Royal Preparatory School


Royal Preparatory School was a preparatory school in Colombo, Ceylon. Its grounds and buildings now form the primary school of the Royal College Colombo.

History

It was established in 1933 as a preparatory school to prepare students to the Royal College Colombo which was situated next to it. In 1944 it was evacuated to the Glendale Bungalow in Bandarawela, where it remained until 1948.
From 1966 to 1969, Royal Primary School Hall was built specially designed for local drama and music which required open air type auditorium in accordance to Natya Shastra. On 2 March 1972, Ceylon became a republic when the new Republican Constitution was passed by the Parliament that met at the Royal Primary School Hall.
The school was augmented with Royal College Colombo in December 1977, becoming the Primary School of Royal College Colombo which exists to this day. The school was a government administered school with its own head master; the post still exists today as the post of head master/mistress of the Primary School staffed by a Deputy Principal of Royal College Colombo.

Notable alumni

NameYear/degreeNotabilityReference
Prime Minister, member parliament - Colombo, Gampaha, Biyagama
Governor of Victoria
member parliament - Nuwara Eliya-Maskeliya
member parliament - Colombo, Maharagama
member parliament - Agalawatte
Chief Minister of Western Province, member parliament - Colombo
Head Department of Surgery University of Colombo
member parliament - Colombo
member parliament - Colombo
international test cricketer
member parliament - Colombo, Ratmalana

Other schools

In 1948, the Bandarawela Senior School was established in the premises used by the school in Bandarawela during World War II after it moved back to Colombo that year.
After the war then Minister of Education Major E. A. Nugawela open the Government Senior School in 1950 at Thurstan Road; which was created to "accommodate the overflow of students Royal Primary who could not gain admission to Royal College". 112 students who could not gain admission to Royal College Colombo along with 26 other students were enrolled at the new Senior Government School.
In 1952 Greenlands College at Greenlands Road was established with partial intake of students from Royal Preparatory School.