In recent editions of the Newsletter, I have celebrated the Creative Arts, which are such a vibrant part of life at St Christopher’s. This week, I turn my attention to Academia, which is at the heart of every successful school. St Christopher’s has always been a highly academic school, winning our first Scholarship in 1929, a mere two years after the school’s foundation. A Maths Award to Brighton College, it was worth £81; a considerable sum at the time.
With so much emphasis on fun down at Glebe Villas, our Reception children don’t always realise that they are learning. But they are: every day they learn something new from the environment around them, or make progress in their core skills with the dedicated team of EYFS staff. This process continues in Pre-Prep, where tables eventually become desks, pencil becomes pen, and more and more use of technology is made to work and learn in ever evolving ways.
Middle School sees the arrival of exams. I am pleased to report that the recent assessments have produced some splendid results, but I am perhaps more pleased with the calm and sensible approach that our pupils show to revision. Guided by their Form Tutors, our pupils also learn good life skills at these times, such as the importance of a good night’s sleep and a proper breakfast rather than last minute cramming.
By the time they reach Upper School, our pupils are fully equipped for the challenges of Common Entrance and Scholarship, by which they gain entry to their senior schools. The recent Brighton College Academic Scholarship exams contained questions such as “Simplify fully: (4b-1x3g-4) 3 ”; “In the future, religious rituals will be conducted by robots. Discuss.“; and “State the correct number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in the Al 3+ ion”. As you can see, the standards for which we aim are very high indeed.
When the next edition of the Newsletter reaches you, all exams for Year 8 will be over, and they will be packing their bags for the much anticipated Leavers’ Trip to Dorset. I hope the Common Entrance class make plenty of time for relaxation as well as revision over Half Term.
Finally, as you may have seen on our social media, we are celebrating no less than five Academic Scholarship awards to Brighton College, as well as an impressive haul of A* and A grades across the whole class. When thanking their teachers as they prepare to leave us next month, Year 8 should be mindful to thank those who helped them at the very start of their journey here, as well as at the end.
Ms Elizabeth Lyle, Head