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Day Pupils

Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2011 1:44 pm
by Richard Ruck
Hi all, haven't been on here for a while......

A few adverts in the West Sussex County Times in recent months have got me wondering about the take-up of day places at CH.

The adverts have been big on the customs and traditions of the school, but with very little mention of an education available to
children from all backgrounds, so I assume these adverts are aimed at wealthier local families.

Anyone know how it's all going?

Re: Day Pupils

Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 2:37 pm
by J.R.
Welcome back Richard !

Plenty for you to catch up on, alot of which is about the subject you mention !

It seems the general consensus of opinion amongst older OB's is that the old school ethos is gone for good !

Re: Day Pupils

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 11:48 am
by ailurophile
I believe that there are only a handful of day pupils in the school so far; presumably there has been more interest expressed in the potential for weekly/ flexible boarding places, as these options will be available from the next academic year.

CH’s drive to attract full fee paying boarders from overseas appears to have been more successful; about 30 of these pupils were admitted last year, and the Headmaster has already announced that a further 90 students from Germany and Hong Kong will be joining the school next September.

Re: Day Pupils

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:56 pm
by sejintenej
ailurophile wrote:I believe that there are only a handful of day pupils in the school so far; presumably there has been more interest expressed in the potential for weekly/ flexible boarding places, as these options will be available from the next academic year.

CH’s drive to attract full fee paying boarders from overseas appears to have been more successful; about 30 of these pupils were admitted last year, and the Headmaster has already announced that a further 90 students from Germany and Hong Kong will be joining the school next September.
120 in all; that is starting to become a respectable part of the pupil total.

Re: Day Pupils

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 7:18 pm
by kerrensimmonds
And a consequential shift from the school's original ethos?

Re: Day Pupils

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 7:51 pm
by Richard Ruck
kerrensimmonds wrote:And a consequential shift from the school's original ethos?
A fundamental lurch, I would say - probably not quite what King Eddy had in mind.

I never imagined that CH would evolve into some kind of international cramming academy.

Didn't the H.M. conduct a similar recruitment drive when he was at Ardingly?

Financially necessary? Probably, but it's difficult to see a way back.

Imagine the conversations.....

Pupil A: "Where did you spend your holidays?"

Pupil B: "Peckham. My gran helped with the fare home. How about you?"

Pupil A: "Kowloon. Flew Business Class on Cathay Pacific.....".

Re: Day Pupils

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 7:57 pm
by kerrensimmonds
No comment, Richard. You may well have captured it......

Re: Day Pupils

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 10:57 pm
by icomefromalanddownunder
I have personally experienced huge problems with fee-paying students from overseas both at Uni and a high school my son attended.

The institutions are so keen to keep the dollars flowing in that they will seemingly do anything to keep the pupils enrolled - to the point of basically having two sets of rules: one for local students, another for the overseas students. Specifically, if caught with drugs on school premises, Police were immediately called if it were a local student. Police absolutely not informed if it were an overseas student.

Some overseas Uni students seem to think that all it takes to gain a degree is to pay the money and turn up for lectures. If they fail an assignment they take their complaints up the academic hierarchy until they get what they want (a pass) - so Head of School gives in to student, often without discussing the matter with the Lecturer concerned, thus discrediting his deparmental staff. Not to mention the worthlessness of some degree certificates being issued by said Uni.

We employed someone with a science degree from Adelaide University who didn't know how to prepare a 1M solution of Sodium hydroxide from the 10M stock solution (a very simple 1:10 dilution for any non-scientists reading this). Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Re: Day Pupils

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 9:28 am
by Katharine
This thread just makes me want to weep. It is not the CH we knew and loved. I fear the real reason for CH is being eased out because of the money situation. I KNOW, I KNOW the money is essential for CH to keep going but ....

As to overseas students, when John was British Council Director somewhere that shall be nameless, the son of one of the government ministers failed his exams in the UK; said Minister rang John to ask what he, John, was going to do about it. !!!

Re: Day Pupils

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 11:00 am
by icomefromalanddownunder
I guess what upsets me most is that the people making the decisions seem to want the best of both worlds.

Luxury accomodation, choice of meals, etc, yet still maintain the right to wear the uniform and all that it stands for.

Nothing that anyone can say will justify what is happening to me. It seems that CH is no more.

Re: Day Pupils

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 1:44 pm
by DavidRawlins
There is a major problem that, with the current changes, that the supply of donations may start to dry up, thus exacerbating the situation.
It makes one weep.

Re: Day Pupils

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 3:12 pm
by Fjgrogan
Of course this is totally hypothetical, but if I were to come into a large sum of money, whereas previously I would have considered making a donation to CH, I would certainly not now be willing to subsidise pupils from abroad at the expense of more needy local children, especially in such large numbers.

Re: Day Pupils

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 4:46 pm
by Mid A 15
When I was a lad the School had approximately 800 pupils. 120 full fee paying pupils therefore represents 15% if I've correctly remembered the maths teaching of GHD Johnson amongst others.

The thought also occurs that if 90 full fee paying pupils out of (say) 200 are to admitted ad infinitum each year then that 15% will quickly rise to 45% as "traditionally admitted" pupils leave.

I have to say I agree with Frances.

Re: Day Pupils

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 4:56 pm
by postwarblue
It is also to the point that closing Hertford and Horsham going co-ed has already considerably reduced the total number of children at CH. But the books HAVE to balance, there is no free lunch for CH or anywhere else.

Re: Day Pupils

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 6:29 pm
by sejintenej
postwarblue wrote:It is also to the point that closing Hertford and Horsham going co-ed has already considerably reduced the total number of children at CH. But the books HAVE to balance, there is no free lunch for CH or anywhere else.
There was a pot to cover 850 boys plus +/- 300 girls = 1150. The school now has about 840 in total for the pot to cover - that is a drop of 27%

Yes, there has been a slump but
a) traditional parents are being squeezed until the pips squeak (see this forum) and
b) the administrators of the fund / pot are achieving over 8% pa growth despite the recession.

One has to wonder ........................