Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

King and Country? Spot of golf anyone? You are such a melancholy lot.

I've read through this thread with some amusement / bemusement with regard to some quaint but what I can't help but feel are slightly distorted views on the 'ethos' of CH. It never has been, any more than the rest of life, the fantasy 'level playing field'. At least I certainly don't remember taking part in any mixed ability classes in my day, dominated by an atmosphere of elitism rather than inclusivity.
Aspiration and awareness of the notions of status and privilege are clearly a part of CH tradition. In truth, since when haven't public schools in general been synonymous in the public eye with yes-man deference/fagging along with croneyism/the Old Boy network? I arrived there in 1970 on an ILEA scholarship and there was certainly a fair spattering of sons of the well-off and successful as well as the professional classes.
Even 40 years ago the financial situation tottered on the brink. My own reservations about the school have always regarded the lack of robust leadership and innovation which seems to see it go through a more or less permanent – to adopt a phrase from my old headmaster – malaise. So what's the current deal with upping the percentage of foreign full-fee paying customers? Presumably as the Entrance Exam remains competitive that shouldn't deprive any worthy but monetarily bereft English soul from gaining a place? Or automatically lead to hush-hush privileges for forementioned premium customers? Again, that's up to the leadership of the school to enforce, surely. A liitle question of trust.

Don't get me wrong, despite myself and despite the inherent paradoxes in the public school system, I think that CH is an institution vindicated and validated over time, a potentially life-changing experience for a searching young mind, and that it would be a great shame were it to be broken up or to disappear altogether. In the meantime, anything that staves off the possibility of it becoming roadkill for beastly market forces is surely a good thing.
Roll on the Age of Aquarius.

The school’s Annual Review 2010/11 gives a breakdown as to how the school’s expenditure was funded for that year:

Unrestricted legacies and donations – 4%
Parental contributions – 18%
Other net income – 7%
Funded from investments – 71%

What jumps out is how small the contribution from legacies and donations was.

For those of us Old Blues complaining about any change in the school’s ethos, by allowing growing numbers of full fee payers, the cause of the problem may lay uncomfortably close to home.

We were charged: “never to forget the great benefits you have received in this place, and in time to come according to your means to do all that you can do to enable others to enjoy the same advantage”.

If the school is having to look elsewhere for extra funding it is because we have failed to discharge that obligation.

Assuming a long term steady school population, each leaver needs, over their lifetime or after, to pay for the costs of educating one new entrant.

The full fees are currently around £25,000 per annum, or £175,000 over 7 years. This is presumably based on the true cost. The school is fortunately blessed (due to the generosity of previous generations) with significant investments which reduces the amount of new money needed to fund each child. A quick calculation suggests that something in the region of £50,000 in fresh money needs to be raised to educate each child through a full 7 years at CH.

If Old Blues waited until the age of 25 to start contributing, this works out at £1,000 a year until the age of 75. Probably rather less with Gift Aid. Impossible? Given some, for various reasons. will be unable to contribute that much, those with broader shoulders need to carry a heavier load.

How many of can honestly say, when we last booked an expensive foreign holiday, bought a new car or the latest “must have” electrical gadget, that we had already fulfilled our part of The Charge?

Stop whining if you don’t like the current changes and dig deeper.

One thing to consider in terms of any increase in full fee paying pupils is how this impacts on The Charge. Those of us who benefited from a CH education due to the generosity of others should understand our moral obligations to help provide others with the same opportunities. However, if you have received a CH education for no other reason that because your parents have paid full fees, where does that leave The Charge? Where will the next generation of benefactors come from?

Thanks Yada!

simongibbs wrote:The school’s Annual Review 2010/11 gives a breakdown as to how the school’s expenditure was funded for that year:

Unrestricted legacies and donations – 4%
Parental contributions – 18%
Other net income – 7%
Funded from investments – 71%

What jumps out is how small the contribution from legacies and donations was.

For those of us Old Blues complaining about any change in the school’s ethos, by allowing growing numbers of full fee payers, the cause of the problem may lay uncomfortably close to home.

We were charged: “never to forget the great benefits you have received in this place, and in time to come according to your means to do all that you can do to enable others to enjoy the same advantage”.

If the school is having to look elsewhere for extra funding it is because we have failed to discharge that obligation.

Assuming a long term steady school population, each leaver needs, over their lifetime or after, to pay for the costs of educating one new entrant.

The full fees are currently around £25,000 per annum, or £175,000 over 7 years. This is presumably based on the true cost. The school is fortunately blessed (due to the generosity of previous generations) with significant investments which reduces the amount of new money needed to fund each child. A quick calculation suggests that something in the region of £50,000 in fresh money needs to be raised to educate each child through a full 7 years at CH.

If Old Blues waited until the age of 25 to start contributing, this works out at £1,000 a year until the age of 75. Probably rather less with Gift Aid. Impossible? Given some, for various reasons. will be unable to contribute that much, those with broader shoulders need to carry a heavier load.

How many of can honestly say, when we last booked an expensive foreign holiday, bought a new car or the latest “must have” electrical gadget, that we had already fulfilled our part of The Charge?

Stop whining if you don’t like the current changes and dig deeper.

One thing to consider in terms of any increase in full fee paying pupils is how this impacts on The Charge. Those of us who benefited from a CH education due to the generosity of others should understand our moral obligations to help provide others with the same opportunities. However, if you have received a CH education for no other reason that because your parents have paid full fees, where does that leave The Charge? Where will the next generation of benefactors come from?

An excellent thought provoking analysis Simon.

