Agenda item

Report of Christ’s Hospital.

Members received a report of Christ’s Hospital School regarding the Impact Report.

The Director of Development at Christ’s Hospital informed Members that the Impact Report is the “principal” document produced by Christ’s Hospital which demonstrates the difference bursaries can make. No other school in Europe places as great an emphasis on bursaries. The Director highlighted two new programmes implemented in September 2022: Activity for Life and Learning for Life. Activiy for Life aimed to encourage young people’s interest in physical activity, whilst Learning for Life was designed to help junior pupils transition from primary to secondary school and senior pupils to develop skills for later life and employment.

The Director of Development welcomed views of members to enhance the report further.

A Member noted the recent success of the Old Blues alumni network, and enquired what had changed from 2020-2022. The Director replied that the main catalyst had been allowing pupils from years 12-13 to have direct contact with the Old Blues network for mentoring and careers advice. He referred to an online platform featuring 4,500 Old Blues which offered support to both pupils and alumni.

A Member asked how the £20 million in bursary support compared to previous years. In reply, the Director said that it is fairly consistent, allowing for inflation. In the early days of the pandemic, the School had had to increase support to alleviate pressure on parents. At the time of the meeting, Christ’s Hospital was at a stage to review bursaries for next year, to ensure that they could support parents and make sure their children could join the school. He also noted that the fee income for Christ’s Hospital was comparatively modest.

A Member expressed their surprise that only 14% of pupils were eligible for free school meals, as they would expect it to be higher. In reply, the Director explained that in many state schools the average was higher, but that Christ’s Hospital's measure of pupil “need” included social as well as financial need – free school meal eligibility being based on financial circumstances only. A pupil may have very high need based on their family circumstances while their financial position means they do not quite meet the eligibility for free school meals.

The Chairman praised the Impact Report as a powerful document both for marketing to those potentially able to offer bursary support, and when responding to political opponents of private education. He asked the Director of Development how Christ’s Hospital was responding to the potential political challenge. The Director replied that he was conscious of the potential threats, with each potential change, such as changes to fees, business rates, or the loss of charitable status offering a different challenge. In particular, a loss of charitable status would be a significant challenge, and the Director hoped that any political force would ideally look at Christ’s Hospital as an exception.

A Member referred to the Learning for Life programme and its emphasis on the ‘whole’ individual. They mentioned challenges such as foster care, and said they would be interested to see how this plays out in terms of what Christ’s Hospital can deliver. The Director said that the admission process was crucial, and can start from when a child is as young as 7/8 years old. Christ’s Hospital gets to know the family circumstances of potential pupils, and the admissions process aims to explore what their potential is, what support would be needed, and what resources are available. Members also heard that Christ’s Hospital has a number of therapists at the school and works closely with the relevant local authorities and social workers.

The Chairman requested that the Impact Report also be included on the agenda for the April meeting so that absent Members had a chance to discuss it.

RESOLVED, that the report be received and its contents noted.