Christ's Hospital - New Day fee paying intake

[wrotham]

I have heard that Christ's Hospital will be taking fee paying day pupils from 2011. We live within a 20 minute drive of the school and are considering it for our son.

Does anyone have an opinion as to how it would be for a Day pupil in a predominately boarding school?

Anyone have any experience of Christ's Hospital as a fee paying pupil/parent?

Any adivce would be appreciated.

They are actually taking day pupils from this September, as a friends dd is going :) I understand she has to board for the first 4 weeks as part of the induction to the school & then will be a day pupil from then on. Can't tell you much else though sorry.

I'm interested too for a few years time.

They do full days including supper and prep so would be very involved in out of the classroom activities.

I was more concerned about the full fee payers in a highly subsidised school would they be seen as the posh ones?

Wrotham have you looked round yet I'm thinking of going to their next open day.

We go there quite alot anyway for brownie events and also swimming lessons.

DC is a day pupil at a boarding school where day students are very much in the minority. No problem mixing because they are attached to the boarding Houses. Do CH do this, or have a separate day student House?
Any idea how the pupils are reacting? We had a change a few years ago that was not welcomed by some of the student body and it has taken an entire school generation (i.e. seven years) for the 'anti' feeling to die away. I know that CH are only taking day pupils from Sep 2010 so you do not know how it is working in practice as yet, but there will have been reaction over the last few years to the planning process.
Also, has the school really taken it on board (pun unintended)? Ours, even after this time, sometimes forgets that things might impact differently on the newbies.

It's my opinion that CH is 'different' than your classic private/public school due to its ethos. I would think that if one is the type of parent who might feel one's fee paying DC might be penalised for being fee paying in that special environment, it perhaps isn't for you, bearing in mind CH's scholarship intake aren't your usual 'token' to keep the Charity Commission at bay, they are hand-picked, often from difficult backgrounds as being DCs for whom the experience will be genuinely life changing.

I don't know why CH is going down this route but I'd want to be 100% sure it was the right move for my DC before heading down that route.

I think day DCs at any predominantly boarding school are at a bit of a disadvantage, tbh, though it seems CH are doing an 'extended day' which is I suppose a rather different kettle of fish. The extended day system operated at The Leas in Cambs means the DCs practically clean their TEETH there and literally only go home to sleep, for instance!

wrote a huge post and lost it

There is an unofficial CH forum, perhaps join there and ask current parents.

They are taking day pupils due to financial problems, their income comes from investments but with low interest rates there isn't much income! They have done this previously I think in the 80's. They are also increasing the percentage of full fee paying boarders they take - and they do have them.

I think there is only 20% of non-fee paying pupils and believe me they take a lot of your disposable income if your child goes there! It is still a broad mix of pupil backgrounds.

Looking at 2011 (+11) or 2013 (+13) and will attend the Sept 18th Open Day. We really like the idea/ethos of CH and the fact that children do come from mixed backkgrounds. We have several friends who were educated there, one of whom was a governor (a long time ago) and they are successful and interesting people.

One of our main concerns is the mix of boarders/day and if a day pupil would feel left out. The fee paying/non fee paying aspect is not a big issue for us. I dont think that these are an unfounded concerns. I certainly dont think it is a reason for us not to consider the school. That in some way our concerns make us "the wrong type of parent".

I have also heard that CH has financial problems and that this is the main reason for taking in more fee paying pupils against their principals.

As 2010 is the first "Day Intake" it will be interesting to hear some feedback from this years new children/parents. I will take your advice "Cargirl" and follow the unofficial forum.

Thanks everyone.

What sort of person is your DS? If he is a sportsman then he will bond with others, no matter whether he is a boarder or day student. Or does he enjoy some other communal activity - music, drama, debating, etc?

A word of warning! They usually settle in a bit too well and by about Year 10 you will often be phoning him at 9:30 at night to say "are you coming home yet ...?"

He is academic & sporty (cricket & rugby) Loves music and drama too.

Rugby is good. It is all about the squad, all about teamwork (as I am sure you know). He will be fine.

Thanks "boarding mum".

I have now looked at the unofficial CH forum. It is very clear that there are many concerns from current and future parents as to how the "Day/Fee" paying children will fit into the boarding system.

Long/late week days, Saturday school and the concerns I have already raised above. If anyone is interested the web address is:

www.chforum.info

We read the CH "Unoffical Forum" re. Day pupils. The views expressed by pupils and parents to the new intake of fee paying "Day" pupils is not good.

As I understand the situation is that Day pupils would have to pass the same entrance exam as "means" tested boarders (ok), the school day would be the length of a boarding school day plus full Saturday school (bad). There will also be a compulsory 4 week boarding period at the start of the intake year (bad).

In my opinion CH will find it difficult to recruit bright "Day" fee paying pupils.
I do not think CH have done their homework.
Day pupils will of course bring in more income per head than "boarding" fee paying. But, you have to attract the parents first.

There is too much of a boarding history/ethos. If I wanted my son to go to a boarding school I would send him to one.

Shame. Great school for the right person.

I think the 4 week boarding period is important because it helps the children in that house and year group knit together to the day pupils aren't segregated.

Saturday school has to happen because the school operates 6 days per week, although they have 3 or 4 afternoons per week that are "actives" rather than academic lessons???

They are also open to you taking dc out for the weekend for special occasions such as family weddings etc

I would look at it closer and try and find out at the end of this academic year how it has worked out, the entrance exams were inexpensive.

Also I think there is only a very small percentage of current parents on the unofficial forum so perhaps not a balanced view

i keep hearing adverts for CH on the radio. Its the first time I have ever heard a school advertising themselves on the radio!

I almost choked on my cornflakes when I heard CH advertising on the radio- I used to go there (left in the 90s).

From what I remember none of the pupils seemed to know who was the full fee paying pupil and who was not, it was a very broad mix of pupils and I didn't hear anyone being singled out because they were or were not full fee paying. Some of us did have to wear badges on our uniform indicating if we had been recipients of assistance from certain livery companies or benefactors, but again, this was ignored by other pupils.

I don't remember any day pupils- even the children of teachers who lived there stayed in one of the boarding houses.

I would see how much they want off you in fees before considering sending a child there- it may be more expensive than some of the better performing day schools. If they are having to stay for prep too, it'll be about 8-9 pm when they finish, and the first lesson used to start at 8.30 am which doesn't give you much time away.

I did enjoy my time there, and I've heard the boarding houses are much nicer than they were in my day (god I sound old).