Welcome to the Sixth Form

Your parents, Personal Tutor and subject teachers are the best people to talk to initially. After you have considered your options fully you will need to talk to the Assistant Head (Sixth Form), who will liaise with home, before a formal change of subject can be made officially.

If you are thinking about going to college or university, you can talk to one of our UCAS Advisers. You will also receive guidance on possible careers, and we encourage students to consider all pathways, including Gap Years, apprenticeships and management training schemes.

For many university degrees, the A level subjects you follow can be wide-ranging, but there are some courses where you must have specific subjects, for example to study Medicine you must have Chemistry A level. If in doubt about your subject choices talk to the Assistant Head (Sixth Form) ideally within the first two weeks of Year 12.

Talk to your subject teacher, Houseparents if you are a boarder, and to your Personal Tutor who will be able to offer solutions or assistance to you and help you to make a plan.

The Silence is a tradition at St Chris where the staff and students take a moment together to pause, think and listen. It’s an important part of our Morning Talks and school meetings.

If you have any worries, questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Personal Tutor in the first instance. They are experienced in supporting children through the transition to Senior School both in terms of their general wellbeing, changing friendship patterns and academic progress. Jenny Savage, Assistant Head (Sixth Form) and the Heads of Year are also responsible for supporting all students within their care and can be contacted directly by email: jenny.savage@stchris.co.uk.

If a student is ill and going to be absent from school or is running late, parents must email attendance@stchris.co.uk and copy in the student’s Company Adviser, before 9.00am. Absence can also be notified by My School Portal which will inform the Pastoral Assistant. Lateness should be avoided whenever possible; it disrupts a child’s learning routine and the school day as a whole. Late arrivals should report to the Pastoral Assistant in the Mulberry Building.

If you wish to meet with a member of staff, please contact your child’s Personal Tutor in advance, to arrange a convenient appointment. All visitors (including parents) must report to the Senior School Reception on arrival at the School, where they will be signed in and given a visitor’s badge and made aware of our safeguarding and fire procedures.

We will be sending further information about life in the boarding house, packing lists, arrival and departure and induction details in the Summer Term.

The open climate of St Chris encourages parents, along with students and staff, to voice their concerns. Usually discussion of the matter allays or removes the worry without the need for formal procedures. All complaints are carefully considered and it is usually helpful for there to be a discussion at an early stage about the issue, the procedures and the possible outcomes. In the first instance, please contact the Head: head@stchris.co.uk A copy of our Complaints Policy can be found on our website. https://www.stchris.co.uk/about-us/policies/

Yes but other than guide or hearing dogs, dogs are not allowed in the school buildings. Please keep dogs on a lead at all times and under your direct control, and be aware that some in our community are scared of dogs.

All parents and guardians are automatically enrolled as members of the Parents’ Circle – our name for the PTA. The St Chris Parents’ Circle has a long history within the School having played an active role since 1920. The group provides a welcoming environment where parents can get to know one another, share ideas, socialise and have fun! They also run fundraising initiatives for their chosen charities. Throughout the year the Parents’ Circle organise a number of events including quiz nights and a stall at the Summer Fair. Such occasions provide a school-wide “inclusive” environment to get to know other parents and support the sense of community that St Chris provides. For more information about the Parents’ Circle, or if you have any questions, please email jenny.savage@stchris.co.uk or keep an eye on the weekly Roundup mailing each Friday.

Please find below a map indicating where car parking is available at the start and end of the school day. As we grow as a school, and as the size of our cars increase, we are aware that the car parking and drop off situation is not ideal at busy times. Our location in the middle of a residential area also increases the complications with access to our site. Please do not park or wait on the main roundabout at the front of the school where there are double yellow lines, or where there are “no parking” signs at either the start or end of the day. A brief pause as you drop off or pick up in this area is OK, but please do not park or wait in these areas: if your child is not waiting there to be picked up, please park your car in one of the car parks indicated in green on the attached map. Please do not park in the loading bay car park, on any double yellow lines or in any of the areas indicated in red on the attached map. When turning into Barrington Road using the Main Entrance to school, if there is no room for both you and the car driving in the opposite direction, please wait at the top of the road and do not mount the pavement so that you can drive down the road towards school. In addition, please:

• Adhere to a maximum speed of 10 mph when accessing the roads within the school.
• Remember to park and drop off considerately and to be aware of pedestrians – some of whom are students and are learning about road safety so may need some extra time/consideration.
• Do not double park in any of the school car parks.
• Only use the disabled bays if you have a Blue Badge and are entitled to do so.
• Be considerate to our neighbours – please do not:
  • Block driveways;
  • Mount or park on footpaths (as prams, wheelchairs, Junior School students on scooters, etc cannot get past without going on the road);
  • park or drop off too close to road junctions in a way that breaks the Highway Code. This is particularly a problem around the Cloisters Entrance or on Cloisters Road as people are parking in a way that obstructs the T-junction, thus blocking the traffic and making it dangerous for pedestrians.
  • Do not leave car engines idling either on our site or in neighbouring roads in consideration to the environment, and to our neighbours and pedestrians.

A member of staff is on duty every morning and afternoon in the Cloisters Entrance carpark, in the morning at the Junior School playground carpark, and every afternoon at the Main Entrance carpark next to the roundabout. These members of staff are there to monitor and remove any unsafe parking practices on our campus at peak traffic times and to support the safety of the site for pedestrians. Please do follow their guidance.

Car park map

If you have any additional questions, or wish to discuss anything further, please do not hesitate to contact us. Before your child starts at school, please contact Sarah or Lucy in the Admissions Team via admissions@stchris.co.uk or call +44 1462 650947. We aim to respond to all emails within two working days.