After several years of planning, and a lot of hard work navigating our way through recent new water neutrality legislation, we are absolutely delighted to announce that the construction of brand new facilities at Bluecoat Sports (BCS) has now started. 

The new development, thanks to the support of Christ’s Hospital school, will include four Padel courts, a 400m running track and a unique outdoor “Get Active” exercise adventure trail – the first of its kind in the UK.  There will also be a new access road directly to BCS from Christs Hospital Road and a new car park built on the north side of the centre, providing much-needed additional parking spaces. 

The new facilities will be available to members and students at Christ’s Hospital School, in addition to local sports clubs and other groups. It is hoped that they will be ready to use by summer 2025. 

The new facilities will encompass:  

• Four Padel courts – an easy-to-learn, fun and sociable form of tennis and the fastest growing racket sport in the UK.  It is typically played in doubles on an enclosed court slightly smaller than a doubles tennis court.  What sets Padel apart from other racket sports is that it is initially less about technique and power than tennis, so players are on more of a level playing field right from the start.  Scoring is the same as tennis, and the balls used are similar but with a little less pressure. 

• A 400m, six-lane all-weather running track with ancillary athletic facilities, including an eight-lane 100m sprint section. 

• A unique and inclusive outdoor exercise adventure trail based on a pioneering and imaginative approach to exercise and physical wellbeing.  Multiple activity stations incorporate a range of running, jumping, balancing and climbing activities. 

• Ancillary field facilities including a discus / hammer throw cage, 2 x javelin run ups, 2 x long and triple jump run ups with sand pits, a dual pole vault run up with 2 x landing mats and pole sets, a high jump run up with bar stands and jump mat, a steeple chase pit, water jump and a ‘shot put’ circle. 

• A grass infield will provide a landing area for the field events and will be marked out as a football training pitch for winter and spring use. 

Sympathetic to the environment and designed with sustainability at their core, the facilities will also benefit from an athletics store with a green roof to support biodiversity.  The schedule of works has been carefully drawn up to minimise the disruption to the ongoing day-to-day running of Bluecoat Sports and members will be kept updated on any changes that may affect how they use the Club. 

Chairman of Bluecoat Sports, James Maclean said, 

“We are delighted to have finally reached the point where work can start on this exciting development, adding to the superb facilities already available to both the School and Members at Bluecoat Sports.  The years since Covid haven’t been easy but that experience highlighted how much we need and value our health, and the mental and physical benefits of outdoor exercise. 

“The outdoor physical adventure trail will introduce an environmentally friendly, educational and sustainable resource which will stimulate pupils and members alike.  It dovetails perfectly with the advances that Christ’s Hospital School is making in providing an expeditionary education for its students that goes far beyond the classroom and promotes physical and emotional development in parallel with academic development.” 

To get in touch about the Bluecoat Sports expansion project, please email sportsproject@christs-hospital.org.uk

We are extremely proud to announce that on 18 October, at Mansion House in the City of London, His Majesty King Charles III received a Loyal Address from the Senior Grecian (head student) of Christ’s Hospital, Zaphaneth Puplampu, according to an ancient tradition dating back to 1553.

King Charles and Queen Camilla attended a dinner in their honour at Mansion House, held by the City of London.  Zaphaneth Puplampu had the privilege of delivering a speech (Loyal Address) to the Royal party, before approaching the King’s table to present him with the written version.

A Loyal Address from a Christ’s Hospital student is given during the first official Royal visit to, or through, the City of London and has become a long-standing tradition.  It is more often written down rather than spoken and has been accepted by many, but not all, of the monarchs since Mary I.  Queen Elizabeth II received the Loyal Address on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral, on 9 June 1953.

Zaphaneth said of the experience: ‘I am incredibly honoured to have had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of addressing the King at Mansion House. The whole event was surreal; I was surrounded by great people in an amazing setting, and I’m very grateful to have done it on behalf of the students of Christs Hospital!’

It was a great honour to host Barnardo’s for their 10,000 Voices anthology launch on 8 October.

10,000 Voices is a collection of original poems written by students in UK schools, the result of a series of workshops designed to celebrate the culture and heritage of young people of African, Asian and Caribbean heritage. The anthology is published by Barnardo’s SEEN and partners and shared nationally as a testament to the talent and diversity of our young people. We are particularly proud that ten pieces within the anthology were written by Christ’s Hospital students.

The launch was attended by all the students who contributed to the anthology, along with accompanying teachers and family members. During the launch, Ghino Parker, Barnardo’s SEEN Director, and Adanna Onuekwusi, Project Lead, both made a speech. All the student contributors were then presented with a copy of the anthology and a certificate on stage, and one student performed their poem. The event closed with a rousing performance by the Christ’s Hospital Gospel Choir.

Simon Reid, Head Teacher at Christ’s Hospital, said: ‘We are truly honoured to be involved in this remarkable project; it has been a wonderful experience for our students to share their stories and have their voices heard through 10,000 Voices.’

Ms Onuekwusi said: ‘I am immensely proud of what this project has achieved. From the 600-plus pupils who attended the workshops nationally, to the 70 finalists selected for this anthology; the dozens of educators who passionately supported them; and the 10,000 – and more – histories, lived experiences and voices represented in this collection, speaking to us in each word of each line of each poem.’

Christ’s Hospital very much looks forward to welcoming Barnardo’s back in the future for other such events.

Barnardo’s is a British charity founded by Thomas John Barnardo in 1866, to care for vulnerable children. SEEN is a Barnardo’s initiative seeking to create better outcomes for more African, Asian and Caribbean heritage children and young people.

