The Dragon School is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

school across two sites in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, England. The Dragon Pre-Prep (children aged 4–7) and Prep School (children aged 8–13) are both co-educational schools. The Dragon Prep School was founded in 1877 as the Oxford Preparatory School. It takes day pupils and

boarders ''Boarders'' is a British teen comedy-drama television series created by Daniel Lawrence Taylor, centred around the lives of five young Black teens who earn scholarships into the prestigious boarding school of St. Gilbert's. The series is develop ...

. Originally established for boys, the Dragon School also accepted a small number of day girls with a close connection to the school, first admitting girls as boarders in 1994. The school educates children aged 4 to 13 in two sites in

North Oxford North Oxford is a suburban part of the city of Oxford in England. It was owned for many centuries largely by St John's College, Oxford and many of the area's Victorian architecture, Victorian houses were initially sold on leasehold by the co ...

Bardwell Road Bardwell Road is a residential road in Oxford, England. It is located in North Oxford off the Banbury Road, within the area of Oxford once owned by St John's College, Oxford. The road is known for its schools, especially the Dragon School. H ...

and Richards Lane. Boarding starts at 8 and there are 10 boarding houses, including one

weekly-boarding A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

house. Dragon Lane runs along the edge of the school immediately to the west.

History

The school was founded by a committee of Oxford dons, among whom the most active was a Mr George. In honour of

Saint George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

, the group decided to call themselves Dragons. Teaching started in September 1877 at rooms in Balliol Hall, located in St Giles', central Oxford, under A. E. Clarke. The school expanded and moved within two years to 17 Crick Road, which became known as "School House". Charles Cotterill Lynam (known as the "Skipper") took over as headmaster in 1886. In 1894, Lynam took out a lease on land at the current site at

in central

, just to the west of the

River Cherwell A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it ru ...

. £4,000 was raised through subscriptions from local parents for the erection of new school buildings 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 Dragon School became the second school to take part in the

Harrow History Prize The Harrow History Prize or the Townsend Warner Preparatory Schools History Prize is an annual history competition for children at British preparatory schools. It currently attracts around 800 entrants each year. History The prize was establish ...

in 1895. Over the years, many of its pupils have won this prize, an early winner being Kit Lynam. The school was run for many years by the Lynam family. DragonPlay01

The school has become notable for its large number of eminent alumni.

Heads

The following have been Heads of the school, several from the Lynam family: * 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 * 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 2002–2017 * Crispin Hyde-Dunn 2017–2021 * Emma Goldsmith 2021–present

Other teachers

PJ Wilson Peter "PJ" Wilson (9 August 1942 – 22 March 2024) was a British hockey player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Peter Wilson was born in Weston-super-Mare. While studying at St Edmund Hall at the University of ...

, Olympic hockey player

Old Dragons

Former pupils of the Dragon School are referred to as ''Old Dragons''. The following people were pupils at one time:

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1877 establishments in England Educational institutions established in 1877 Schools in Oxford Boarding schools in Oxfordshire Co-educational boarding schools Preparatory schools in Oxfordshire Private schools in Oxfordshire *