We are not a big school – we’re a beautiful school – a jewel. So why not come and see for yourselves.
At St Christopher’s we strive for excellence in everything. Excellence in academic attainment and progress. Excellence in personal development.
Our ISI Inspection Report in May 2019 found us to be excellent and outstanding in all areas of the school. Please read it.
It is easy to see why. We have small classes of 14 children, on average. We have excellent teachers, including subject specialists and a teacher-student ratio which large Independent Preps are unable to match. We’re not a big school. We don’t want to be. If we were bigger, we would lose an important aspect of what makes us outstanding in a way that a large school can never be.
Our school sets out to provide parents with an educational provision which no-one else can offer.
Our school employs only experienced and highly motivated, qualified teachers as well as a complement of excellent subject specialist teachers. Whilst many Independent schools have grown larger with two or three classes to each year group, we have remained faithful to a type of provision which we believe delivers a better, more Primary focussed education. At St Christopher’s, every child knows every fellow student by name. Children in older year groups mentor younger children and teachers are expected to know about the needs and progress of each individual child.
We track progress through termly tests which generate standardised scores and age related grades. We also track reading ages, spelling ages and verbal and non-verbal reasoning ability. In doing this, we have made a conscious decision to stick to a more rigorous test-based system which will prepare our students for the competitive academic exams they may face when they reach Year 6. Our students aim to sit exams and tests for Independent Schools and Grammar Schools. Our mission is to prepare them.
However, academic success isn’t enough. There’s something just as important. This is the range of life and character skills which provide the foundations for success in life. That’s what coming to school is all about, particularly at Primary level. We’re learning and developing skills which will make us independent and self-sufficient in adulthood.
Education doesn’t have to be impersonal.
Come and visit St Christopher’s to see what every Primary School should be like.
