Dragon School
| Dragon School | |
|---|---|
| File:Dragon logo wikipedia.png | |
| Address | |
 | |
, , OX2 6SS | |
| Information | |
| Type | Preparatory day and boarding school |
| Motto | Arduus ad Solem ("Striving towards the Sun") |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Christian (Anglican) |
| Established | 1877 |
| Founder | The Revd A. E. Clarke |
| Department for Education URN | 123288 Tables |
| Head Master | John R. Baugh |
| Gender | Co-Educational |
| Age | 8 to 13 |
| Enrollment | 800+ |
| Houses | 9 |
| Colour(s) | Navy & Mustard |
| Publication | The Draconian |
| Former pupils | Old Dragons |
| Website | http://www.dragonschool.org/ |
The Dragon School is a British coeducational, preparatory school in Oxford, founded in 1877 as the Oxford Preparatory School, or OPS. It is primarily known as a boarding school, although it also takes day pupils. Although established primarily as a boys' school, there have always been girls as day pupils at the school, and girls were first admitted as boarders in 1994.
The school accepts pupils from the age of 8 ("E Block") through to 13 ("A Block"), although an associated "pre-prep", Lynams, accepts children from age 4 to the age of 8. As of September 2001, the school had 840 pupils.[citation needed]
History
The Dragon School was founded in 1877, and was originally named the Preparatory School and sometimes called Lynam's Preparatory School. The school was started by a committee of Oxford dons. The school's original remit was to provide a high standard of academic grounding and pastoral care to the children of professors of the University of Oxford. Indeed, many early teachers were or had been 'dons' themselves. Among the most active of the dons was a Mr. George, so the first pupils decided to call themselves "Dragons" after Saint George and the Dragon. The 'Dragon' name, which has been attributed to an off-hand quip by a teacher at rival school Summer Fields, gained popularity, and in time, the school was officially renamed the Dragon School.
Teaching started in September 1877 at rooms in Balliol Hall, located in St Giles', central Oxford, under A. E. Clarke.[1] The school expanded and moved within two years to 17 Crick Road, which became known as "School House".[2] Charles Cotterill Lynam (known as the "Skipper") took over as headmaster in 1886. In 1894, C. C. Lynam took out a lease on land at the current site at Bardwell Road. £4,000 was quickly raised through subscriptions from local parents for the erection of new school buildings.[3] and the move was completed within a year. The school was known as Oxford Preparatory School and also Lynam's, but gradually its current name was adopted.
The present site in Bardwell Road in central North Oxford is just to the west of the River Cherwell. It became the second school to take part in the Harrow History Prize in 1895, and many of its pupils have won this over the years, an early winner being Miss Kit Lynam. The school was run for many years by the Lynam family.[4]
Headmasters
The following have been headmasters of the school, several from the Lynam family:[4]
- The Revd A. E. Clarke 1877–1886
- C. C. Lynam ("Skipper") 1886–1920
- A. E. Lynam ("Hum") 1920–1942
- J. H. R. Lynam ("Joc") 1942–1965
- R. K. Ingram ("Inky") 1965–1989[5][6][7]
- M. W. A. Gover ('Guv') 1972–1989 (head of day pupils, co-headmaster with 'Inky')[8][9]
- N. P. V. Richardson 1989–1992
- H. E. P. Woodcock 1992–1993
- R. S. Trafford 1993–2002
- J. R. Baugh 2002–present
Lynams
Lynams is the Dragon School pre-prep named after the first headmasters of the Dragon School. This is where children may start at the age of 4 and leave at the age of 8 (Year 3). From here they can move on to the main school or they may choose to move on to a different school. The current[when?] Headmistress is Annie McNeile.[citation needed]
Notable Old Dragons
Former pupils of the Dragon School are referred to as Old Dragons. The following people were students at one time:
References
- ^ Jaques, C. H. (1977). "I: Beginnings". A Dragon Century: 1877 – 1977. Blackwell's. pp. 1–7.
- ^ Jaques, C. H. (1977). "II: The Crick Road Era". A Dragon Century: 1877 – 1977. Blackwell's. pp. 7–21.
- ^ Jaques, C. H. (1977). "III: To Bardwell Road". A Dragon Century: 1877 – 1977. Blackwell's. pp. 22–35.
- ^ a b Jaques, C. H. (1977). "A Table showing the Dragon descendants, boys and staff, of Charles Lynam of Stock-on-Trent". A Dragon Century: 1877 – 1977. Blackwell's. pp. 10–11.
- ^ "Keith Ingram — Long-serving Dragon prep school headmaster who won the respect and affection of staff and pupils (obituary)". The Times. 12 February 2007.
- ^ "Former Dragon School headmaster (obituary)". The Oxford Times. 15 February 2007.
- ^ RKI — An appreciation of the life of Keith Ingram. Dragon School Trust. 2009.
- ^ Hodgson, Godfrey (14 May 2005). "Michael Gover — Headmaster of the Dragon School and a guardian of its founding tradition (obituary)". The Independent.
- ^ "Michael Gover (obituary)". The Times. 8 June 2005.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at "Eminent Dragons". Dragon School. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ Stanford, Peter (22 June 2012). "The pain of Aung Sun Suu Kyi's sons, parted from their mother for 25 years". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
- ^ "Obituaries". Dragon School. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
External links
- 1877 establishments in England
- Educational institutions established in 1877
- Schools in Oxford
- Boarding schools in Oxfordshire
- Co-educational boarding schools
- Preparatory schools in Oxfordshire
- Independent schools in Oxfordshire
- Member schools of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools
- People educated at The Dragon School