{"id":448,"date":"2026-02-18T13:16:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T13:16:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rondebosch.com\/prep\/?page_id=448"},"modified":"2026-06-07T13:05:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T13:05:14","slug":"our-history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/rondebosch.com\/prep\/our-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Our History"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"et_pb_section_0 et_pb_section et_section_regular et_block_section\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_row_0 et_pb_row et_block_row\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_column_0 et_pb_column et_pb_column_4_4 et-last-child et_block_column et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough\">\n<div class=\"revslider_module_0 revslider_module et_pb_module\"><div class=\"revslider\">\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"rs-p-wp-fix\"><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<sr7-module data-alias=\"history\" data-id=\"15\" id=\"SR7_15_1\" data-version=\"7.0.15\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<sr7-adjuster><\/sr7-adjuster>\n\t\t\t\t\t<sr7-content>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<sr7-slide id=\"SR7_15_1-69\" data-key=\"69\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<sr7-bg id=\"SR7_15_1-69-1\" class=\"sr7-layer\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rondebosch.com\/prep\/\/srv\/htdocs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/revslider\/history\/history1.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"history1.jpg\"><\/noscript><\/sr7-bg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/sr7-slide>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<sr7-slide id=\"SR7_15_1-70\" data-key=\"70\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<sr7-bg id=\"SR7_15_1-70-1\" class=\"sr7-layer\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rondebosch.com\/prep\/\/srv\/htdocs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/revslider\/history\/history2.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"history2.jpg\"><\/noscript><\/sr7-bg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/sr7-slide>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<sr7-slide id=\"SR7_15_1-71\" data-key=\"71\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<sr7-txt id=\"SR7_15_1-71-0\" class=\"sr7-layer\"><div class=\"slider\"><span class=\"up\">Our roots spread wider <\/span><br><span class=\"low\">so that our branches can grow higher<\/span><\/div><\/sr7-txt>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/sr7-slide>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/sr7-content>\n\t\t\t\t\t<image_lists style=\"display:none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img data-src=\"\/\/rondebosch.com\/prep\/\/srv\/htdocs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/revslider\/history\/history1.jpg\" data-libid=\"475\" title=\"history1.jpg\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" data-dbsrc=\"Ly9yb25kZWJvc2NoLmNvbS9wcmVwLy9zcnYvaHRkb2NzL3dwLWNvbnRlbnQvdXBsb2Fkcy9zaXRlcy8zL3JldnNsaWRlci9oaXN0b3J5L2hpc3RvcnkxLmpwZw==\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img data-src=\"\/\/rondebosch.com\/prep\/\/srv\/htdocs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/revslider\/history\/history2.jpg\" data-libid=\"476\" title=\"history2.jpg\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" data-dbsrc=\"Ly9yb25kZWJvc2NoLmNvbS9wcmVwLy9zcnYvaHRkb2NzL3dwLWNvbnRlbnQvdXBsb2Fkcy9zaXRlcy8zL3JldnNsaWRlci9oaXN0b3J5L2hpc3RvcnkyLmpwZw==\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/image_lists>\n\t\t\t\t<\/sr7-module>\n\t\t\t\t<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\n\t\t\t\t\twindow.SR7??={}; SR7.PMH ??={}; SR7.PMH[\"SR7_15_1\"] = {cn:100,state:false,fn: function() { if (window._tpt!==undefined && window._tpt.prepareModuleHeight !== undefined) {  _tpt.prepareModuleHeight({id:\"SR7_15_1\",el:[452,452,768,960,400],type:'standard',gh:[700,700,768,960,400],gw:[1920,1920,1024,778,480],vpt:['-200px'],size:{fullWidth:true, fullHeight:false},mh:'0',onh:0,onw:0,bg:{color:'{\"orig\":\"transparent\",\"type\":\"solid\",\"string\":\"transparent\"}'},plType:'0',plColor:'#FFFFFF'});   SR7.PMH[\"SR7_15_1\"].state=true;} else if(SR7.PMH[\"SR7_15_1\"].cn-->0)\tsetTimeout( SR7.PMH[\"SR7_15_1\"].fn,19);}};SR7.PMH[\"SR7_15_1\" ].fn();\n\t\t\t\t<\/script>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"et_pb_section_1 et_pb_section et_section_regular et_block_section\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_row_1 et_pb_row et_block_row\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_column_1 et_pb_column et_pb_column_4_4 et-last-child et_block_column et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_text_0 et_pb_text et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_module et_block_module\"><div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><h2>Our <span style=\"color: #cf9f51;\">History<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Rondebosch Boys\u2019 Preparatory School was originally known as Rondebosch High School for Junior Boys. It came into being in the latter part of the 19th<span>\u00a0<\/span>century following the initiative of the Dutch Reformed Church representative of the district, the Reverend Bernard Marchand.<\/p>\n<p>The first Headmaster, Robert Ramage (aged 38) took up this position on 1 February 1897. The school had just eight pupils from Standards 2 \u2013 7. Faced with a flush of applications from local residents, two further developments occurred: a junior department was opened and a one acre plot of ground, \u201cThe Firs\u201d, at the corner of Campground and Rouwkoop Roads was purchased for \u00a31,900!<\/p>\n<p>New school buildings were erected and teaching commenced there in September 1898.\u00a0 Two years later Mr Ramage bought a local property, which had been named Canigou Estate after an imposing monastery located high in the Pyrenees. This became a much needed school hostel.<\/p>\n<p>The school flourished and, by 1927, had an enrolment of 568 boys. The Preparatory School\u2019s first Headmaster, Mr William \u201cPapa\u201d Law (1930-1943) was a Yorkshireman who was previously Head of the large Tembuland Teachers\u2019 College where Nelson Mandela once studied.<\/p>\n<p>He was followed by Mr Roche Enslin (1943-1966) who had very definite ideas on education and who guided the school through its change of site in 1948. The next incumbent was Mr Ray Holmes (1967-1972), a quiet, sincere man who remained at the helm until his appointment to the inspectorate. He was succeeded by former staff member Mr Don Laidlaw (1972-1987), an ex-RAF pilot, whose innovations included a science room, a computer centre and a \u201cmagnet\u201d class for extending the brighter senior pupils.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Bruce Lane (1987-1997), the fifth Headmaster, proved to be a dynamic educator and administrator. He oversaw the major renovations which were completed in 1994. He served the school with distinction, especially during its hectic centenary year in 1997.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Tony Ryan, former Deputy of Rondebosch Boys\u2019 High (and Pretoria Boys\u2019 High) was the Headmaster from 1997-2018. Mr Ryan was a man of vision and integrity. He was responsible for establishing Little Bosch Grade R and fifteen other building projects, which put RBPS firmly in the limelight as a much sought-after learning institution. Mr Ryan was a man of great determination who established firm connections with the Rondebosch community and neighbouring schools.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Ian Ryan, former Principal of Sweet Valley Primary School for 11 and a half years, was appointed as the seventh Headmaster from January 2019.<\/p>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb_row vc_inner vc_row vc_row-fluid jupiter-donut-   attched-false   \">\n<div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-448","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - 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