Executive from 2004–9 of UnitedHealth Europe, Editor from 1991–2004 of the BMJ, and former TV doctor for BBC Breakfast from 1983–7, and brother of Arthur Smith
• Prof Anthony Trewavas, Professor of Plant Biochemistry since 1990 at the University of Edinburgh
• Prof Paul Turner CBE, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology from 1972–93 at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, and President from 1991–2 of the Medical Society of London
• Prof James Watson, Professor of Psychiatry from 1974–2000 at Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ School of Medicine of King’s College London
• E G White, developed and pioneered the techniques and teaching of Sinus Tone Production. His work is continued by members of the Ernest George White Society
• Alan Lee Williams OBE, Labour MP from 1966–70 and 1974-9 for Hornchurch

Roan School for Girls

• Nicola Jeal, weekend editor of the Times and former editor of Elle, Associate Editor of the London Evening Standard and head of magazines at The Observer.
• Iris Grace, Editor of Woman's Weekly from 1992–9 and Woman's Own from 1980–6

External links

• Official website
• Old Roan Association
• EduBase

Video clips

• Teachers TV