| The Lawrence School, Sanawar | |
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| School motto
Never Give In
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| Location | |
| Kasauli Hills, Himachal Pradesh India |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public school |
| Established | 15 April 1847 |
| School district | Solan |
| Staff | 70 |
| Grades | Lower Three - Upper Six |
| Number of students | 700 |
| Colour(s) | Red and White |
| Affiliation | All India CBSE |
| Founder | Henry Montgomery Lawrence |
| Houses | Himalaya, Nilagiri, Siwalik, Vindhya |
| Headmaster | Praveen Vashisht |
| Website | http://www.sanawar.edu.in |
The Lawrence School is situated in Sanawar, adjacent to Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh, India. It was founded by Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence of the Indian Army of British India and was established on 15 April 1847.
The school has educated many notable people. It is a co-educational, residential public school, affiliated to India's Central Board of Secondary Education.
The government of India recognised the school with the issue of a commemorative stamp and first-day cover on October 3, 1997, marking the school's sesquicentennial year.
Henry Lawrence wanted to establish a chain of schools to educate the children of soldiers serving the British and Indian Armies in India. Lawrence was himself killed in the Indian rebellion of 1857. His dream took shape, and four such schools, initially known as Lawrence Military Asylum, were established in India: the first two during his lifetime in 1847 at Sanawar and the second at Mount Abu in 1856; the third at Lovedale, near Ootacamund on 6 September 1858, and the fourth in Ghora Gali (near Murree, now in Pakistan) in 1860.
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Founded by Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence and Lady Honoria Lawrence, Sanawar is believed to be the first co-educational boarding school in the world. On 15 April 1847, a group of 14 boys and girls camped at the top of the foothills of the Himalayas. They lived under canvas for some weeks, waiting for the first buildings to be completed before the arrival of the monsoon. By 1853, the school had grown to 195 pupils when it was presented with the King's Colour, one of only six schools and colleges ever to be so honoured in the British Empire (the others being Eton, Shrewsbury, Cheltenham, the Duke of York's Royal Military School and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst). Sanawar has held its Colour for the longest unbroken period.
From its foundation, the financial burden of the school was borne by Lawrence until his death in 1857, when the government assumed responsibility as a mark of esteem to his memory. Under these arrangements, control of the school passed from the Board of Directors to the Crown. This was a most unusual arrangement, not repeated in any English public school.
The tradition of military training at Sanawar has always been strong and was of such a high standard that several contingents of boys were enlisted from the school and sent straight to the battlefields of the First World War. In appreciation of this, the school was redesignated in 1920 as the "Lawrence Royal Military School" and, in 1922, the Prince of Wales presented the school with new Colours. The school Colour continues to this day to be trooped at the Founders' Celebration in early October, and Sanawar pupils continue to make a major contribution to the defence of the country.
Sanawar's centenary year (1947) was crucial to the development of the school. With Indian independence, the bulk of the staff and children at Sanawar returned to Britain. However, the then-Governor General, Lord Louis Mountbatten, presided at the centenary celebrations and read out a message from King George VI. Thereafter, control of the school passed from the Crown to the Government of India's Ministry of Defence. A further transfer in 1949 brought the school under the control of the Ministry of Education and subsequently, in 1953, to the autonomous Lawrence School (Sanawar) Society.
Sanawar retains strong links with its past. The chairman of the Society is the Secretary for Education, Government of India and, at the sesquicentennial celebrations in 1997, a message of congratulations was received from the Prince of Wales.
The first principal of the school was the Rev. W. J. Parker, (1848–1863). Notable events during his period include the first Founder's Day in 1849 and the opening of the chapel in 1851. Parker was followed by the Rev. J. Cole (1864–1886), the Rev. A. Hilldersley (1886–1912) and the Rev. G. D. Barne (1912–1932) who developed Sanawar into a major public school along English lines, with house and prefectorial systems, games on an organised basis, and a curriculum working towards Cambridge University examinations.
The school continued to evolve and modernise throughout the middle and later years of the twentieth century. In 1956, E. G. Carter retired as principal and was succeeded by Major R. Som Dutt (1956–1970), the school's first Indian headmaster. He laid the foundations for the school as it is today. Developments have continued since that time, most notably under the leadership of S. R. Das (1974–1988).
Sanawar is situated on an independent hill spread over 139 acres (0.56 km2), about 3 kilometres from Kasauli City. The Birdwood School, a British-era building that houses the classrooms, covers an approximate area of 1-acre (4,000 m2), with no discrimination over space allocation between boys and girls. Situated on the first floor of the Birdwood School is the Barne Hall, an auditorium with two levels of seating facing a raised stage, on which the house shows, debates, quizzes and cultural performances are enacted. Extracurricular subjects such as art and sculpture are taught in spacious workshops, a little removed from the Birdwood School...
There are 75 members on the teaching faculty and at the +2 level the subjects offered include Hindi, English Literature, Computers, Mathematics, Business Studies , Accountancy, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Psychology, Political Science, History, Geography, Economics, Art, Physical Education and Sculpture.
The ratio of 75 faculty members to about 670 students is far above the average[1] in India. The normal student strength per classroom varies from 10 to 25.
The school is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi.
There is a growing emphasis on the audio-visual aids in education at Sanawar.
A monthly assessment, in which each student is discussed individually, forms a unique feature of the assessment system at Sanawar. Very bright students are encouraged with monthly awards of Distinction and Commendation and the privilege of signing the Honours Book once a year. Weak students are placed on the house masters/headmasters list and are helped to do remedial work in their weak subjects. A copy of the assessment card is sent to the parents. At the end of each term a statement of marks and comments by the subject teachers are also sent to the parents.
The school has an up-to-date library with a substantial collection of books and periodicals on a wide variety, accumulated over the years.
See List of Old Sanawarians and Category:Old Sanawarians
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