Our History

Edward Alleyn founds the College of God’s Gift in 1619.

The Reading Schools opened in the Bricklayers Arms public house in Dulwich Village offering girls the opportunity to learn to read and sew.

The new schoolhouse for Dulwich Girls’ School (now Dulwich Hamlet Junior School) opens in Dulwich Village.

Dulwich Girls’ School is renamed James Allen’s Girls’ School.

James Allen’s Girl’s School moves to East Dulwich Grove with new Headmistress Miss Caroline Bettany.

Science Teacher Miss Lilian Clarke starts and establishes her Botany Gardens – the first such experiment by a school in this country.

Under the influence of Miss Clarke, JAGS opens the first purpose built school laboratory in the country.

Gustav Holst becomes Director of Music.

Winifred Knights attends JAGS – she goes onto study at the Slade School of Art and is awarded the Prix de Rome Scholarship.

The Admiralty positions a gun emplacement at the rear of the school site. Girls not only had to deal with the noise of the guns being fired but also with Zeppelin raids overhead.

A new extension housing a swimming pool was to be officially opened by Queen Mary but this was cancelled as the Second World War broke out.

Basement rooms in the new extension are converted into air-raid shelters.  JAGS remained open throughout the war including through the Battle of Britain. The school buildings were hit only once by an incendiary bomb which set light to the roof but caused no significant damage, unfortunately the library sustained considerable water damage from the extinguishing of the fire.

Harvest Camps were introduced. Parties of senior girls were sent to Wiltshire to help get the harvest in. As Anita Brookner, then in the Sixth Form, recalled “Although we went down to work, no one particularly wants to hear about it. I am happy to be able to observe that everything worked on a truly communistic basis.”

Opening of the new Lower School on Greendale.

Jonathan Miller opens the Prissian Theatre.

JAGS Sports Club opens.

JAGS Preparatory School opens at 2 Dulwich Village taking boys and girls until the age of 11 years.

Celebrating JAGS 250th anniversary a large new library and Careers Centre is opened by Princess Anne.

A new swimming pool, outdoor pitches, a new dining hall and teaching block all open.

JAGS Community Music Centre opens.

School goes online as the UK enters national lockdown.

With the lifting of lockdown restrictions, the school began returning to normal, with students once again enjoying residential and international trips.

Our iconic Holst Hall was transformed from a ‘transition space’ into a destination, complete with the popular elephant steps, sofas, and state-of-the-art maker spaces.

The Sunday Times named JAGS as London Independent Secondary School of the Year.