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| The Dragon School | |
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| Motto | Arduus ad Solem (Striving towards the Sun) |
| Established | 1877 |
| Type | Preparatory School |
| Religious affiliation | Anglican |
| Head Master | John R. Baugh |
| Founder | Rev. A. E. Clarke |
| Location | Bardwell Road Oxford Oxfordshire OX2 6SS England  |
| Students | 650 (approx.) |
| Gender | Co-Educational |
| Ages | 8 to 13 |
| Houses | 9 |
| School colours | Navy & Mustard |
| Publication | The Draconian |
| Former pupils | Old Dragons |
| Website | www.dragonschool.org |
| Coordinates: | |
The Dragon School is a British coeducational, preparatory school in the city of Oxford, founded in 1877. 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. It is primarily known as a boarding school, although it also takes day pupils.
In September 2001, it had 840 pupils, of both sexes. Girls have been admitted as boarders since 1994. Like many other prep schools The Dragon has a long history of traditions, among the more notable being the occasional wide-spread use of nicknames for teachers (including to their face — 'Inky', 'Guv', 'Smudge', 'Bofters', etc.), and calling female teachers 'Ma' (e.g. "Ma Jones"). Temporary teaching assistants (usually in their late teens / early twenties) are known as 'Stooges'.
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History of the school
The Dragon School was founded in 1877, and was originally named the Oxford Preparatory School and sometimes called Lynam's Preparatory School. Soon after its founding, it moved to its present site in Bardwell Road in central North Oxford, just to the west of the River Cherwell. The school was started by a committee of Oxford dons. 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 school was run for many years by the Lynam family, and led to its becoming "arguably the best known of all preparatory schools".citation needed 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 Lynham.
The Dragon Sale
The Dragon Sale is the annual Christmas fair held at the school in order to raise money for local charities. The most lucrative part of the sale is the grand auction which offers such priceless opportunities as a trip to the next James Bond film premiere and an 18-course meal at Heston Blumenthal's restaurant, The Fat Duck, accompanied by a tour of the kitchen.[1] Each year the sale breaks its previous records for money raised, topping £100,000 in 2006.[2]
Headmasters of the Dragon
- Rev A.E. Clarke 1877–1886
- C.C. Lynam ('Skipper') 1887–1921
- A.E. Lynam ('Hum') 1921–1942
- J.H.R. Lynam ('Joc') 1942–1965
- R.K. Ingram ('Inky') 1965–1989
- M.W.A. Gover ('Guv') 1972–1989 (head of day pupils, co-headmaster with 'Inky')
- N.P.V. Richardson 1989–1992
- H.E.P. Woodcock 1992–1993
- R.S. Trafford 1993–2002
- J.R. Baugh 2002–
Past pupils
Former pupils of the Dragon School are referred to as Old Dragons. The following people were students at one time:
- Sir John Betjeman (1906–1984), British poet, Poet Laureate from 1972
- Sir Lennox Berkeley (1903–1989), composer
- Humphry Bowen (1929–2002), British chemist and botanist
- Jonathan Bowen (born 1956), British computer scientist
- Henry Brett, English polo player, Captain England polo team 2003-2006
- Humphrey Carpenter (1946–2005), British journalist, author, and musician
- Christopher Cazenove (born 1945), actor
- Leonard Cheshire VC (1917–1992), WWII RAF pilot and activist for the disabled
- Jack Davenport (born 1973), British actor
- Quentin Davies MP, Member of Parliament 1987-present (Labour convert from Conservative Party 2007).
- R. H. C. Davis (1918-1991), mediaeval historian
- Cressida Dick (born 1960), senior police officer
- Lady Antonia Fraser (born 1932), British historical author
- Cyril Gadney, rugby player and president of the RFU
- The Rt. Hon. Hugh Gaitskell (1906–1963), British politician, leader of the Labour Party from 1955 to 1963
- J.B.S. Haldane (1892–1964), geneticist and evolutionary biologist
- Tim Henman OBE (born 1974), British tennis player
- Tom Hollander (born 1967), British actor
- Frances Houghton (born 1980), rower and Olympic Silver Medallist
- Lord Hunt (born 1942),leading British authority on turbulence modelling
- Sir Tim Hunt, British biochemist and Nobel laureate
- Pico Iyer (born 1957), British-born journalist and author
- Tom Jacomb (born 1964), Film Producer
- Peter Jay, British television journalist, and former Economics Editor for the BBC
- Patrick Jenkin PC (Lord Jenkin of Roding, born 1926), British politician
- David Jessel, journalist
- Stephen Jessel, journalist
- Dom Joly (born 1968), comedian
- Sir John Kendrew (1917–1997), molecular biologist and Nobel Laureate
- Hugh Laurie (born 1959), British comedian and actor
- David Lewis (born 1947) Lord Mayor of the City of London 2007-2008
- Naomi Mitchison (nee Haldane, 1897–1999), British novelist and poet
- John Paul Morrison (born 1937) Inventor/discoverer of Flow-based programming
- Sir John Mortimer (born 1923), British playwright, barrister, and novelist
- Sir Roger Norrington (born 1934), musician and conductor
- Rageh Omaar (born 1967), journalist and writer
- Julian Opie (born 1958), contemporary artist
- Stephen Oppenheimer (born 1947), genetic researcher and author
- Ronnie Poulton-Palmer (born c.1890; killed in First World War), rugby player
- Sir Timothy Raison, British politician, journalist and author
- Jack Randle VC, distinguished serviceman, T/Captain, 2nd Bn. The Royal Norfolk Regiment, British Army
- Andrew Robinson (born 1957), author and editor
- William Leefe Robinson VC (1895–1918), distinguished serviceman, Lieutenant, 39 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps
- Nicholas Shakespeare (born 1957), British journalist and novelist
- Nevil Shute (1899–1960), British novelist
- Sir John Slessor, distinguished serviceman and Marshal of the Royal Air Force
- Sir John Smyth VC, distinguished serviceman, Lieutenant, 15th Ludhiana Sikhs, Indian Army
- Christopher Tolkien, son of J. R. R. Tolkien
- Peter Tranchell (1922–1993), musician, composer, and teacher
- Paul Watkins (born 1963), Booker Prize nominated author
- Emma Watson (born 1990), actress
- Admiral Sir Hugo White, distinguished serviceman
- Stephen Wolfram (born 1959), British physicist
- Shaun Wylie, mathematician and World War II codebreaker
- Baroness Young (1926–2002), British politician
Notes
- The Dragon shown on the crest is technically a wyvern, although this is sometimes considered to be a type of dragon.[3]
References
External links
- The Dragon School website
- Paul Watkins' Stand Before Your God, which recounts his experience at the Dragon
