Many thanks for these contributions. We have issued the letter below for consideration also with the Amicables.
David Taplin
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To: Old Blue Associations
From: Executive, British Columbia Old Blues
Date: 21 January, 2016
Dear Old Blues,
Sui Generis: Preserving the Housey Ethos
We write to you with a sense of urgency inviting Old Blue Branches/Sections in the UK and world wide to engage in debate with the senior Christ’s Hospital administration regarding proposed and imminent changes to the School’s Governance Structure; changes already being introduced to the School’s Mission and Charitable Ethos; and the growth in the admission of Full Fee Paying (FFP) children.
We are aware that CHOBA as currently constituted has only a limited role within the structure of Christ's Hospital. However we believe that the voices of all Old Blues should be heard, particularly in regard to their ability to provide future funding to the School. Disillusioned Old Blues will hardly be an asset to fund-raising.
A number of Old Blues in Canada and the UK are currently discussing the future direction of our alma mater and its charitable mission. Housey, as we all know, is a School sui generis, grounded in its foundational and indeed charitable ethos of ‘educating poor and needy children’. It is a commitment which despite many challenges has stood the test of time for more than four and a half centuries.
A School Like No Other?
However in the light of pending changes to the School’s governance structure; concerns regarding the School’s current Mission Statement; and the increasing use of the admission of FFP children as a means to ensure the financial stability, we now fear that the ground on which Housey stands is in danger of shifting radically, to the long term detriment of Christ’s Hospital’s enduring mission through the education of poor and needy children, the erosion of income poverty and need, as the basic principles informing Housey admission policies.
We claim to be a ‘School Like No Other’. We are asking if that is still the case? Or will Christ’s Hospital in the not too distant future become much like other independent schools? Given the still high degree of income poverty and educational inequality in the UK is this a path we wish to follow?
Governance Structure
Are you aware that restructuring plans now before the Council of Almoners and the Board of School Governors are designed to create a Unitary Council by merging both the Council of Almoners and the Board of School Governors, with the Head reporting directly to the Treasurer (the Chair of the proposed Council)? It is not clear whether the Clerk of the Foundation would then report directly to the Head rather than the Treasurer.
Three distinguished former Treasurers of the School have significant reservations about this newly proposed ‘unitary’ governance model including the belief that the existing separation of powers ensures that Christ’s Hospital’s charitable ethos, fundraising and the Endowment should remain the separate responsibility of the Foundation.
Notably, the management of the historic Endowment has been the responsibility of the Clerk, plus the oversight of the achievement of the charitable objects of the Foundation. This is a significant job, requiring a different set of skills and experience and this needs to be undertaken with the long-term CH charitable objectives in mind. The Clerk’s title is "Clerk and Chief Executive of the Foundation", reporting directly to the Treasurer, Council of Almoners and to the Court of Governors. The Head and the Clerk have fundamentally different roles and there is sometimes an element of conflict. The Head does not necessarily think long-term, but rather is focused on more immediate educational success. It is the job of the Treasurer, supported by the Council to manage these inevitable tussles between Head and Clerk.
Mission and Charitable Ethos
Again, are you aware that the Christ’s Hospital Mission and charitable ethos no longer asserts priority to the children of poor and needy families? Rather it now proclaims that Housey ‘will have regard especially to children of families in social, financial or other need, in the choice of pupils, that choice to remain the prerogative of the Foundation’ (CH website): ‘..regard especially..’, is no longer an absolute commitment to the poor and needy. This is a wrongful erosion of the charitable ethos, a watering down of Housey’s historical educational mission, particularly so when ranked fourth out of Christ’s Hospital’s five Mission Statement commitments:
http://www.christs-hospital.org.uk/foun ... statement/
Of pressing concern is that the prerogative for safeguarding Christ’s Hospital’s charitable ethos appears no longer to be the prerogative of the Foundation as the School now has ‘full autonomy over all its operations including admissions….(p. 11, Annual Report, 2015). This breaks the historical role of the Clerk and the Foundation in the selection of children in need which is fundamental to our charitable mission.
Full Fee Paying Admissions
Now that the School’s admission door is increasingly open to wealthy parents are you aware that between 22-26% of current children are FFP, with 30% being considered? If this trend continues what is to stop it going higher? What is the long term impact on Christ’s Hospital’s charitable ethos? In any event the greater the number of FFP children, the more difficult it surely becomes to attract donations.
Other related questions about admissions are the distribution of FFP children according to year of entry: Year 7; Year 9 and Year 12. What is the entry level of the academic standards now required? What is the intent of the 2 year entry program? What is the planned distribution between overseas and UK students?
The next meeting of the Council of Almoners at which the proposed governance changes may well be decided is in early March 2016. As well the CHOBA Board meets on February 3 2016 and it has been confirmed that correspondence with CHOBA home and overseas sections will be noted and logged. Accordingly we seek your action expeditiously.
If these questions are of concern to you we encourage you to please raise them directly with Greg Andrews, Clerk to the Foundation:
gea@christs-hospital.org.uk
and Margaret Wadman, CHOBA Administrator:
mw@christs-hospital.ord.uk
and with ourselves.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
On the unanimous behalf of the Executive, British Columbia Old Blues
David Taplin, Lamb B 1950–1957 BCOB President
Christopher Johnson, Lamb B 1952-1959 BCOB Secretary
John Stanger, Coleridge A 1939-1945 Senior BCOB
Terence Bate, Coleridge A 1945-51 Donation Governor
Anthony Sessions, Thornton A 1950-1955
Graham Riches, Thornton B/Maine B 1952-60
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