Rokeby Preparatory School

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Rokeby School
Rokeby Logo.jpeg
Address
Rokeby Preparatory School
George Road

Kingston upon Thames
,
Greater London
,
KT2 7PB

England
Coordinates 51°25′03″N0°16′14″W / 51.4175°N 0.27068°W / 51.4175; -0.27068
Information
Type Preparatory school
MottoSmart, Skilful and Kind (until 2008 "Aemulus studiorum et laborum")
Established1877
FounderCharles D. Olive, M.A. (Oxon.)
Department for Education URN 102612 Tables
HeadmasterJason Peck
Staffc.45
Age4to 13
Enrolment400
HousesBazelgette, Galsworthy, Moody and Olive
Website http://www.rokebyschool.co.uk

Rokeby School is an independent all-boys preparatory day school in Kingston upon Thames, London. Its headmaster is Jason Peck. The school offers an education from 4 to 13 years through the integration of a pre-preparatory school and a preparatory school. The pre-prep school was known as Junior Rokeby until 2008 when headmaster Jason Peck unified the schools under one name and uniform, at the same time abolishing the senior school's traditional Latin motto ("Aemulus studiorum et laborum", from Cicero meaning "the rival of pursuits and labours" [1] ) in favour of a three word English one.

Contents

History

Wimbledon (1877–1966)

"Helmsley", Wimbledon - the site where the school first stood (1877-79) HelmsleyWim.jpg
"Helmsley", Wimbledon – the site where the school first stood (1877–79)

The school was founded in Wimbledon on 18 September 1877, originally at "Helmsley" (no. 47, Woodhayes Road), by Charles Olive, an Oxford graduate.[ citation needed ] The Helmsley site is just across the road from the current location of KCS, Wimbledon, which at the time of Rokeby's founding had yet to move from its central London campus. In the first term, however, not a single pupil appeared. In the second term the first boy enrolled (Charles J. Saunders), who later won a scholarship to Merchant Taylors' and continued onto St John's College, Oxford.[ citation needed ] By the end of the first year there were 15 boys attending the school. A year later numbers had increased sufficiently to warrant a larger premises, so the school was moved to another house known as "Rokeby" (at no. 17, The Downs) in 1879 – a site now occupied by Hall School Wimbledon.

"Rokeby", No. 17 The Downs, Wimbledon (1879-1966) RokebyWimbledon.jpg
"Rokeby", No. 17 The Downs, Wimbledon (1879–1966)

When the Association of Preparatory Schools was founded in 1892 (a precursor to the current IAPS), Rokeby was one of the first members.

Kingston (1966–present)

"Rokeby", Kingston: the school's current site (1966-present) Rokeby Coombe Croft George Rd crop.jpg
"Rokeby", Kingston: the school's current site (1966–present)
Rokeby, Kingston: the school's current site (1966-present) Rokeby School, current site.jpg
Rokeby, Kingston: the school's current site (1966–present)

In 1965 the then owner of the school stated his intent to close it, and a group of parents decided that it should be rescued. Rokeby Educational Trust Limited, a charity, was set up in 1966 to establish a successor school on its current site in George Road Kingston. [2] The George Road building (formerly known as "Coombe Croft") was one of a number of houses on George Road that had been owned by the Galsworthy family (whose members included John Galsworthy, author of The Forsyte Saga ). Although by this date it was no longer residential, the buildings were still largely laid out as a country house. Over the years, significant investments have been made. First, there was major conversion work in the main house, then the building of the hall and science block, and a kitchen. The 1990s saw the rebuilding of the pre-prep accommodation, followed by the art wing and improved music facilities at the beginning of this decade. There has also been a significant refurbishment of the library, dining room and office accommodation, and a major investment in enhancing IT capabilities in recent years. [3] The new Lower School Building comprising 6 classrooms, a performing arts hall and outdoor play space for the junior boys was officially opened by HRH Princess Alexandra on 16 October 2013.

For many years, the school made use of external sports facilities that were hired from year to year. After nearly 10 years of searching, the school bought its own sports fields in Worcester Park in 2003, some 10 minutes from the school, where a new pavilion was built. The motto of the school is "Smart, Skilful and Kind", which was coined by headmaster Jason Peck when he took over in 2007. Peck had been deputy headmaster to Michael Siegel, who authored a textbook, Latin: A Fresh Approach. There are four houses to which students belong: Bazelgette, Galsworthy, Moody and Olive. [3]

A book by Peter Wicker, headmaster 1968–85, charting the history of the school's first 125 years (1877–2002), was published in late 2009: Rokeby: the first 125 years.

Fees

School fees per term for the 2021/22 Academic Year are as follows: [4]

Headmasters of Rokeby

Associated with Rokeby

Governors of Rokeby

Notable Old Rokebeians

Military

Science and Academia

Law

Politics/Government

Education

Literature

Theology

Performing arts/media

Art

Music

Sport

Medicine

Archaeology

City of London

Cultural references

The school at Wimbledon was captured in a drawing named "White Lilies" by the artist Alfred Parsons [12]

Hugo Cole's children's opera The Asses' Ears, was written for the school in 1950. [13]

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References

  1. ↑ "Latin quotes & mottos with translations". Inrebus.com. 23 October 2007. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  2. ↑ "Rokeby Independent Preparatory School for Boys, Kingston-upon-thames - Home". Rokebyschool.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Rokeby Independent Preparatory School for Boys, Kingston-upon-thames - Home". Rokebyschool.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  4. ↑ "School Fees". Rokeby School. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  5. ↑ "Old Master Moody meets former pupils". Educationtrust-oeclub.org. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  6. ↑ Mike Seigel. "Latin: A Fresh Approach Book 2". Anthem Press. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  7. ↑ "Rokeby Independent Preparatory School for Boys, Kingston-upon-thames - ROBC History". Rokebyschool.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  8. ↑ Robert Graves (28 September 2000). Goodbye to All That. ISBN   9780141184593 . Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  9. ↑ "AI Author Biographies - Gavin Ashenden". 5 February 2016.
  10. ↑ Cliff Goodwin (30 June 2011). Evil Spirits: The Life of Oliver Reed. p. 1. ISBN   9780753546185 . Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  11. ↑ "RFU". www.englandrugby.com. Archived from the original on 3 May 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  12. ↑ "Landscape-Painter as Landscape-Gardener : The Case of Alfred Parsons R.A." (PDF). Etheses.whiterose.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  13. ↑ Hugo Cole obituary, The Times, 7 March 1995, p. 19

Further reading

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