St. Andrew's School, established in 1863 is a public school for boys located in Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa.
The years of study are from pre-primary to grade 12. Boarders are accommodated in four boarding hostels: Dunn House for junior boarders, Storey House for junior secondary boarders, and Twells and Chandler Houses for senior boarders.
Day students are associated with Carey (grades 1 to 6) and Webb (grades
7 to 12) Houses.
Its sister school is St. Michael's School, a girls' school which is located nearby in Bloemfontein.
The school is the second oldest in Bloemfontein, behind Grey College and is amongst the oldest in the country.
History
St. Andrew's was founded on 16 November 1863 by Bishop Edward Twells as the Diocesan Grammar School, and was located in a building now known as the Old Raadsaal in St George's Street, Bloemfontein. The first headmaster was George Clegg.
In 1874 the school was renamed St. Andrew's School when it moved to new buildings on the corner of St George's Street and Church Street. The headmaster at this time was the Reverend Douglas McKenzie. The foundation stone of the first St Andrew's is preserved alongside the current chapel.
In March 1899 new buildings were built for the school; these were however only occupied for a few months before being requisitioned by the British Army during the South African War and the school closed.
At the conclusion of hostilities in 1902, the facilities were appropriated for use by the new Oranje Meisiesskool/Orange Girls School, which still occupies the premises.
Bishop Arthur Chandler worked for a number of years to reinstate the school, and the school reopened in January 1916 on its present site on General Dan Pienaar Drive. Canon E. Ford served as headmaster until the end of 1916.
Francis Storey served as headmaster from 1917 until 1946.
Headmasters
Headmasters from 1863-1899
1863 - 1868, Mr George Clegg
1869 - 1871, The Rev. Charles Clulee
1872, Mr E.W. Stenson
1872 - 1873, The Rev. John Widdicombe
1873 - 1879, The Rev. Douglas McKenzie
1880 - 1883, The Rev. Arthur Borton
1884 - 1885, The Rev. Hon. Albert Lyttelton
1885 - 1886, The Rev. Charles Scratchely
1886 - 1887, The Rev. Barron Moore
1888 - 1894, The Rev. John Bell
1895 - 1899, The Rev. Horace Orford
Headmasters in the modern era (1916 to current) 1916, Canon E. Ford 1917 - 1946, Mr F. W. "Oubaas" Storey 1947 - 1957, Mr E. L. Harrison 1957 - 1967, Mr N. C. H. "Jumbo" Ferrandi 1968 - 1974, Mr B. Thiel 1974 - 1984, Mr W. I. O. Patterson 1985 - 2006, Mr R. A. "Flash" Gordon 2006 - 2007, (Acting) Mr J. E. Bridger (Old Andrean) 2007 - 2020, Mr C. Thomas (Old Andrean) 2021 - 2021, (Acting) Mr A. Forster 2021 (August) -, Mr R. H. Rudd
Governance and ethos
St. Andrew's was originally a private school controlled by a board of governors chaired by the Anglican Bishop of Bloemfontein. In 1976, the school was sold to the Orange Free State Provincial Administration (PAO), on condition that it could retain its Anglican character. It is now deemed by the Free State Department of Education to be an Independent school and is registered with the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa.
The Bishop of Bloemfontein maintains a seat on the School Governing Body to this day.
The school maintains links with a number of independent schools in South Africa, participating in the annual Independent Schools Rugby and Cricket festivals and has derby day fixtures with St John's College, St David's Marist, Inanda and St Alban's College.
Construction in the 1980s
A cornerstone of the negotiations resulting in the sale of the school to the PAO was that the PAO would institute a significant capital works program at the school, in respect of upgrading and expansion of existing buildings, and the construction of new boarding hostels.
The project commenced in 1985 with the demolition of the sanatorium, adjacent to the then Storey House. The new (current) Chandler/Twells block was built on this site.
Simultaneously, upgrading and refurbishment of the Ferrandi Block (senior school buildings) and Dunn House (integrated junior school and junior boarding facilities) was undertaken.