On 1 October, Leigh Hunt A boarding house held CH’s first sponsored charity swim in continued support of the Stroke Association.

The girls’ goal was to swim the length of the English Channel – 34 km or around 1280 lengths in total. With as many swimming as possible, the hope was that everyone would swim 42 lengths in the afternoon. Most managed, and some of the more experienced swimmers pushed themselves to double and even treble that number. Even those unable to participate in the swimming helped, by supplying a constant flow of refreshments for those who needed breaks between lengths.

It was a tremendous team effort, with the girls surpassing their goal by 330 lengths to swim 40 km!

Please help the Leigh Hunt A girls reach their fundraising target of £1k by donating here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/leighhunta

What an amazing first talk to kick off the Kitcher Philosophy Talks this year! The question was what wealth is worth and whether economic growth is the best measure of social progress. The evening started with an overview of both philosophy and economics within the question by the chair, Mr Stannard. He went on to share his own experience, transitioning from an investment banker with a very comfortable income to a teacher and house parent, which brought moral gains and a sense of wellbeing. Mr Stannard ended by comparing countries with extreme wealth gaps as a challenge to the view that overall GDP is everything.

Our first speaker, Mr Bryant, delved into the question of what can define social progress and argued that measuring changes in average income is the best and most accurate way to gauge it. Mr Bryant contended that average income holds policymakers accountable and does not involve normative judgments; the numbers don’t lie. He did acknowledge exceptions and what is missed when only measuring average income but still maintained that it’s the best metric.

The next speaker, Dr Calder, incorporated a philosophical perspective into the argument and debate. He focused more on social progress and challenged the notion of what is meant by ‘the best measure’ since it’s a very normative statement. He argued that social progress is moral progress, which cannot always be measured. So, can social progress even be measured? Dr Calder then argued that happiness is desirable, and GDP does not measure this accurately. For instance, a plane crash or successful landing has the same GDP value, but they result in very different levels of happiness. Alternative measures like the Human Development Index (HDI) were touched upon, but he concluded that the main question is how to make citizens more virtuous people.

This led us to our last speaker of the evening, Mr Scrivener, who took the perspective of the developing world. He argued that GDP doesn’t paint the whole picture but is the best measure because it includes the most data points – the most economic information – while still providing a clear answer. This contrasted with Dr Calder’s viewpoint that more diverse measures are better.

We then had a half-hour Q&A session because many people had more to say. This included questions on whether environmental effects should be considered and the question of human rights records and exploitation of workers. We also received final advice on voting and what we should think about when voting. Overall, this was a wonderful discussion and a great way to start off the year.

By Emily (GR/Year 13)

The 2023 UK Social Mobility Awards Gala took place on Thursday 12 October, and CH took home a silver award for school/college of the year.

The winners of the UK Social Mobility Awards (SOMOs) 2023 have been announced, with Christ’s Hospital taking home a silver award on the night.

The UK Social Mobility Awards were set up to recognise organisations that are prioritising social mobility, through recruitment processes and progression programmes, outreach within the local community, or by developing innovative ways to create change.

Simon Reid, Head Teacher of Christ’s Hospital commented:

‘We’re proud to have been nominated for a school/college of the year award. Christ’s Hospital has social mobility in its very DNA, so it’s wonderful that our continued efforts to create lasting change are being recognised.’

Tunde Banjoko OBE, Founder of the UK Social Mobility Awards, added:

‘We started the UK Social Mobility Awards as a vehicle to raise awareness of social mobility and to showcase the individuals and organisations who are dedicated to its advancement. It’s fantastic to see all the work they have done to help provide equal opportunities for individuals to succeed.’

Earlier this term, Third Form (Year 8) classics students went to Butser Ancient Farm to immerse themselves in the Roman world as part of their Latin studies. The experience included seeing an accurate recreation of a Roman villa, handling and discussing some ancient artefacts and trying out Roman fresco painting and chalk oil lamp carving.

It was a fantastic day and very much enjoyed by all (including the teachers!)

Gratias vobis agimus Butser Farm for the memorable trip!

On 6 October the Debating Society debated the motion ‘This House believes that AI is a threat to humanity’.  Students spoke about the challenges that AI poses mankind, how it can be regulated and how, potentially, it could lead to a better world.  One of the speakers was ChatGPT itself in the guise of Mr Donoghue who is leading the school’s programme regarding the use of AI in academic work.  After the debate we were joined by Bea Vitkaus and Ben Kidd, both of whom work in tech, for a careers Q&A about jobs in that sector.

An update on new facilities at Bluecoat Sports Centre. We would like to invite you to a coffee morning at the school on Thursday, 19 October from 11am – 12.30pm where you will have the opportunity to hear about the latest developments on the project and ask any questions you might have to the project team. If you would like to attend, please enter the school via the main entrance and follow the signs to the West Car Park (visitors). From here, please follow the signs to the Hertford Centre, which is just a short walk away. We look forward to welcoming you!

On 2 October, our LE/Year 9 drama students performed in the CH Theatre to an appreciative audience of Year 5 children from local primary schools for an afternoon of Theatre in Education!

Based on folk tales and legends from around the world, the students’ performances were their own original devised pieces, so they were extra proud to share them with their audience! Stories included Elephant and the Rain Spirit, King of the Forest, The Blue Coat, and Persephone from ‘A Year Full of Stories: 52 folk tales and legends from around the world’.

It was great to welcome the visiting school children to Christ’s Hospital, and for our students to share with them these wonderful stories based on the changing seasons, cultural events and international festivals.