Dragon School

It takes day pupils and boarders. Originally established for boys, the Dragon School also accepted a small number of day girls with a close connection to the school, first admitting girls as boarders in 1994. The school educates children aged 4 to 13 in two sites in North Oxford: Bardwell Road and Richards Lane. Boarding starts at 8, and there are 10 boarding houses, including one weekly-boarding house. Dragon Lane runs along the edge of the school immediately to the west.

• Name — Dragon School • Motto — Arduus ad Solem ("Reach for the Sun") • Type — Preparatory day and boarding school and Pre-Prep school • Religious Affiliation — Church of England • Head Label — Head • Head — Emma Goldsmith (Prep); Annie McNeile (Pre-Prep) • Founder — A. E. Clarke • Address — Bardwell Road • City — Oxford • County — Oxfordshire • Country — UK • Postal Code — OX2 6SS • Urn — 123288 • Enrollment — 800+ • Gender — Coeducational • Lower Age — 4 • Upper Age — 13 • Houses — 9 • Colours — Navy and yellow NavyYellow • Publication — The Draconian • Free Label1 — Former pupils • Free Text1 — Old Dragons

• Illustration — The Main Hall of Dragon School The school was founded by a committee of Oxford dons, among whom the most active was a Mr. George. In honour of Saint George, the group decided to call themselves Dragons. Teaching started in September 1877 at rooms in Balliol Hall, located in St Giles', Oxford, supervised by A. E. Clarke. The school expanded and moved within two years to 17 Crick Road, which became known as "School House". Charles Cotterill Lynam (known as the "Skipper") took over as headmaster in 1886. In 1894, Lynam took out a lease on land at the current site at Bardwell Road in central North Oxford, just to the west of the River Cherwell. £4,000 was raised through subscriptions from local parents for the erection of new school buildings and the move was completed within a year. The school was known as the Oxford Preparatory School and also Lynam's, but gradually its current name was adopted. The Dragon School became the second school to take part in the Harrow History Prize in 1895. Over the years, many of its pupils have won this prize, an early winner being Kit Lynam. The school was run for many years by the Lynam family. • Illustration — Dragon School playing fields off Bardwell Road The school has become notable for its large number of eminent alumni.

The following, including members of the Lynam family, have been Heads of the school: • A. E. Clarke 1877–1886 • C. C. Lynam ("Skipper") 1886–1920 • A. E. Lynam ("Hum") 1920–1942 • J. H. R. Lynam ("Joc") 1942–1965 • R. K. Ingram ("Inky") 1965–1989 • M. W. A. Gover ("Guv") 1972–1989 (head of day pupils, co-headmaster with "Inky") • N. P. V. Richardson 1989–1992 • H. E. P. Woodcock 1992–1993 • R. S. Trafford 1993–2002 • J. R. Baugh 2002–2017 • Crispin Hyde-Dunn 2017–2021 • Emma Goldsmith 2021–present Other notable teachers include PJ Wilson, Olympic hockey player

Former pupils of the Dragon School are referred to as Old Dragons, and include: