Amelia White (in the Daily Mail) deplores her CH years

[Trongon Charsley]

She writes that her experience at the school (1986-91) was a punishment and blighted her life. Sad reading.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/arti ... y-now.html

[Avon]

I remember her, sad to read the backstory.

Our resident scratched record will be along shortly with a book recommendation.

[Otter]

I just came across it this morning. Sad reading.

It seems that she has written a book about the negative effects of boarding schools in general, not specifically slamming CH but more the whole idea of living away from home as a child. I don't blame her as it was clearly a life-defining experience for her.

Personally I am grateful to have gone, not necessarily for the boarding but for the educational quality that would have been otherwise impossible. Boarding was a "necessary evil" if you wanted the educational part. I am happy to have stuck with it as I have carved a life that would not have been possible without a CH education, but I understand that the boarding aspect could be traumatising.

[Katharine]

I think we know that boarding school life is not for everyone. Unlike many Old Blues, I was brought up with parents who hoped I’d go to CH, my brother started at Horsham when I was just 5. We brought our sons up telling them that they would go to boarding school at the age of 8 or 9. I think that start makes a huge difference to the experience of it.

I was surprised by her calling it Christ’s, is that common usage? I would have expected CH or the full name. Of course the change may have been made by the paper.

[Straz]

A sad and poignant article, that many Old Blues will empathise with.
I may have attended CH more than 10 years before Amelia, but I certainly recall experiencing homesickness, anxiety and rejection in my first couple of years at the school.
To survive these feelings, you have to dig deep and learn how to stand on your own two feet, while helping others who are struggling. It's something that I've found has helped me in life, and continues to do so.
I was actually a third-form squit, having spent my first year as a day pupil at a grammar school.
It wasn't all plain sailing at grammar school either, with bullies, nightmare teachers, increasing amounts of homework and the logistics of public transport to contend with. So, while Amelia may have wished for a more conventional education, she may have found it just as tough.
Still, it's an interesting piece, well worth a read.
I also found the use of the word "Christ's" rather than CH a little odd.
From my lengthy journalistic experience - much of it spent as a sub-editor - I would imagine that the Mail's subs probably altered CH to "Christ's" so that the paper's readers could quickly understand the reference.

[rockfreak]

I knew that I'd seen it called Christ's in some instance and, looking it up, it turned out to be by no less than Charles Lamb in an essay called Poor Relations.
"Poor W_ was of my own standing at Christ's, a fine classic and a youth of promise. Many a quarrel have I had with him, when we were rather older boys, and our tallness made us more obnoxious to observation in the blue clothes, because I would not thread the alleys and blind ways of the town with him to elude notice, when we have been out together on a holiday in the streets of this sneering and prying metropolis".

This comes from a now very dog-eared paperback which I got as a class prize for reading by Gad. He gave me a list of paperbacks to choose from and appeared quite gratified that I hadn't chosen a racy novel - if indeed Penguin published racy novels at that time.

[scrub]

For me, the more interesting part was the idea that keeping kids too busy to think led to burnt out adults unable to switch off.

I'd never really though about it like that before. I was close to being burnt out after finishing my PhD, which is fairly common, and something which contributed to it was being unable to properly switch off from work. I'd always feel like I had to be working.

I know part of that came from the grind mentality which permeates universities and is impossible to completely avoid, especially when doing higher degrees, but I can't help but wonder if my time at CH primed me to accept that as a completely normal way of working.

[rockfreak]

In my day, the 1950s, we were certainly kept busy, with compulsory games as well. So we were knackered physically and mentally. This led to a lively discussion between the late Dr Scuffil and myself as to whether this was deliberate to keep our minds off sex, which then would have been of the homosexual variety and therefore illegal in adulthood.

