Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Gemma - I have only just read this fascinating topic - your questions are searching and interesting and have produced some varied and informative replies. Well done! Keep on asking questions like this and you will have a wonderful time at CH.

Now to put you in the picture, I am one of the oldest of old fogeys on the forum having entered CH in 1947. However my son Jonathan entered CH last year as a New Dep. Like you he had many questions, but the forum was then in its infancy and his view of the school on entering CH, was probably based on information some 50 years out of date.

I can tell you that he came from an 11-16 state comprehensive in darkest Cornwall and lived/lives in a tiny village on the water's edge near Falmouth where there were hardly any other children of his own age. He loves the school - and although he has never set the world alight there, the Headmaster wrote in a recent report that wherever good things happen, Jonathan is often to be found in the midst of it. A lovely tribute which epitomises the individuality and care with which the school regards each and every one of its pupils.

There were no activities, music or drama at his last school but at CH he has found many new interests - he is now Senior Naval Cadet in the CCF where he has encouraged a renewed interest in sailing, he is senior student technician in the theatre where he has a particular interest in lighting, and, although he would not claim to be much of a musician, he is a faithful and enthusiastic member of the chapel choir and is allowed to play the viola in the back of the school symphony orchestra. You too will find a whole host of new interests - all probably very different from Jonathan's, but nonetheless rewarding.

I hope you will get the chance to meet Jonathan during your induction and, if you you want his email address beforehand, PM me and I will give it to you. Mark, who posts regularly here is also a Grecian and will be able to tell you lots more about CH in 2007. You might want to PM him also although your questions and his responses publicly made here are of great interest to us all.

Good luck Gemma - I can clearly perceive already why you were one of the select few to be chosen for 2007. I know you will make the most of the many opportunities and friends you will find at CH.

(By the way a search for "Jonathan" on this forum may be of some interest to a New Dep!)

Public telephone in the Science block. What luxury! But then few of us had phones at home anyway.

I still don't remember the phone! I thought I knew the Physics lab well, not only did I do Physics for Cambridge entrance but for several years I was a Physics lab girl most mornings and sticking and licking.

Thanks a tonne Davebythesea!.
It's all very exciting isn't it. A new school, new people and new experiences. I just hope that I'll be able to do as much as I can there and that I wont just waste my time there or stay secluded with a bunch of books. All the information on here has been really enlightening, especially when I was limited to the website and people saying that their neighbour's dogsitter's brother's best friend's sister went there or you get the picture. Its so much better that I can find out the burning questions without having to wait until June/July for the induction period.

I can just bet that in september I'll be one of the most knowledgeable new deps in my year.

Anyway, What's the status on sports there for new deps?. I made it plain in the application process that I have no hand-eye coordination and cannot catch a ball to save my life etc ( still have no idea why they still chose me with that, aswell as my total inability to play any instrument more skillful than a triangle ). Is it totaly cumpulsory to play sports? I probably will try my hand at quite a few things but if you are really really rubbish what happens?.

Well, you never know. I might be the olympic champion at tiddly winks but hardly helpful in a school which in my opinion is quite focoused on sporting achievements.

kerrensimmonds wrote:And don't worry about 'our day', Gemma (I left CH 40 years ago). We were allowed to see our parents on two Saturdays a term - called 'Long Saturdays' - when we could go out with them for a few hours after mornng School, as long as we were back by 6.00. These days it looks like open house all weekends! I have a friend with a girl in her third year now.. I think Mum goes up to Housey most weekends for one reason or another. And at least once a term the daughter goes home for a week, and on many other occasions for a night.
And the big difference is mobile phones. In my day (remember how long ago that was!) there was one 'public' telephone in the school in Hertford (for which one had to have the money, and needed to queue) but in emergencies one was allowed to speak to one's parents on the Housemistress's telephone (I suppose she listened in). You can imagine my amazement, therefore, when on an Old Blues Day five or six years ago, I attended 'Choir Practice' in the Chapel at Horsham and was amazed to see the pupils in the choir rushing in one by one informally (in my day we filed in, seriously, together and in formal uniform!). The only common feature was that each one of these pupils produced a mobile phone from his or her pocket, turned it off, and laid it on the shelf in front of them!
So don't worry about being isolated from the outside world. It won't happen!
People much younger than I can tell you about arrangements for sewing labels on the 'given' uniform these days. You might find you have to do it yourself.. now that would be a challenge.
Just get those GCSE's behind you....

