| Motto | "Honore et labore." [1] |
|---|---|
| Established | 1677 [1] |
| Type | Secondary |
| Headteacher | Des Malone |
| Founder | John Roan |
| Location | Maze Hill Greenwich Greater London SE3 7UD England |
| Local authority | Greenwich |
| DfE number | ???/4508 |
| DfE URN | 100192 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Students | 1147 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Former name | John Roan Boys' Grammar School |
| Website | The John Roan School |
The John Roan School is a secondary comprehensive school[2] in Greenwich, South London that was a member of The Beacon Schools program.
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Situated in London Borough of Greenwich directly east of the world-famous Greenwich Park, where it has stood since 1928, having moved there from Victorian purpose-built premises in Eastney Street (now Feathers Place). The local council intended to relocate it to the Greenwich Peninsula, but found itself facing growing local opposition [3], resulting in the plans being scrapped.
The school is currently split over two campuses—Maze Hill, where the 1920s neo-classical building (architects Percy Dannatt and Sir Banister Fletcher) stands, and Westcombe Park—named after the roads on which they lie. The Westcombe Park site will be rebuilt and the Maze Hill site given a major refurbishment and remodelling using the BSF funding that was originally granted when the school was due to move to East Greenwich. The former girls' school in Devonshire Drive, Greenwich, is now flats but retains most of its original 1878 design.
The current school was originally two grammar schools. The boys' school was founded in 1677 and the girls' school in 1877 through a charitable endowment by John Roan, Yeoman of Harriers to King Charles I, who left a substantial amount in his Will "to bring up so many poor town-born children of Greenwich at school, that is to reading, writing, and cyphering, and each of them forty shillings per annum towards their clothing until each of them shall accomplish the age of fifteen years. The said poor children shall wear on their upper garment the cognisance or crest of me, John Roan." The stag's head badge - derived from John Roan's personal coat-of-arms - has been worn by Roan school children ever since. The first chairman of the governors of the school was Dr Thomas Plume the vicar of Greenwich. For much of the 18th century, the school was in the charge of the Herringham family who provided four successive head masters from 1702 to 1785. The first Head Master of the boys' school from 1877, when it opened in Eastney Street, was Mr C.M.Ridger who held the post for thirty-three years. He was succeeded by Mr T.R.N.Crofts (1911-1919), Mr A.H.Hope (1919-1930), Mr W.J.Potter (1931-1938), Mr H.W.Gilbert (1938-1958)and Mr W.L.Garstang (1959-1974) all of whom made significant contributions to the Roan's reputation as one of south London's top grammar schools. The Hope Memorial Camp at Braithwaite, nr Keswick, Cumbria was established in Mr Hope's memory shortly after his death in 1930. The first Head Mistress of the Roan Girls' School was Miss M.M.Blackmore (until 1895) followed by Miss M.S.Walker (1895-1919), Miss M.K.Higgs (1919-1944), Miss M.E.Barnsdale (1944-1962), Miss M.S.Chamberlain (1962-1968) and Mrs M.J.Barber (1968-1980).
It became a comprehensive in 1983, when Roan Grammar School for Boys and Roan School for Girls merged with Charlton Boys School. Since then the school has considered moving to a site at Greenwich perninsula, however, this idea was put down by stiff critisism by parents and local residents. Who argued that the current sites were good, but the money going to be spent on this project should instead be used to refurbish the current sites. Also, the new site would be right next to a old gas cylinder, which would need to be de-constructed (for safety reasons) costing millions of pounds. Another critisism was that the proposed site would be situated next to the A2, were it goes through the blackwall tunnel; a very dangerous and traffic full area. Therefore, this proposition was soon scrapped. In its place and still being planned is the possible re-furbishment of the Maze Hill site and an entire re-build of the Westcombe Park site, into a 3 story building, with much better educational facilities.
The school's motto is "honore et labore" which is Latin for "with honour and hard work".