[Ruth]

I’ve said more than once that my experience of Hertford in the 1950s was deplorable, largely due to Miss West’s unsuitability as a Head and to the low academic results, spartan living conditions, incessant prayers, Miss MacTier, Sister, scratchy underwear, chapel, dreadful food, lack of support, censored mail etc. I never forgave my mother. I think she wanted her freedom and believed that winning an LCC scholarship was an advantage. We were a stable loving family, not well off, but cultured and close. I was the one who stubbornly refused to leave CH when they said I could after my unhappy first year, my place at City of London GS still available. Yes, it did harden my attitude to my mother,and maybe damaged me in other respects. I have read avidly several books about the boarding school syndrome! But on the plus side of boarding, we girls bonded, made lifetime friends. Punctuality, music, self discipline, public speaking, all came in useful, but at a price. After 70 years I still wonder how I might have been different - emotionally - had I gone to day school. Maybe I’d have been less professionally successful (I’m pre-empting responses.)

[loringa]

From what I have read elsewhere on this forum, the 80s were an exceptionally difficult time at Christ's Hospital. The reports of bullying, avoidance of responsibility or intervening by staff and, of course, the widely reported sexual abuse of pupils seem all to have been much worse in the 80s than in the 70s when I was there, or subsequently during my step-siblings' time. I suspect, however, from what Amelia White has written it wouldn't have made a great deal of difference to her. Some people are simply not suited to the boarding school experience.

She makes an interesting point about the holidays, though it is not one I particularly recognise from my own experiences. My biggest recollection of the holidays is that they were filled with CH-related activities from the second form onwards and, whilst in the early years I resented the 'extension' to the term, the opportunities only got better as time went on. At the end of my Grecians' year it was shooting at Bisley before Dr Maddren drove Martin Bricknell and me down to Baden Wurttemberg to join the Venture Scout Summer Camp, followed by another fortnight in Devon later in the holidays with the Scouts. I didn't have many friends at home but there were hardly any kids my age in our tiny Wiltshire village but there was another boy who went to an independent school in Bath and he and I and our respective younger brothers spend much of our time together. I don't remember having much time to get bored. There were also a couple of girls our age; if only I'd known how to talk to them!

As for setting one up for the future, CH couldn't have been better. Sir Aston Webb's next commission was Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth so the environment even looked and felt the same, though rather more hilly! The main difference for someone used to trades, loads of activities and having to wear a distinctive uniform was that now I was being paid and the food was way, way better.

All in all, I remain grateful to the Foundation and look back (mostly) fondly on my time there. Of course, one of the great benefits of a CH education is that I couldn't have sent my own daughter there as I wouldn't have been eligible for enough of a bursary to make it affordable. In the end she went to a local independent school as a day pupil and occasional boarder. That worked for her and she is now at University on what is known as one of the 'competitive' courses and, of course, living away from home most of the time.

[Avon]

I went from Aston Webb’s CH to Aston Webb’s BRNC and they were spookily similar, except that at the time BRNC (Hawke Division at least) was quite well looked after whereas I vividly remember how tired and jury-rigged the boarding houses at Horsham were. Now it’s Dartmouth hitting the news for being in a shoddy state.

CH in the 1980s was pretty arse. Applying management hindsight I would say that the issues were fundamentally about leadership competency and focus on pomp rather than pastoral and in this environment the abusers got away with the foul things they did. Hence I think, the continued anathema for the SMT of Poulton, Sillett, Cairncross, Rae, and so on.

To this day I am undecided as to whether to value the education I received over and above the seven years of exposure to bad food, bad care, (some) feral schoolmates from the banlieues, Victorian values and the utter fcukwittery of being encouraged to Fear God, Love the Brotherhood and Honour the King.

[loringa]

I went from Aston Webb’s CH to Aston Webb’s BRNC and they were spookily similar, except that at the time BRNC (Hawke Division at least) was quite well looked after whereas I vividly remember how tired and jury-rigged the boarding houses at Horsham were. Now it’s Dartmouth hitting the news for being in a shoddy state.

CH in the 1980s was pretty arse.

