Welcome

History of the School

The origins of the St. Olave’s and St. Saviour’s Grammar School Foundation go back over four hundred years to a time when the voluntary efforts of the people of Southwark made possible the financing of several educational institutions for the benefit of the ‘children and younglings’ of the parish, of which the two best known were St. Saviour’s Grammar School, granted a Charter by Queen Elizabeth in 1562 and St. Olave’s Grammar School, which received its charter nine years later. These two institutions amalgamated just over a century ago and before the move to Orpington in 1967, the school occupied various sites in Southwark, most recently by Tower Bridge. The present fine buildings, surrounded by over twenty acres of tree-lined playing fields, are most attractively set on the edge of the Kent countryside. In recent years £5 million has been invested in extensive building and refurbishment including a new Science Block, Sports Pavilion, Music and Sixth Form Centres and Specialist Status IT accommodation. Yet Charing Cross and the West End are little more than twenty minutes away by fast and frequent service from Orpington Station, and the Kent and Sussex coasts are easily reached by road or rail; the M25 junction 4 lies within two miles. The School’s reputation stands high and every year the one hundred and sixteen available places are heavily over-subscribed. The School increased to four forms of entry in September 1997 and from September 1998 girls were admitted to the Sixth Form as part of a growing number of pupils who join St. Olave’s post GCSE.

St. Olave’s is an affiliated School in the Woodard Corporation, an Anglican foundation which comprises a variety of independent and maintained schools. The focal point of the School’s religious life is the Chapel, which has an important bearing on the general ethos of the School and its Christian character; a confirmation service takes place each year, and there is a weekly celebration of Holy Communion on Wednesday mornings at which attendance is voluntary. An annual Commemoration Service of Founders and Benefactors takes place in Southwark Cathedral. The treble choristers of the Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy are drawn exclusively from St. Olave’s, and appear on occasion before Her Majesty the Queen and other members of the Royal family. The School Foundation continues to support the school financially in a variety of ways which enhance the quality of life at St. Olave’s.  The Foundation is a beneficiary of The Dulwich Estate, formerly "Alleyn's College of God's Gift".