We have come to the end of another year, and what a year it has been! I couldn’t possibly sum it up here, and the forthcoming Yearbook will do that, so I will focus on our Year 8 Leavers 2025, as today has very rightly belonged to them. We begin with two impressive statistics. Our Year 8 Leavers achieved 86% A*-A in the CE and Scholarship exams, and nearly half of them leave with Scholarship awards to their senior school. This is hugely impressive given that Scholarships are traditionally aimed at the top 5%.
Our School Hymn, which we sang at the end of Leavers’ Assembly this morning, opens with the words “From smallest acorns grow great trees”. Many of the Year 8 children who shook my hand for their final time as a pupil today are now considerably taller than I am, and almost unrecognisable from the photos we have of them in Reception in 2016. They have come to the end of an amazing journey, and are ready to start a new and exciting one at senior school in September. The metaphor of growth, from a seed to mighty oak, with all the processes along the way, formed the basis of my speech to the 2025 Leavers, and is one that applies to every stage of school life and beyond.
Know what you need to grow. Find the right environment. Plant your seed somewhere it will thrive. St Christopher’s is a place where you will thrive. Everybody is welcome here, and everyone can grow here. We respect you for being you, and we’re glad to have you growing around us. Put down roots. Become part of a community. Your school is a community; engage with it in every way you can, joining in with lots of different activities beyond all your work in lessons. Beyond that, we are part of a vibrant city. Put down roots in your community and give back to it. Know what you need to grow. Keep yourself well watered – this isn’t even a metaphor, as a biologist I say keep hydrated at all times! Plenty of sunshine is next, whether it’s time spent outdoors playing sport, keeping active outside school, or the sunshine found in the smiles of friends, family, and those we care about. If you see someone who doesn’t seem to have much sunshine in their world at the moment, give them some of yours!
To become their best, plants need a lot of nurture, and my metaphor moves to those who have helped our children grow. I asked our 2025 Leavers to say lots of thank yous before they left. This could be to the Housemaster or Housemistress who has been a constant presence in their time here. This could be to the Pre-Prep teacher who helped them conquer their times tables. This could be to the Office staff for years of plasters on knees, envelopes for the tooth fairy, or a thousand other things. As we have warned them, senior schools do not have a Jackie! They may not always realise it, but she does so much for us all every single day, and it was to her that many of our Year 8s headed first.
As our Year 8s depart the red gates for their final time as St Christopher’s pupils, I hope they reflect upon their journey with us, and how they have grown in every aspect of life. Not just in terms of passing exams and scoring goals, but socially, emotionally, creatively, and in every area that makes them the person they are today. To those who are returning in September, I ask you to remember what I have said today, and think about what you can do next year to grow into the very best version of yourself that you can be. To those who will be tiny flowers in a very large field at senior school in September, I say remember everything that helped you grow here, and thrive in your new environment. September of course sees new seeds sown down in our glorious garden at Glebe Villas, and the seasons roll round again.
I wish you and your families a restful and relaxing summer; well deserved after all the amazing successes of such an exciting and busy school year.
Ms Elizabeth Lyle, Head