The only area I'd slightly question you is your comments re legacies and donations. That 4% figure you quote appears to relate to UNRESTRICTED legacies and donations. There may be others with RESTRICTIONS imposed upon them but the thrust of your argument is spot on.

What astonishes me here, and quite takes my breath away, is the figure of 90 or 120 pupils sourced from abroad! Hong Kong and Germany were both mentioned early on in this topic.
I live abroad. I have been told that unless my son can win a scholarship he has NO CHANCE against UK resident children. Why is this different for those who live abroad and have money? I see this as unfair and discriminative.
I only happened on this thread by chance, as normally I stick to the past, present and future parents, but someone I know on there has posted on this one and mentioned it to me, so I went to have a look.
I'm not too bothered by the addition of fee payers as when finances are better, as someone so rightly pointed out, they can be reduced again and the true purpose of the school can be returned to easily. I trust.
BUT - I am concerned about the discriminatory nature of allocating overseas places. I have mentioned this before on the parents section, but been quiet about it for a while, since my DS got through to the residentials. Now I find that it is only US and other possible poor candidates from abroad that are being excluded for our residential status, NOT those that can fork out the cash without the bat of an eye.
I am really saddened by this, as it appears to be one rule for those with money, and another for those without.
I am sorry, HowardH, if you read this, and think I am rudely spouting off, and I certainly don't mean to be rude, but put yourself in my place. I live abroad, cannot sell my house and move back to the UK due to the financial climate, my husband is severely disabled and there is no viable alternative for my son where we live. Yet these parents in Hong Kong and Germany, who no doubt could afford ANY school for their child, by reason of their wealth, are favoured over my child.
I am in tears as I write this as I am certain that come february my son is going to get a letter telling him he didn't get in. And his place is going to go to some child whose parents can pay full fees.

Lippizaner, no tears please.
We have no full-fee paying pupils from overseas in yr 7 and none applied this year also for next year's yr 7 entry.
Your son is competing on a level playing-field.

Lippizaner, I remember reading your comments on one of the other threads, where you were expecting your son not to get through to the residential exams, because of you living abroad. And he did! So I would just await the results first before again having a real go at CH, which confuses me as you clearly want your child to go here!I realise you are in a really tough situation and hope you ll find out soon.

Howard H, where are all these foreign pupils going then? As earlier in this thread it said 90, then 120. That seems a very high proportion. Had the poster got the figures wrong then?
I am not "having a go", but merely responding to what was posted earlier on this thread. I am greatly relieved (HowardH) to hear that it is not true of Year 7s.
Why is all this on here then? Frightening people like me. Which I have to say it did. I am sorry to say it made me very emotional about it when I read it.
Could you not have refuted the facts when they were posted if they are not true? It would make for much safer reading for people like me! I am nervous enough as it is, without it being added to.
Thank you very much indeed for putting it straight. I much appreciate that. I shall just keep on crossing everything everywhere until Feb.
Of course I want my son to get a place, and I think the school is absolutely fantastic. Everything about it is wonderful and its very ethos is to be hugely admired, not to mention the pupils it produces. I would very much like my son to benefit from the education he can get there, and this naturally makes me feel very very nervous! Forgive my jumping to conclusions.

I have just checked back through this thread to see where this idea originated. On 5 January Ailurophone stated that the Headmaster had already announced that a further 90 students from Germany and Hong Kong would be joining the school next September. If this is untrue, where did Ailurophone get this information from? Has the Headmaster made such an announcement, and if so when, and to whom? If not, where did Ailurophone get this information from? Given the distress it has caused to at least one potential parent, I think an apology seems to be in order, but from whom - Ailurophone or the Headmaster?

thanks FJGrogan, it definitely needs clarifying I think. And it DID cause me LOTS of stress, I can tell you! And as I am all stressed out at the moment I could well do without that!

Maybe this is out of place, but this forum is unofficial, and as such, should not be used as a way of getting information on the school. It may well be that the school is not very good at giving information, but picking up information on this site could lead to conclusions based on inaccuracies.
I am not saying that anything put up is not based on fact, but nevertheless there are dangers.
I personally think that HH has probably done as much as he can to allay any fears, although it might have been better to do it via a PM rather than on a public forum.
I have mentioned elsewhere that I consider CH communications could be improved, as could all communications, and will try and keep up the pressure. But in my opinion, this site is not the forum for providing official information, although I am sure the school does use it take the pulse.

Fjgrogan wrote:

I have just checked back through this thread to see where this idea originated. On 5 January Ailurophone stated that the Headmaster had already announced that a further 90 students from Germany and Hong Kong would be joining the school next September. If this is untrue, where did Ailurophone get this information from? Has the Headmaster made such an announcement, and if so when, and to whom? If not, where did Ailurophone get this information from? Given the distress it has caused to at least one potential parent, I think an apology seems to be in order, but from whom - Ailurophone or the Headmaster?

I got this figure from my son, who told me that the HM had given out the information in a school assembly. I was rather taken aback myself! If DS has got this wrong or misinterpreted what they were told, then I apologise unreservedly for repeating it here; I certainly had no intention of misleading anyone or causing undue alarm.

It appears that there may even be a lack of communication between the Headmaster and his staff then?!

Hardly the case.
The apology appears to come from ailurophile based on ailurophile's son mishearing or misinterpreting what the Headmaster said in assembly.

(coughs politely) Erm, excuse me, but could someone then tell us exactly how many foreign sourced full fee payers there are/will be? If Ailurophile's son misheard, he must have misheard only slightly, and can surely only have mistaken the number? Not the fact that there are some coming. Out of curiosity please.