News

Centenary Celebrations

Update 20 March 2020

Following the current Government advice concerning events and large gatherings, we will unfortunately be postponing the planned celebrations for our Centenary on  Wednesday 10 June 2020.  We will provide updates on our website as soon as a new date has been confirmed.

Throughout the last 100 years John Ruskin schools and colleges have offered a quality education, leading to a wide variety of career opportunities for the young people of Croydon.

John Ruskin Central School opened with 200 boys on January 12, 1920.  In 1945 it became the John Ruskin Boys’ Grammar School, and in 1971 a mixed comprehensive 14-18 High School, renamed as John Ruskin High School.

In 1989 the school changed again, to a sixth form college under schools’ regulations, and following the 1993 Education Act came under further education – tertiary – regulations.

In February 2019, John Ruskin College, Croydon, currently specialising in Vocational Education merged with East Surrey College, in Redhill; both colleges retain their names and locations as part of Orbital South Colleges, which also includes Reigate School of Art. Kevin Standish is the current Principal of John Ruskin College.

Celebrations to mark this centenary will be taking place on Wednesday 10 June 2020. There will be a reunion and lunch for the Golden Alumni, those who joined before 1971 and their partners. 

Details of the day:

10:45 - Welcome followed by tours of the college given by current students.

13:00 - Lunch followed by a performance by the Golden Alumnus rock band ‘Alumnirock’, videos and presentations.

16:00-20:00 - The celebrations will expand to include all other alumni and staff who worked and studied here, as well as other invited guests.

Will Golden Alumni who may wish to attend this part of the celebration please e-mail sally.obertell@johnruskin.ac.uk as soon as possible. This will help Ian Macdonald JRGS (1958-65) and Richard “Tom” Thomas, JRGS (1957-64) in their detailed planning of this part of the event. They will call for formal registration for the Reunion and pre-payment for the lunch later.

If you would like to attend only the afternoon part of the celebrations, please email sally.obertell@johnruskin.ac.uk by the end of March.