The Old Ride School
Encyclopedia
The Old Ride School was an independent school, at Little Horwood
, Buckinghamshire
, later at Bradford on Avon
, Wiltshire
.
, Buckinghamshire
, lying between Buckingham
and what is now Milton Keynes
.
In 1959, the school's buildings at Horwood House
, Little Horwood
, were sold to British Railways, and the school merged with Kingwell Court Preparatory School
, a separate boys' school, joining it at Kingwell Court on the northern outskirts of Bradford on Avon
. This is a substantial seventeenth century country house
which is now called Frankleigh House. However, the merged school retained the name of The Old Ride. Initially, the Old Ride schoolboys wore their red school caps while the Kingwell Court boys kept their purple caps.
The Rev. Toby Flynn was succeeded as head master by his son, Mark Flynn, and remarkably the school had only three head masters between 1885 and 1962.
Girls were first admitted to the school in 1982. In the late 1980s, the school began to specialize in disadvantaged and problem children.
Pupils worked on a 'plus and minus' system for good and bad behaviour, both academically and personally. Those receiving one hundred "pluses" would go on the Plus Outing with the headmaster and his wife. Children were required to carry a comb and handkerchief with them at all times.
The school closed in 1990 when attendance figures dropped dramatically, following adverse inspection reports.
In 2002, a former science teacher, Peter Hamilton-Leggett, was charged with having molested several students in the 1970s and 1980s.
school, The Orchard School, occupied part of the Old Ride's premises until it was forced to relocate to Holt
due to financial difficulties. The buildings were left in disrepair until a group of families bought them in 1995 and have since been divided into ten individually-owned apartments.
Little Horwood
Little Horwood is a village and civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. The village is about four miles ESE of Buckingham and two miles north east of Winslow....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, later at Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon is a town in west Wiltshire, England with a population of about 9,326. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurants make it popular with tourists....
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
.
History
The school was founded in 1885 by its first headmaster, the Reverend Toby Flynn, at Little HorwoodLittle Horwood
Little Horwood is a village and civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. The village is about four miles ESE of Buckingham and two miles north east of Winslow....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, lying between Buckingham
Buckingham
Buckingham is a town situated in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. The town has a population of 11,572 ,...
and what is now Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
.
In 1959, the school's buildings at Horwood House
Horwood House
Horwood House lies south east of the village of Little Horwood in Buckinghamshire. This mansion is a comparatively modern house, built in 1911, the date being embossed into the gutter hopper-heads...
, Little Horwood
Little Horwood
Little Horwood is a village and civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. The village is about four miles ESE of Buckingham and two miles north east of Winslow....
, were sold to British Railways, and the school merged with Kingwell Court Preparatory School
Kingwell Court Preparatory School
Kingwell Court Preparatory School was a British boarding school for boys.The school was located in a remodelled Tudor home near Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire and prepared boys for the Common Entrance Exam to enter a British Public School. It was founded by two head masters, Messrs K.V. Beech and W....
, a separate boys' school, joining it at Kingwell Court on the northern outskirts of Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon is a town in west Wiltshire, England with a population of about 9,326. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurants make it popular with tourists....
. This is a substantial seventeenth century country house
English country house
The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...
which is now called Frankleigh House. However, the merged school retained the name of The Old Ride. Initially, the Old Ride schoolboys wore their red school caps while the Kingwell Court boys kept their purple caps.
The Rev. Toby Flynn was succeeded as head master by his son, Mark Flynn, and remarkably the school had only three head masters between 1885 and 1962.
Girls were first admitted to the school in 1982. In the late 1980s, the school began to specialize in disadvantaged and problem children.
Pupils worked on a 'plus and minus' system for good and bad behaviour, both academically and personally. Those receiving one hundred "pluses" would go on the Plus Outing with the headmaster and his wife. Children were required to carry a comb and handkerchief with them at all times.
The school closed in 1990 when attendance figures dropped dramatically, following adverse inspection reports.
In 2002, a former science teacher, Peter Hamilton-Leggett, was charged with having molested several students in the 1970s and 1980s.
Later uses
A Rudolf SteinerRudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher...
school, The Orchard School, occupied part of the Old Ride's premises until it was forced to relocate to Holt
Holt, Wiltshire
Holt is a village and civil parish northeast of Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire, England.The village was served by Holt Junction railway station of GWR Devizes Branch Line, until its closure in 1966.-Parish church:...
due to financial difficulties. The buildings were left in disrepair until a group of families bought them in 1995 and have since been divided into ten individually-owned apartments.