Our Mission
St Christopher School seeks to be a continuously developing community of children and adults working together to enable all to achieve their best academically and beyond the classroom in an open atmosphere. All are valued as individuals and encouraged to develop in curiosity, competence, judgement, kindness and courage.
St Chris aims for pupils to become both self-disciplined and self-motivated individuals; independent learners and creative thinkers able to make informed choices in a modern world with a commitment to service, informality, healthy living and self-government.
The School seeks to prepare pupils for happy and fulfilled lives in the service of others.
Our Values
Individualised Lifelong Learning
We have an unshakable emphasis on knowing, understanding and believing in each individual for who they are.
In our learning we are willing to give children something of which they are often deprived – time. We recognise that everybody starts somewhere, learns differently, succeeds in some areas but needs to develop in others, makes mistakes to learn from, and enjoys and experiences each day in a different way. Our students produce phenomenal academic results because we help them to, not force them to.
Education at St Chris goes well beyond the classroom and we encourage our students to explore their interests deeply and broadly; we foster curiosity and a love for learning that sees our students leave St Chris with a zest for life and the confidence to thrive in the modern world.
A Progressive Attitude to Excellence
We seek excellence that’s relevant to the world in which our children will live.
Our heritage of being one of the first progressive schools in the world guides us to embrace change and seek continuous improvement in our practices if, and only if, it enhances our students' experiences. In practice, this means being in tune with the realities of modern life and constantly innovating to stay ahead.
“Relevant excellence” is about striving to be the best we can be, setting high standards, and continually pushing the boundaries of what is possible, in academic achievement and co-curricular activities but equally in building a set of personal skills and character traits that are emotionally relevant to the world around us, enabling our students to step up when challenged, embrace new ideas and to be confident to explore everything the human experience has to offer.
We encourage critical thinking, creativity, and a forward-thinking mindset across all of our endeavours, cultivating an environment where imagination, experimentation and innovation are celebrated.
Community
We believe in fostering a strong, caring, inclusive community with a commitment to service; to ourselves, to our community and to the wider world.
A sense of belonging and mutual respect is at the heart of everything we do, and we strive to create a nurturing space where everyone can thrive.
We want members of our community to crackle with potential and be at peace with themselves at the same time. We want them to achieve more than they ever thought they could and be truly happy at the same time. We want members of our community to respect each other, care for each other, learn from each other, laugh with each other and challenge each other, all at the same time.
We build on our rich heritage of student ownership and decision-making to ensure that students play an active role in the development of their school and their futures.
We understand our privilege in society and use that understanding to fuel our service to others; to the environment; our local community and our global society. Since our founding 1915, humanity, understanding, kindness and respect have been the central pillars of our relationships with each other, our understanding of our place in the world and the foundation of our desire to build a harmonious and healthy community.
Integrity
There is no falsity here. No pretending. No inauthenticity. We are unashamedly honest with each other and we are unashamedly ourselves.
We value honesty, authenticity, and ethical behaviour in all aspects of school life, we are true to ourselves and each other and we hold ourselves accountable and to the highest standards.
We believe that everyone deserves this level of respect. When we are honest with each other, when we trust each other, when we think critically and have difficult conversations, progress happens.
