Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Has anyone else had this survey in an email from Hugo Middlemas today? I haven’t looked at the survey yet but it strikes me as very bad timing. I would have thought that they would have left any such surveys in abeyance for the moment.

As I only had the one chance at Secondary School education, like all of us, I have no real idea how different it would have been had I not gone to CH.

Katharine wrote: ↑Tue Jul 23, 2019 3:42 pm Has anyone else had this survey in an email from Hugo Middlemas today? I haven’t looked at the survey yet but it strikes me as very bad timing. I would have thought that they would have left any such surveys in abeyance for the moment.

As I only had the one chance at Secondary School education, like all of us, I have no real idea how different it would have been had I not gone to CH.

Yes I've got it.

I'm no marketing man but it seems to have its limitations to me. Nevertheless I've taken a stab at it.

Yes, responded, pointed out that recent events have not helped my ‘engagement’ with the foundation

What survey?
Who is H Middlemass?
David

Hugo Middlemas is Director of Development. The link to the survey is linked to the email, as it now as I’ve completed it, so there’s no point forwarding it to you.
I was not impressed with the questions, they didn’t give enough chances to explain answers, options were too cut and dried.

Yes received it. Agree the timing is terrible, rather like asking turkeys if they prefer Paxo or Bisto...

As for timing, I guess the press has died down and was massively less for Martin's trial, plus they may have hoped some people were unaware. I wonder how many OBs aren't even aware of any of these cases. While obviously a very serious and important set of events, it's not front-page news on papers, websites or national TV news broadcasts. I would hazard that there are many OBs who aren't aware of anything, those who are not active in OB matters, and even if they get the magazines, of course none of this is mentioned.

The survey seemed to be a crass mechanism to identify where to focus their fundraising efforts; “What is your income and are you likely to part with it?”

I’d Be happy if someone proved me wrong

Otter wrote: ↑Wed Jul 24, 2019 11:33 am As for timing, I guess the press has died down and was massively less for Martin's trial, plus they may have hoped some people were unaware. I wonder how many OBs aren't even aware of any of these cases. While obviously a very serious and important set of events, it's not front-page news on papers, websites or national TV news broadcasts. I would hazard that there are many OBs who aren't aware of anything, those who are not active in OB matters, and even if they get the magazines, of course none of this is mentioned.

I suppose by participating on this forum we are involved with the school to a certain extent, so we know about these cases.

I thought their substantial donation of £1000 was set rather high. Yes, if you add all the donations I have made to certain charities it might reach that, but I’ve never made a single donation as large as that.

Haven't received it yet, but it's too hot anyway at the moment.

The secret of conducting a survey is to decide what you are seeking to prove and then to so phrase the questions that the surveyee (!?) has little choice but to give the answer you want. Of course, you exclude any questions which might give the surveyee the opportunity to actually give an opinion which would contradict the predetermined conclusion - free text boxes are to be avoided. Finally, just to be on the safe side you only send it to those most likely to go along with your predetermined conclusion, and deliberately do not send it to anyone else!

An outstanding example was the survey which led to the end of the CH Club, but there are many on these lines every day - political pollsters are past masters in this dark art.

David

I don't get any of these emails. I remember that someone from the OB office (or whatever it was called) got in touch with me just after I left. I told them I was leaving the country and wasn't interested in the place. They didn't push it. They haven't sent any of this stuff to my sister either, although she left before her UF on account of my family migrating to Australia. This was before the ubiquity of the internet made it much easier to track down alumni.

Katharine wrote: ↑Tue Jul 23, 2019 3:42 pmAs I only had the one chance at Secondary School education, like all of us, I have no real idea how different it would have been had I not gone to CH.

Actually, I can kind of answer that. I spent a year in Oz during my LE/UF and went to a local state high school. Well, to be precise, I went to two. I kept walking out of the first one after morning roll call because I was bored and the only two classes I enjoyed were motor mechanics and sport, but that's another story. My family were within a week of making that year-long stay in Oz permanent, had the immigration department posted their letter earlier we would have stayed. To cut a potentially long and rambling story short, I guess things would be about the same in academic terms. My grades and comprehension levels were about the same when compared to CH. I still would have played rugby, although probably league rather than union, given where we lived. Still could have gone to uni if that's what I'd wanted in that different life.

I think one big difference is that it would have been easier for me to pick up a trade in Oz. In the UK, with CH on my CV, getting an apprenticeship and going the City and Guilds route would have been tricky. It just wouldn't have been the "done thing, dear boy". The UK's hang ups with the class system seem quaint when you're outside of it, but annoying when you come back into it after being somewhere that's slightly more of an actual meritocracy.

Well, I've found time to open and complete the survey. Not quite sure I can honestly see the point of it.

I do wish the School would change the logo under the school name, 'A School Like No Other'. A bad choice of words in this current situation in my humble opinion.

I do wish the School would change the logo under the school name, 'A School Like No Other'. A bad choice of words in this current situation in my humble opinion.

Indeed, but a bit hard to think of what to say, isn't it?

The honest: "Now 'zen, now 'zen, 'ows about zat zen?' to be upfront about the associations.

The ambiguous: Keeping the current slogan.

The hopefully frank: 'We've stopped b*ggering about."

The truly frank: "466 years, a few rotten apples, hoping we've sorted it, sorry.'.

The plain: "A Royal, Religious and Ancient Foundation".

MrEd wrote: ↑Fri Jul 26, 2019 3:02 pm

I do wish the School would change the logo under the school name, 'A School Like No Other'. A bad choice of words in this current situation in my humble opinion.

Indeed, but a bit hard to think of what to say, isn't it?

The honest: "Now 'zen, now 'zen, 'ows about zat zen?' to be upfront about the associations.

The ambiguous: Keeping the current slogan.

The hopefully frank: 'We've stopped b*ggering about."

The truly frank: "466 years, a few rotten apples, hoping we've sorted it, sorry.'.

The plain: "A Royal, Religious and Ancient Foundation".

I love it !!