Grammar schools

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 coat-of-arms – has been worn by Roan schoolchildren 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 headmasters from 1702 to 1785. The first headmaster of the boys' school from 1877, when it opened in Eastney Street, was Mr C.M. Ridger who held the post for 33 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), Mr W.L. Garstang (1959–1974) and Dr A J Taylor (1974 to turning comprehensive) all of whom made significant contributions to the grammar school. The Hope Memorial Camp at Braithwaite, near Keswick, Cumbria was established in Mr Hope's memory shortly after he died in 1930. The first headmistress 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).^[2]

Comprehensive

It became a comprehensive in 1983, when Roan Grammar School for Boys and Roan School for Girls merged with Charlton Boys School.

Potential relocation

During the first decade of the 21st century, the local council proposed to relocate the school to the Greenwich Peninsula, but, facing growing local opposition, it eventually scrapped the plans. Critics among parents and local residents argued that the current sites were good, and that money should instead be invested to refurbish the current sites. The proposed site was also near to an old gasometer, which would need to be dismantled at considerable cost for safety reasons, and alongside the busy A102 Blackwall Tunnel southern approach road.

With relocation ruled out, the Westcombe Park buildings were demolished in the summer of 2012 prior to construction of replacement buildings (completed in 2014), and the Maze Hill site was refurbished and remodelled; both phases used funding originally granted when the school was due to move to the Peninsula.

Academisation

The John Roan School was inspected by Ofsted in March 2018; the resulting report, published on 8 June 2018, rated the school "Inadequate" and said it had "serious weaknesses".^[3] On 12 June 2018, the school was issued with an Academy Order.^[4] The following day, parents and staff received a letter from the University Schools Trust^[5] stating that the Regional Schools Commissioner had nominated UST to be the preferred sponsor.^[6] Some parents organised protests, seeking to get the Ofsted report withdrawn and to halt the academisation process.^[7] Teachers also organised a series of strikes (eight up to 7 November 2018) in protest at the academisation process; over 1,000 people signed a petition and 300 families raised concerns about UST finances and suitability with the school's chair of governors; but more than 100 signed a separate letter supporting the improvement plans and criticising the teachers' industrial action.^[8] On 14 November, a Greenwich Council decision about academisation of John Roan was deferred to a meeting in December 2018.^[9] On 30 August 2019, the academy plan was finally forced through, John Roan, the voluntary controlled school was closed and it was refactored as The John Roan School, a converter academy sponsored by the United Learning Trust.^[10]

Roan Boys' Grammar School

• Rt Rev Ralph Dean, Archbishop of Cariboo from 1971 to 1973 (Bishop from 1957)
• Harry Denford (born 1968), comedian, playwright and actor
• Sir Jack Drummond, biochemist who separated Vitamin A, and declared the chemicals that are now known as Vitamins A, B & C, and was murdered in France in 1952
• Norman Haggett (1926-2018), RAF officer, member of the RAF Falcons display team and first-class cricketer
• Peter Guy Ottewill, RAF pilot awarded George Medal for bravery
• Hugh Phillips, orthopaedic surgeon and President from 2004 to 2005 of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and of the British Orthopaedic Association from 1999 to 2000
• John Regis, athlete
• Rt Rev Gavin Hunter Reid, Bishop of Maidstone from 1992 to 2001
• Ian Rickson, artistic director, Royal Court Theatre, London 1998–2006. Inter alia directed Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem(2009)
• Steve Rider, TV sports presenter
• Dr Alfred Salter (1873–1945),^[12] Member of Parliament for Bermondsey West
• Arthur Smith, comedian
• Richard Smith CBE, Chief Executive from 2004 to 2009 of UnitedHealth Europe, Editor from 1991 to 2004 of the BMJ, and former TV doctor for BBC Breakfast from 1983 to 1987, and brother of Arthur Smith
• Prof Anthony Trewavas, Professor of Plant Biochemistry since 1990 at the University of Edinburgh
• Astronomer Ewen Adair Whitaker (1922-2016) was a scholarship student of the Roan Grammar School.
• Peter Whittle, (born 1961) British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster^[13]
• Alan Lee Williams OBE, Labour MP from 1966 to 1970 and 1974-9 for Hornchurch