Christ Church Cathedral School

[Daizeed0]

Has anyone got anything to say about CCS. We are moving to Oxford next year and need an unacademic cosy school for my current year 2 boy. Please does anyone have any other suggestions?

It's a lovely school. Really excellent for music, as you'd expect Not a huge amount of ourdoor space at playtime although it has got nice playing fields across the road. Small and nurturing, and the boys have good manners. DS is thriving. The academic side is good and the boys move on to various schools - mostly MCS and Abingdon locally, but also Leckford Place, and the Oratory school near Reading, and the choristers tend to get music scholarships further afield.

Tbh, it depends where in Oxford you'll be moving to - if you're going to the north side of the city it may be a pain getting to CCCS in the morning. Dragon may be better placed from the north - although it may be larger and wilder than you're hoping for.

Thank you so much for responding. I thought it looked lovely and the boys happy, but I read a couple of threads here and they seem to allude to it not being very good partic on the bullying front. I take it that is nothing you have encountered?
We are moving to North Oxford, but I thought we could bike to school?!
Dragon is too big and He might not pass the assessment however un selective it says it is as he is very behind academically.
I like st hughs but that is a 45min drive in bad traffic. I basically want a school in which the children look happy and relaxed .

There is also Oxford Montessori school if you wanted something really different!

Plenty of children arrive by bike so that would be fine from North Oxford.

I looked on mn before sending my ds and there were a couple of threads saying it was too music focused or religious and the mention of bullying.I agree on the music - the school seems to get all the boys singing nicely, non choristers as well as choristers and the instrumental music is very good. It's about averagely religious for a prep school with some assemblies in the cathedral and Christian ethos.

On the bullying we have not seen a sign of it and I haven't heard of it from other parents. There are a few kids who moved to cccs after being bullied elsewhere as it's a small school and kids don't get lost or unnoticed. The overwhelming impression I get is that the boys are happy - it's certainly true for ds.

There is an academic assessment as part of the selection process but it's not too test-like: they just go for a taster day.

Our son will be starting at new college school next year. We looked at ccs but as we live on the east side of the city the one way system ( and then getting back out to workplace) means ccs would be a pain Commute wise. I thought it looked a lovely school, although is a bit tight on playspace. I have friends with boys there who are very happy. It is religious ( probably more so than new college) and quite musical, but also seems to be pretty academic for those that need/ want that. I agree dragon is huge and i worried my ds would get lost in the middle. I would look at CCS, new college and another option is rye st anthony ( headington) which takes boys inthe pre prep and is less traditional ( the choir schools being very so) and good but not super academic. We are taking a step into the unknown with independent schools ( no experience myself) so i have visited them all locally in the past few months!!

Thank you all. I think the oxford Montessori school looks lovely, but I sadly I wouldn't get it past my husband who enjoyed a v traditional schooling and would like it for our kids. Imogen and diet I will register my boys for CCS. I have looked round NC in the past and loved it, but I don't think my year 2 boy will pass the assessment. Am also going to look at SF next week. Many thanks

Christ Church Cathedral School tends to cater primarily to the Chinese community, where pupils are often heavily tutored outside of school, alongside the choristers. In our experience, it is not a strong choice for a well‑rounded child. Children outside the choir can be overlooked or sidelined, often placed in a second set, which we found damaging, and they are left with academic gaps as a result.

@Bellaven As a current CCCS chorister parent, I don't think that's fair: the choristers are evenly spread between the sets, and no ethnic group has more children than any other. There are plenty of boys of all abilities in the choir and out, and my son and his friends are very happy and doing great with their learning.