Christ's Hospital

General information

Christ’s Hospital is in many ways unique, offering an independent education of the highest calibre to children with academic potential, from all walks of life in a caring, boarding and day environment.

Pupils’ fees are assessed according to family income, so that it is a child’s ability and potential to benefit from a Christ’s Hospital education that determines their selection. This results in a social and cultural diversity that enriches our school community and offers our pupils unique opportunities as we prepare them to take their place in the modern world.

We believe in the benefits of a rounded and balanced education for our pupils. In practice, this means that as well as a challenging academic programme, pupils are also involved in music, art, drama, public speaking, community action and sport.

The School has an impressive history of high academic achievement with an average of 10 pupils each year taking up places at Oxford or Cambridge, and 98% of leavers going on to top Universities in this country and abroad.

The School’s facilities

The Christ’s Hospital campus is nothing short of majestic. From the moment you arrive you’ll see that it is a very special place. Sweeping sports fields, beautiful buildings and our spectacular Quad are immediately visible.

We also have 16 boarding houses, two Upper Sixth Form residences, our own purpose-built theatre, modern sports centre, music school and art school. The School has recently implemented a major programme of refurbishment, which has included a complete modernisation of the boarding houses.

All pupils and teachers live on site, creating a community where children are happy and secure, with a wide range of activities on their doorstep. The seven-day week boarding school environment provides the time and space for pupils to develop their interests and talents, and to live and work successfully with others from a diverse range of backgrounds.

Alumni (Old Blues)

With a history as long and a rich as ours, it is not surprising that there are many famous alumni (known as Old Blues). From the 19th and early 20th Centuries, writers and poets such as Charles Lamb, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Edmund Blunden attended Christ’s Hospital. From the world of music, past pupils include conductors Sir William Glock, Sir Colin Davis and Charles Hazlewood (well known as a presenter to TV audiences of the Proms and the Culture Show). From academia, we are proud to have educated recent principals of Oxford colleges – Elizabeth Llewellyn-Smith (St Hilda’s), Ruth Deech (St Anne’s), and Alan Ryan (Warden of New College, Oxford).

Journalists Bernard Levin and Con Coughlin were also Old Blues, as were trades unionist John Edmonds; cricketer John Snow; and senior members of the military including General Sir Garry Johnson of the National Defence.

Outstanding theatrical Old Blues include Olivier Award winners Howard Davies (stage director) and Roger Allam (actor). Film actors and directors such as Jason Flemyng and Peter Hewitt, screen writers for television including Clive Exton, and comedians such as Mark Thomas also benefitted from a Christ’s Hospital education.