Much the same in Horsham for the boys at the same time.

I blame the break-down in the lack of discipline !

Two answers for you Gemma

1. Sports. Jonathan was worried about this. I had told him that in my day the whole school played Rugger for five days a week in the Michaelmas and Lent terms and cricket in the Summer.

In fact although J was informed that he had to get a mass of PE kit this turned out to be not so. In the Deps he was supposed to engage in some sort of activity (sports was another thing he had not really done before - other than sailing) but found that he could play Badminton instead. He then discovered Fives - a game he had hitherto never heard of invloving using a gloved hand hitting a leather ball against a wall. CH has a long tradition of fives and J actually made it into the house team last year (there being no one else who played fives) . However this year, as far as I know, he has engaged in no sport whatsoever other than clay-pigeon shooting at which, I hear he has become very adept. He also made the house team in basketball and water-polo! Oh, and he also gets heavily subsidised sailing courses with the Navy through the CCF

The important thing to remember is that the basic PE kit from his previous school has turned out to be quite adequate and we have not had to buy anything at all. So wait until you see if you actually need anything before you rush to buy masses of expensive kit.

2. Phones. We pay a standing charge of £8.99 a month which covers all our landline calls in the UK. It also allows Jonathan to use a landline phone (there were 3 in Peele A and there is one in his pod in Grecians West) to telephone us without charge by prefixing a number. Although a small charge is attached to my account when he does this, I can always ring him back for free once he has made the contact. If I need to talk to him, I place a brief call to his mobiile telling him to go to the nearest landline phone where we can talk for free. (Do PM me if you want to know more)

To answer one of your questions about labelling clothes...

your school uniform was (is?) given to you when you arrive at the school from the wardrobe - this is labelled by them or your matron with your house number.

You will only have to name other clothes like PE kit etc...

My wife was still sewing on labels on J's clothes in his room in Peele A the day he arrived in September, 2005. We didn,t get away until 9:00 pm and then a 6 hour drive to Cornwall!

But as a girl, I am sure you will be more organised

Oh Great!. I have bills where my mum pays £20 a month for the phone and I get around £170 worth of credit. Great deal, I only hope I still have it when I get there.

P.e kit. well.... I'm sure I will buy a new kit since my current school one consists of maroon badly fitted tracksuit bottoms, a gold airtex which is around 2 sizes too small and a blue jumper with the school logo on. I wouldn't be seen dead in that is I didn't have to. doesn't mean I'm going to spend tonnes of money in nike etc.

We have a sewing machiene ( bought it yesterday in fact ) so We'll ( translates to my mum will ) probably sew everything on with that.
I suppose there should be some type of sporting activity that will be good for me. I'm ok at hockey to be honest. As goalie!.

Damn, on wed I have an audition for the school play that gets shown in westminster abbey, Hope I'll get in, since It will give me more practice for when I hopefully audition for CH preformances.

You can do your own laundry, so no need to sew labels on everything. Mum and I did then when I got there realised it wasn't necessary at all.

Thats a relief, I wont bother with most of my socks then. they would have taken me ages

if you intend sending stuff to laundry (bedding possibly) then get them named - otherwise if you`ll be washing your own stuff in house there`s no real need to - as long as you remember to collect your washing when it`s finished and don`t leave it lying around for days!!!

I would probably be too nervous to leave anything lyign around for days, Usually I prefer to know where everything is at every moment possible. Im far too prone to loose things.

Does anyone have any idea when the house numbers are going to be allocated? It would be good to know, so I can start on labelling my things... Or what is included in this elusive entrants pack' which the letter claims I will be sent?. any info will be warmly accepted, warm like a summer in the sahara!.

as for sports, the only compulsory sport you have to do is house leagues which is hockey and netbal for girls-i am not the most talented at this but enjoyed them so much! BA B always won the leaugues when i was there.

Mrs C. wrote: as long as you remember to collect your washing when it`s finished and don`t leave it lying around for days!!!

That used to happen in BaB all the time - piles of mouldy washing left either in or by the side of the washing machine