St Christopher's School

General information

St Christopher's School was established in Sackville Road in Hove in 1927, moving to New Church Road and its current site in 1944. By the 1950s, the School began to expand its numbers from 70 to 120, at which time its reputation for academic and sporting excellence became established. In 1961, St Christopher's pupils won every one of the ten scholarships awarded by Brighton College.

St Christophers School, HoveMaurice Saunders (Old Sir) joined the staff of the School in 1945 and succeeded Mr Gilbert Beall as Headmaster in 1956. Fresh from Oxford, Roger Saunders (Young Sir), who had been a boy at the School in the 1950s, joined his father at St Christopher's in 1973, succeeding him as Headmaster in 1978. By the mid-1980s, the excellence of the school's academic reputation was confirmed, with boys winning the top scholarships at Brighton College, Lancing College, Hurstpierpoint College and Christ's Hospital. The School became co-educational in 1999.

After thirty years, Roger Saunders retired as Headmaster in 2003 and transferred ownership of St Christopher's to his old public school, Brighton College. A Board of Governors was established and St Christopher's became a member of the Brighton College family of schools.

Julian Withers succeeded Chris Wheeler as Headmaster in September 2013, having served as a History teacher and Housemaster at Brighton College. He is married to Alison and has two children, Georgina and Oliver. Mr Withers is wholly committed to the broad education of every child. He places the nurturing of kindness, curiosity and confidence at the heart of the school's mission, while remaining fully committed to the traditional values of the school, so embodied in the red blazer and the motto, 'altiora peto'.

Today, as part of the Brighton College family of schools, St Christopher's continues to enjoy its long held reputation for academic excellence, for first rate sport and for a fine tradition in the creative and performing arts. St Christopher's is a modern and forward looking school, but a St Christopher's education in the 21st Century is still very much defined by the pursuit of higher things which its motto suggests.