General Information
The school is a beneficiary of the St Olave's and St Saviour's Schools Foundation, which in turn is a beneficiary of The Dulwich Estate, successor to the historic Alleyn's College charity. The school is also affiliated to the Woodard Foundation.
The school's headmaster is currently Aydin Önaç, newly appointed in September 2010. He is only the sixth headmaster of the school since 1896.
The school is heavily oversubscribed (more than 10 applicants per place in 2008). Entry is determined by competitive tests in English and Mathematics. Since 1998, the school has admitted girls to its sixth form. It is currently designated as a science, mathematics and computing specialist school. The school has also applied for academy status.
Members of the school are known as Olavians, and alumni as Old Olavians. There are four houses: Bingham, Cure, Harvard and Leeke. These exist for the purposes of the classes and house competitions in the Lower School (Year 7 to 9) and for games competition in Year 10.
St Olave's exclusively provides Choristers for the Choir of the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy, London, which is the Chapel of the Royal Victorian Order and of the Duchy of Lancaster.
The school was at the centre of controversy in 1996 when Labour Party Shadow Cabinet minister Harriet Harman sent her son to the school, despite it being some considerable distance from where she lived. Many considered her sending her son to a selective school to be contrary to Labour's supposedly egalitarian principles.
Its historic sister school is St Saviour's and St Olave's Church of England School in New Kent Road. Established in 1903, this is a non-selective girls' school in an economically deprived area that is very different in nature from its brother school. St Olave's now also has a strong relationship with Newstead Wood School for Girls, a selective girls' school situated about 1.5 miles away.
The school traditionally is very successful at chess, with many strong players who have represented their country in international tournaments, and are winners of the prestigious Millfield International Chess Tournament for the second year in a row.
There is a masonic lodge for Old Olavians and others associated with the school.
Read more about this topic: St Olave's Grammar School
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