After decades of neglect you'll be pleased to know that a lot of effort is being expended at BRNC to improve the built environment. The SGR and Chapel have been completed and the next of the high profile areas to be done is the Quarterdeck; obviously these all required structural as well as decorative repairs. Perhaps more importantly for the cadets, we are working through the accommodation now including the heads and bathrooms, a significant number of which will be complete before we welcome the New Entry in a week or so's time! Externally the old concrete garages are being knocked down along with a number of miscellaneous barely used structures, and we have a mostly-funded plan for the Pavilion at last! All in all, structurally the College is on the up (at last).

At CH in the 70s the boarding houses were certainly austere but in reasonably good order, the heating worked and there was loads of hot water. Okay, no curtains, blinds or privacy and not quite enough boards for the beds but all perfectly functional apart from the appalling food which was worse (by far) than the local Approved School which we visited on some DofE / Venture Scout course or another. I remember visiting once some years after I had left (probably early 90s) and everywhere had wooden partitions and it all looked very jerry-built which I assume is what you endured. I believe it is much better now as they move more and more free places for those in need to fee-payers, and feel they need to compete with the fee-paying independents. Unfortunately, there appears to be no way to see as accommodation seems always off limits even to organised tours and reunions; the museum was good but, to be honest, I'd no need to see the Verrio or the Brangwyns or even the Theatre, and my daughter really wanted to see the boarding houses too.

[scrub]

I remember visiting once some years after I had left (probably early 90s) and everywhere had wooden partitions and it all looked very jerry-built which I assume is what you endured.

That's pretty much what I remember living in. Don't know if it was proper wood or dry wall. At the time I never thought about build quality because anything was better than open dorms, but I remember how the walls would bend when you climbed up them by putting your feet on one wall and pressing your back against the opposite one. Also that the door handles were easy to unscrew so you could effective lock someone in their room by removing the handle and spindle from the other side. You know, if that's the sort of thing you'd find amusing.
Now I think about it, it does sound pretty shoddy. Especially the bunk/desk beds, bits of which could be easily taken apart if you wanted to hide things.

Unfortunately, there appears to be no way to see as accommodation seems always off limits even to organised tours and reunions

Actually, I see this as a bit of a good thing, even though it may be annoying. Security and privacy were virtually non-existent when I was there, so any improvement is a welcome thing, IMO.

[Otter]

That's pretty much what I remember living in. Don't know if it was proper wood or dry wall. At the time I never thought about build quality because anything was better than open dorms, but I remember how the walls would bend when you climbed up them by putting your feet on one wall and pressing your back against the opposite one. Also that the door handles were easy to unscrew so you could effective lock someone in their room by removing the handle and spindle from the other side. You know, if that's the sort of thing you'd find amusing.

Ah yes, I remember that. On my 2nd form it was open dorms, then when we returned for 3rd form it was these partitions but they only went halfway up to the ceiling and had doorways but no doors, so if you closed your eyes it sounded like you were still in open dorms, just a little bit more cosy and private having four partitions per dorm of about 4 beds each, your own wall space for posters, etc.

I do remember being able to push your hand/fingers into one of those "walls" and it crumbling away under very little force. Also we could climb up to the top of a partition, put one leg on each side and make it shake from side to side, hearing the plaster rattle around inside the "wall" and sounding/feeling like the whole thing could collapse. All absolutely hilarious when you're 13.

A couple of years later they upped the security/privacy a little bit more by installing fob readers for each of the four dorms. You got given a key fob that could only access your own dorm. Scan on the reader and the door opened by pulling. But then people realised you could simply force-pull the doors open, again with minimal force. Made a dreadful noise that probably destroyed the mechanism, but was done all the time, either for fun or whenever someone forgot their fob or wanted to get into a friend's dorm. I think it lasted a term before they got rid of them.

[scrub]

Huh. Don't remember the walls only going halfway up, but I guess they tried out a range of things during the 90's and might have had different things in different houses to try and find something that would work.

We had an open dorm for UF and GE, then the lower dorm was divided into shared rooms for Deps and single rooms for Grecians. I do remember a kind of half-height wall wooden "room" in one corner of the open dorm, but that might have just been in the junior house and I can't remember who got that.