St. Ronan's School
Encyclopedia
Saint Ronan's School is an independent
co-educational preparatory school
for boys and girls from 3 to 13 years located near Hawkhurst
in Kent
, England
. It currently has about 200 boys and 100 girls, all of them day pupils
, although boarding
is available from time to time. The present headmaster is William Trelawny-Vernon.
. During the Second World War, the school was evacuated to Bicton Park, but then moved to its present location in Tongswood House.
The house was remodelled in the late 19th century for William Cotterill, owner c. 1868 to 1892, of a mercantile family from Birmingham. Tongswood later belonged to Charles Eugene Gunther (died 1931), head of the Liebzig Extract of Meat Company which later became known as OXO, who was Lord Lieutenant of Kent in 1926. Tongswood was sold in 1935 to W. B. Harris, who bought it with the sole purpose of housing St. Ronan's.
Sir John Vassar-Smith, Bt., was headmaster of the school for a long period until his retirement in 1997. He was succeeded by Edward Yeats-Brown, who in turn was succeeded by the present headmaster, William Trelawny-Vernon.
Like many independent junior schools, the classes are named in an unusual manner:
Year 3 - Class 3
Year 4 - Class 4
Year 5 - Shell
Year 6 - Midway
Year 7 - Upper
Year 8 - Remove
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
co-educational preparatory school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
for boys and girls from 3 to 13 years located near Hawkhurst
Hawkhurst
Hawkhurst is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. The parish lies to the south-east of Tunbridge Wells. Hawkhurst itself is virtually two villages...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It currently has about 200 boys and 100 girls, all of them day pupils
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
, although boarding
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
is available from time to time. The present headmaster is William Trelawny-Vernon.
History
The school was founded in 1883 and was originally located in WorthingWorthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
. During the Second World War, the school was evacuated to Bicton Park, but then moved to its present location in Tongswood House.
The house was remodelled in the late 19th century for William Cotterill, owner c. 1868 to 1892, of a mercantile family from Birmingham. Tongswood later belonged to Charles Eugene Gunther (died 1931), head of the Liebzig Extract of Meat Company which later became known as OXO, who was Lord Lieutenant of Kent in 1926. Tongswood was sold in 1935 to W. B. Harris, who bought it with the sole purpose of housing St. Ronan's.
Sir John Vassar-Smith, Bt., was headmaster of the school for a long period until his retirement in 1997. He was succeeded by Edward Yeats-Brown, who in turn was succeeded by the present headmaster, William Trelawny-Vernon.
Classes
The school is divided into two parts: Pre-Prep and Prep. The Prep School contains Year 3, i.e. 8 year olds to Year 8, 13 year olds. Originally, each class tended to contain a mixture of ages since advancement was based most of all on academic ability. From 2004 onwards, pupils have advanced in academic year groups.Like many independent junior schools, the classes are named in an unusual manner:
Year 3 - Class 3
Year 4 - Class 4
Year 5 - Shell
Year 6 - Midway
Year 7 - Upper
Year 8 - Remove
Old boys
Former pupils of Saint Ronan's School include:- John RavenJohn RavenJohn Earle Raven , who published as J. E. Raven, was an English classical scholar, notable for his work on presocratic philosophy, and amateur botanist.-Early life and education:...
, Classics scholarClassicsClassics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
and botanist - Frank GardnerFrank Gardner (journalist)Frank Rolleston Gardner OBE is an English journalist and correspondent. He is currently the BBC's Security Correspondent. He was appointed an OBE in 2005 for his services to journalism.-Background:...
, journalist (BBC Security Correspondent) - Lindsay AndersonLindsay AndersonLindsay Gordon Anderson was an Indian-born, British feature film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading light of the Free Cinema movement and the British New Wave...
, film and theatre director - Julian Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and AsquithJulian Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and AsquithJulian Edward George Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith KCMG , was a British colonial administrator.-Background and education:...