St John's School, Leatherhead

St. John's School, Leatherhead is a public school in Surrey, England. It has about 420 male pupils and 60 female pupils. Originally formed for the sons of the Clergy in the 1850s, it has relocated from St. John's Wood, London to its current residence in Leatherhead. Founded in 1851, originally as a boarding school for the sons of Clergy, it moved to its present site in 1872. On the edge of Leatherhead, it comprises 50 acres of grounds dominated by the late-Victorian Gothic buildings. There have been many modern additions providing excellent facilities and accommodation, most recently a sixth form girls' house and a performing arts centre. Although the school looks for all-rounders, the aim is for academic excellence and examination results are good. It is a Church of England foundation with a lively chapel life that supports the strong pastoral framework of the house system; attendance at worship is both compulsory and encouraged. The music, drama and art departments are very active and many pupils are involved in theatrical presentations each year. The school has a long-standing reputation for achievement in games and sports, and games are held 5 days a week. There is substantial commitment to local community schemes and an outstanding record in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and CCF.

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A view of the St John's Quad

History

St John's School was founded in 1851. Its founder was a clergyman, Ashby Haslewood, who was vicar of St Mark's, Hamilton Terrace in St John's Wood, north London. He had a dual purpose in founding the school - to offer free education for the sons of poor clergymen and to provide a choir for his large church.

The school was a success but the dual purpose imposed restrictions. So in 1854 the school moved outside the parish boundaries of St Mark's into neighbouring Kilburn. This was the first of three moves before the school moved to Leatherhead in 1872.

Despite much progress, it remained essentially a charity school until the significant headmastership of Arthur Rutty (HM 1883 - 1909) when the school developed all the characteristics of a public school.

The school began to attract fee-paying parents while remaining loyal to the sons of poor clergymen. The school expanded throughout the twentieth century despite the problems faced by all public schools due to the Depression. After the Second World War, St John's was fortunate to attract the interest of Bernard Law Montgomery, Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, himself the son of a clergyman, who was chairman of the governing body from 1951 to 1966. Monty's contribution to the development of the school was enormous - he promoted it, raised money for it and gave generously of his own time and wealth.

Since the 1970s St John's, while maintaining a substantial boarding community, has taken in an increasing number of day pupils and in 1989 the first Sixth Form girls entered the school.

Distinguished old boys of the school include the eminent contemporary architect Lord Rogers and the legendary dance band leader, Victor Sylvester. It is currently a community of 450 pupils. It continues to remain loyal to the principles of its foundation and offers subsidised education to the sons and daughters of clergymen. The school is well known for its impressive architecture (including several listed buildings), intimate atmosphere and strong public school ethos, it is also one of the few remaining schools to operate a 6-day week.

House system

St John's is divided into 7 Houses each with its own characteristics and Housemaster, four of these contain a mixture of both day and boarding pupils whilst three are purely for day boys. The Houses all center around the main Quad on the Cloisters which hosts a war memorial to commemorate both the First and Second World Wars. Houses are known for their strong individual characteristics and competitiveness in sport, music and drama.

• Surrey
• Montgomery House (Monty)
• North
• East
• West
• South
• Churchill House

South - recently renamed from Hallaton - is the girls' house and comprises two buildings. Hallaton is for the L6th boarders and day girls, while a new building (completed in 2005) called Fairfield is used by the U6th - be they day or boarding pupils - and full time boarders of either year.

Sports and ECA

The three main sports of the school are rugby, football and cricket, while it also competes strongly in tennis, squash, badminton, hockey, swimming and athletics. There is strong rivalry with local schools such as Epsom College, Charterhouse and Cranleigh, matches are played every Saturday after academic school. The main school pitches are located adjacent to the estate in the heart of Surrey. St John's has a keen competitive edge to its play and the annual House Games are often very heated. Its is also one of only a handful of schools to have a Fives court.

St John's also is a strong participant in the CCF (compulsory for four terms) and the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. Drama and Music are highly regarded with a new multi-million pound Performing Arts Center constructed in 2003. The School has provided a setting for a number of television programmes including the Inspector Lynley Mysteries.

Notable Old Johnians

• Sir Paul Bryan DSO MC
• Bill Dare
• Peter Drury
• David Hatch
• Francis Rossi
• Gavin Hewitt
• Sir Anthony Hope
• Humfrey Malins CBE MP
• Guy Michelmore
• Lord Richard Rogers
• Victor Silvester OBE
• Simon Thomas (television presenter)
• Sir Leonard Woolley
• Father Vivian Redlich, a missionary in Papua New Guinea when the Japanese invaded in 1942. The decision to remain at his post led to his beheading in August that year. The Chapel is dedicated to the martyr who attended St John's from 1916 to 1917. The island's Martyr's Memorial School was founded in 1948 as a memorial. In a new development on September 2, 2006, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that it is now believed that Vivian, instead of dying at the hands of the Japanese, may have been murdered by the tribal people he had sought refuge with.[1]

Southern Railway School's Class

The School lent its name to the fortieth example of the Southern Railway's V Class steam locomotive, no. 939. This class represented the ultimate development of the British 4-4-0 type: 40 were built. This Class was known widely as the Schools Class because all 40 of the class were named after prominent English public schools. 'Leatherhead', as no. 939 was called, was built in 1934. The locomotive bearing the School's name was withdrawn in the early 1960s. A nameplate survives in the reception at the school, along with a small model of the engine.

External links

• Official website