S. Thomas' Preparatory School

History

The school was founded in 1938 by the late William Thomas Keble M. A. (Oxon), the school's first headmaster, whilst Sri Lanka was under British colonial rule. The school was the first preparatory school to be established in Sri Lanka based on the English primary School model. Keble was an eminent British scholar, author and educationalist, an alumnus of Keble College Oxford, which is named after his maternal great-uncle John Keble. He was the author of several books, including the Ceylon Beaten Track , a History of S. Thomas' College, and a novel on Sigiriya. He arrived in Ceylon (the name for Sri Lanka during the British colonial governance) in 1928 to join the staff of S. Thomas' College, Mt. Lavinia, during the tenure of warden Kenneth McPherson.

The institution, which commenced with a student population of 95 boys and a staff of seven teachers, currently has a student population in excess of 900 and over 80 staff members. Initially, the school only accepted students between the ages of 5 and 11, as its founding fathers sought to remedy a conceptual void in the educational system by placing a new emphasis on the requirements and aspirations of younger children to be educated and to be allowed to express their creative talents and faculties unfettered and unhampered by older and more mature students. Nevertheless, over the years the school began accepting and educating older students.

Administration

The school is governed by the Anglican Church of Ceylon. It is classified as a private fee levying school and is not at all financially dependent on the government. It is administered by a Board of Governors (established to the S. Thomas' College Board of Governors Ordinance No. 7 of 1930) of which the chairman is the Bishop of Colombo, thereby retaining the connected between the church and the school. The day-to-day activities are taken care by the headmaster. The school has a sectional heads for the Upper, Middle, and Lower schools.

The headmaster is Rev. Dushantha L. Rodrigo who was installed in January 2015.

School terms

The school year has three terms; each is named after a period within the church.

Demographics

The student population is in excess of 900 students, ages 5–16, although the roll has declined from its peak of around 1100 students in the year 2000. The students are from multiple ethnic backgrounds (Sinhala, Tamil and Moor). The four main faiths practiced by the students of the school, in descending order of frequency, are Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. The majority of students live in the suburbs of Colombo and are from relatively affluent backgrounds.

Subjects

S. Thomas' provides education in the Sinhala and Tamil languages as well as Bi-lingual education up to the G.C.E. (Ordinary Level) in conformity with the education policy of the state. The school teaches English as a second language; all administrative matters are conducted in English.

Facilities

The school comprises an assembly hall, over 50 class rooms, two chapels, faith rooms, two music rooms, three art rooms, two playing fields, 2 basketball courts and cafeteria. S. Thomas' further has separate laboratory facilities for science, electronics, and mechanical technology.

House system

Students are allocated into four houses: Abeynaike, Carpenter Garnier, De Saram and Keble. Abeynaike house is named after the first Headmaster of S. Thomas' Preparatory School, Norman Gray Abeynaike. Carpenter-Garnier is named after the sixth Bishop of Colombo, who was Lord Bishop in 1938 when S. Thomas' Preparatory School was founded. De Saram house is named after Canon R. S. De Saram who was Warden of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia when S. Thomas' Preparatory School was founded. Keble house is named after the Founder, William Thomas Keble. The houses compete against each other in many sports events throughout the year. An athletics championship held each February allows students in each of the houses to compete in athletic events.

Sports & extra-curricular activities

The school has a number of sports teams.

Sports offered by the school in addition to the curricular

Headmasters of S. Thomas' Preparatory School

1. Mr. W. T. Keble (1938–1942) (Founder)
2. Mr. N. G. Abeynaike (1943–1950) (First Headmaster)
3. Mr. J. T. R. Perinpanayagam (June 1951 - August 1966)
4. Mr. J. S. L. Fernando (September 1966 - 1994)
5. Mr. N. Y. Casie Chetty (1995 - December 2014)
6. Rev. Dushantha Rodrigo (January 2015-