Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

.... has just arrived through my letterbox.

I daren't even pass any comment yet but look forward to other OB's views

'A SCHOOL LIKE NO OTHER.' Explanation please.

I’ve yet to see it yet but the tag line ‘a school like no other’ has been running for a number of years...
Every school seems to have one it seems...

A quick skim read - I thought it was pretty good

I got it online yesterday, I’ve been opting for as much online as possible, given the paper mountain. It’s easier to read on my iPad than on my Mac!

It’s all a very different school from the one I went to!

The Christ's Hospital Book (1953) opens with an extract from the Report of the Schools Inquiry Commissioners (1867/68) which states 'Christ's Hospital is ... sui generis'. These days one has to translate even common Latin phrases, but this is where 'a school like no other' comes from.

Landed through my letterbox this morning. I actually think it's racist. If you're black it's patronising and condescending, if you're not it's discriminatory.

We all know that the ethos of the school is about helping disadvantaged kids. It's inevitable that this will result in above average numbers of BAME students and I fully support that.

What I detest is divisional Identity Politics and the current cult of diversity. I cannot support the school if it feels it needs to follow the current virtue signalling fashion and go down that route.

And let's not forget the tickbox on Pastoral Care.

Very ham, presumably the Marketing Department are editing it now.

Just tell us what's been happening, rather than using it as a marketing vehicle

I appreciate editorial space is at a premium in these financially straitened times but I do think it a pity that obituaries of sadly deceased Old Blues no longer appear to be published given the content of the last two or three editions.

Another tradition gone.

CodFlabAndMuck wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 3:57 pm And let's not forget the tickbox on Pastoral Care.

Very ham, presumably the Marketing Department are editing it now.

Just tell us what's been happening, rather than using it as a marketing vehicle

Who is it aimed at? If it is called The Old Blue, it is meant for us not people looking for a school for their little darlings!

My reaction exactly Katharine, glad it's not just me. Having read it I have no idea who its audience is, and I'm nit sure it does either; it seems to have been born out of a somewhat unfocussed sense that 'we need to be seen to be doing something'. New brooms at CHOBA will I hope be addressing this in future issues as otherwise it's a bit of a questionable expense. But good to see a paragraph on Onyinye, which did read well.

Adrian wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 1:44 pm Landed through my letterbox this morning. I actually think it's racist. If you're black it's patronising and condescending, if you're not it's discriminatory.

We all know that the ethos of the school is about helping disadvantaged kids. It's inevitable that this will result in above average numbers of BAME students and I fully support that..

I don't know nor care what the racial breakdown of the school is. IF they are going to have pupils' pictures then they shouldbe in numbers proportional to the races and sexes.

Mid A 15 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 4:05 pm I appreciate editorial space is at a premium in these financially straitened times but I do think it a pity that obituaries of sadly deceased Old Blues no longer appear to be published given the content of the last two or three editions.

Another tradition gone.

Even worse is the tag for full obituaries. Good idea but why oh why do they get the CHOBA website address wrong? Having found the right address why does the indicated pageshow "does not exist"?

I'm so glad I started this thread. The above threads echo my original thoughts.

I do however, get annoyed at the constant use of the word 'Diversity'. and the front page of this current edition rather exceeds the use of the headline.

As someone involved with the Old Blue for about 10 years, I see this latest edition as a continuance of something started with the demise of the CH Club.
The fee paying CH Club was replaced by CHA and then CHOBA because it was found it difficult to recruit young OB's and that an association of all OB's would resolve this problem.
At the time the CH Club funded the termly Blue magazine, and had sections for Housey News and OB news, split about 60/40.
When the CH editor retired, the new editor would only take it on if there was an annual Blue, as a result of which, the Old Blue was published as a separate magazine on a semi annual basis. Because OB's tend to browse the obituaries section, finding out about an OB's death anything up to a year late was felt to be unacceptable.
We thus had 3 magazine, the annual Blue, supposed to be a year in the life of CH, including Foundation, School and OB news, the Old Blue with Old Blue news and Housey with Foundation news. There was occasional crossover between Old Blue and Housey news. Housey was run by the Counting House and was part of their marketing literature. Gradually the Blue has also been considered as marketing material.
The Old Blue was friend raising, Housey was fund raising.
At the last AGM of the CH club, there was considerable concern that the CHA would become an alumni association, principally a fund raiser, but we were assured that this would not be the case.
Remnant funds from the CH Club were earmarked principally for the OB publications, but they got absorbed into the amorphous foundation pot and I could only get costs, which I controlled, but never income.
Because of cost restraints, we reduced to the 12 page newsletter we now have.
At some stage the CHA changed into CHOBA and became accountable to the school and not to the foundation.
This latest OB magazine seems to me to be a resurrected Housey, as it seems more directed at fund raising with articles on the school, rather than friend raising, with articles on OB's.
CH has often been accused of communicating poorly with the OB population, and I have seen no news on this change, so it might be all in my imagination. But it is interesting that the editor is the Acting Engagement Manager, and does not appear to be an OB.

Thanks John H. That helps a lot.

I wonder if CH will take any heed of this thread ? I fear probably not.