Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

This thought-provoking idea from ailurophile, AKAP's heartfelt defence of the spirit in which recent necessary changes to the school's approach to its 'mission' have been made, the concerns raised by parents in this thread about problems where the fee contributions they are asked to pay appear to ri...

I was wondering about the scholarships too. The school website says: Scholarships are awarded for academic excellence and ability in music, art, drama and sport. The awards are offered at 11+ (may be deferred to 13+ entry), 13+ and Sixth Form with a maximum value of 20%. Scholarships are awarded as ...

Funnily enough "I would sell my soul [to keep my child at his private school]" is a phrase which actually appears in this article from the on-line Daily Mail today. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2007568/Private-schools-More-families-pay-school-fees.html Not my normal reading, but...

Don't forget that most middle income parents do not enjoy a choice between CH and grammar schools, or the luxury of being able to shop around for the best bursary! For many bright children (including my own) CH has traditionally offered an educational lifeline where the only 'choice' otherwise avai...

I take it that the full school fees haven't gone up by 16%? Ah, yes, I suppose you're right there! This isn't actually a visible increase in the stated fees the school charges, which is what the swimming parents were discussing, it's a more or less invisible adjustment to how CH calculate the bursa...

16% seems a huge increase - I was ear-wigging on a group of very well-off parents the other day at a swimming club meet who were grumbling about fee increases at the various London schools their off-spring were at and the biggest increase they could come up with was 7% (mostly they were between 2% a...

I do think that we're in danger of getting too hung up on the whole re-mortgaging issue! Let's remember that Antinous's anecdote was about the approach adopted by another school; there is no evidence (yet!) that CH are going down this route. Yes, exactly so and I did actually say I was pretty sure ...

What a change! I just dug out a copy of "School Life" magazine from Autumn 2008, which the school was handing out on one of the open days we went to. There is a lengthy article on CH which includes: "It is a matter of pride that fewer than 3% of the pupils pay full fees of £20,442 a ...

.... I never had to pay a deposit six years ago , for example . There's not just a deposit when you accept a place now either; before you even get to take the test I notice that there's a non-refundable 'registration fee' of £50, payable when you return your forms. £50!!!! Well that should certai...

I'm sure this isn't the case at CH, or hasn't been till now, but I do know from friends applying for bursaries at other independents this year that other schools expect you to use savings and release as much equity as you can (including downsizing housing if necessary) to pay fees before they will s...

I agree entirely, dinahcat- the school does communicate perfectly well on the whole, and on the few occasions that I've had a query a quick phone call to the school or a chat with another parent has easily solved it. I wasn't commenting on what the school actually does though - I was commenting on w...

I've always thought that the school is remarkably poor in its handling of its own forum and this one. We live in an age where the internet is seen as a natural first place to turn for information and most businesses (and a fee-paying school, however special, is a business) understand the need to 'co...

I am running the tests this Saturday for 39 prospective pupils. I am also the father of Great Plum. If anyone has doubts about the selection process or has any personal gripes over the process, then they are free to email me privately. I have no doubt that our processes are very fair. I have been i...

This thread just gets sadder, doesn't it? Who on earth is it at the school who is treating the feelings of children and their families in such a cavalier and heartless fashion? It surely can't be the staff, who have always seemed to me to demonstrate an excellent sensitivity and care - it must be th...

My son secured a Presentation at least years year 7 intake, but fell at the last hurdle to get a place (he went to pieces overnight and failed his English paper). I was contacted in Feb and duly completed the forms for a place in year 8 from the waiting list.... Only to receive a letter last week t...