("Reach for the Sun") , established = 1877 , closed = , type = Preparatory day and boarding school and Pre-Prep school , religion =

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, president = , head_label = Head , head = Emma Goldsmith (Prep); Annie McNeile (Pre-Prep) , r_head_label = , r_head = , chair_label = , chair = , founder = A. E. Clarke , specialist = , address = Bardwell Road , city =

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, county = Oxfordshire , country = UK , postcode = OX2 6SS , local_authority = , urn = 123288 , ofsted = , dfeno = 931/6062 , staff = , enrollment = 800+ , gender =

Coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

, lower_age = 4 , upper_age = 13 , houses = 9 , colours = Navy and yellow , publication = The Draconian , free_label_1 = Former pupils , free_1 = Old Dragons , free_label_2 = , free_2 = , free_label_3 = , free_3 = , website
www.dragonschool.org
The Dragon School is one school on two sites in

, England. The Dragon

Pre-Prep A preparatory school (or, shortened: prep school) in the United Kingdom is a fee-charging independent primary school that caters for children up to approximately the age of 13. The term "preparatory school" is used as it ''prepares'' the chil ...

(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. 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 Dragon School is a feeder school to many independent schools, including

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into ...

Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. The school has been governed by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City ...

Cheltenham Ladies' College Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls' schools nationally, the school was established in 1853 to p ...

, Harrow School,

Radley College Radley College, formally St Peter's College, Radley, is a public school (independent boarding school for boys) near Radley, Oxfordshire, England, which was founded in 1847. The school covers including playing fields, a golf course, a lake, an ...

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

, Marlborough College,

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin * Wellington College, Wellington, Ne ...

Canford School Canford School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18). Situated in 300 acres of parkland near to the market town of Wimborne Minster in Dorset, south west England, it is one of the largest s ...

St Edward's School, Oxford St Edward's School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in Oxford, England. It is known informally as 'Teddies'. Approximately sixty pupils live in each of its thirteen houses. The school is a member of the Rugby G ...

, Stowe School and Abingdon School. The Dragon educates children from 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 houses were initially sold on leasehold by the College. Overview The le ...

: Bardwell Road 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. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

house.

History

The school was founded by a committee of Oxford

don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...

s, among whom the most active was a Mr George. In honour of

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldie ...

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 Bardwell Road in central

, just to the west of the

River Cherwell The River Cherwell ( or ) is a tributary of the River Thames in central England. It rises near Hellidon, Northamptonshire and flows southwards for to meet the Thames at Oxford in Oxfordshire. The river gives its name to the Cherwell local g ...

. £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 in 1895, and many of its pupils have won this over the years, 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 * Roger S. Trafford 1993–2002 * John R. Baugh 2002–2017 * Crispin Hyde-Dunn 2017–2021 * Emma Goldsmith 2021–present

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 Independent schools in Oxfordshire *

History

Heads

Old Dragons

See also

References

Further reading

External links