St Christopher School, Letchworth
| St Christopher School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
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Barrington Road , , SG6 3JZ | |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent day and boarding |
| Motto | The utmost for the highest |
| Established | 1915 |
| Head | Emma-Kate Henry |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Age | 3 to 18 |
| Houses | Godwin, Gernon, Lytton |
| Colour(s) | Blue, gold and white |
| Website | http://www.stchris.co.uk/ |
St Christopher School is a boarding and day co-educational independent school in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, England.
Established in 1915, shortly after Ebenezer Howard founded Letchworth Garden City, the school is a long-time proponent of progressive education.
Characteristics
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St Christopher is noted for a lack of any formal school uniform and the freedom and encouragement to address teachers by their first names. The school has entirely vegetarian diet for both boarders and day pupils (a condition of receiving initial sponsorship from the Theosophical Society).
The school established a system of self-governance with Major Officials (the St. Christopher term for a prefect) being nominated and elected by their student peers. School meetings allow students and staff alike to propose, vote and implement new and amended rules and policy, but with the headmaster reserving the right to veto any he deems unworkable or unacceptable. The system was temporarily in turmoil during the mid-2000s, but a move back towards this ethos has recently[when?] been restored under the leadership of current Head Richard Palmer who has held the post since 2006.
History
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The school was founded in 1915 by Dr. Armstrong Smith. In 1919, Beatrice Ensor and Isabel King assumed joint headship following Smith's retirement the previous year, but both women left to found Frensham Heights in Surrey in 1925. The School in its present form developed under the guidance of Lyn and Eleanor Harris (1925–1953) and their son Nicholas (1954–1980). Following Nicholas's death the governors employed Colin Reid.
Colin Reid was Head Master from 1981 to 2004. The headmaster for the next two years was Donald Wilkinson, who made many changes to the running of the school during his short spell. He announced his resignation from the post on 28 September 2006. He was replaced by Richard Palmer who had taught at the school in other capacities before and by then was heading up the Junior School. Palmer left in 2020 to be replaced by Emma-Kate Henry who had served as Deputy Head 2008-13.
Old Scholars
The Old Scholars club, officially The St Christopher Club, runs an annual meeting in July open to all former St Christopher pupils and staff. The Old Scholars club also hosts Matches Day for sports in the Spring. As well as reunions, the club also holds archives of old materials, from photographs of school buildings being constructed, to 'Green Cuisine' recipes.
Headships
- Dr Armstrong Smith (1915–1918)
- Beatrice Ensor & Isabel King (1919–1925)
- Lyn and Eleanor Harris (1925–1953)
- Nicholas King-Harris (1954–1980)
- Colin Reid (1981–2004)
- Donald Wilkinson (2004–2006)
- Richard Palmer (2006–2020)
- Emma-Kate Henry (2020–present)
Notable former pupils
- Ed Asafu-Adjaye, footballer
- Catherine Bearder, Liberal Democrat politician[1]
- Gavin Campbell, actor, TV presenter and businessman
- Neil Coles, golfer
- Julia Darling, author[2]
- Jenny Diski, author
- JJ Feild, actor
- Sonia Friedman, theatre producer
- A. A. Gill, journalist and restaurant critic
- Connie Glynn, YouTuber and author
- Freya Ridings, singer and songwriter
- Paul Hamlyn, publisher
- David Horovitch, actor
- George Lamb, broadcaster
- Rolf Landsberg, academic (Physical Chemistry) and University Rector[3]
- Prince Rupert Loewenstein, manager of The Rolling Stones[4]
- Olly Mann, comedian and podcaster
- Neil Murray, musician
- Shawn Slovo, writer
- Richard Walker, angler
- Michael Winner, film producer and director
References
- ^ "BBC News | Vote 2001 | Candidates".
- ^ Kay, Jackie (16 April 2005). "Julia Darling". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
- ^ Bernd-Rainer Barth; Dieter Hoffmann. "Landsberg, Rolf * 28.2.1920, † 27.12.2003 Chemiker, Rektor der Technischen Hochschule für Chemie Leuna-Merseburg" (in German). Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur: Biographische Datenbanken. Retrieved 21 March 2015.[dead link]
- ^ Sweeting, Adam (22 May 2014). "Prince Rupert Loewenstein obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
External links
- The school's web site
- Old Scholars - The St Christopher Club
- Profile in the ISC website
- ISI Inspection Reports
