Charlie joined Christ's Hospital with an Academic Scholarship in Year 9
Charlie in his Christ’s Hospital uniform, which he says is “surprisingly comfortable”!
Compared to other pupils, I started looking at options for my next school quite late. We only started thinking about it at the beginning of Year 8, whereas others in my form had started in Year 6 and 7. We had a few schools in mind but the two top choices were Our Lady of Sion School and Christ's Hospital.
In the end, I chose Christ's Hospital (CH) because I wanted to try to be more independent. I decided it would be the best option for my future. You don’t need a scholarship, but you do need to pass two entrance exams and a verbal and non-verbal reasoning test. I didn’t find the verbal and non-verbal reasoning tests difficult. The Maths and English entrance exams were hardest.
Now I’m really enjoying life at CH. It’s been such a new experience but everyone here was so supportive from the start.
The school felt huge compared to the small family feel of Sompting Abbotts. There are 100 children in my year now and about 45 pupils, of different ages, in every boarding house. Homesickness was a huge issue at the beginning. I’m not very social and so the first week I was just in my room and it was hard to make friends.
I got a great roommate though. He helped me understand the routines and once I was familiar with them, things were much easier. I found the best way to cope with everything was to get on with the schoolwork and force myself to be sociable even when I felt nervous.
Cranleigh Senior School frontage
Our school terms work on a three-weekly cycle. Every third weekend is either a leave weekend, a half term break or an end of term holiday. Saturday nights at CH, there are always organised activities. Things like film nights, discos, talent shows, quizzes. Sundays are very relaxed. The afternoons are a good time for pupils who are lucky enough like me to live locally to meet up with their parents.
The uniform here is definitely different! But it isn’t hard to get used to. Actually, I enjoy wearing it because it’s surprisingly warm and comfortable.
Rupert outside his house, East.
Weekdays, I’m up at 6.30am and breakfast is at 7.10am, with lessons starting at 8.30am and continuing until lunch at 1pm. Then we do marching for the Band Parade.
Some days, lessons finish at lunchtime; others they go on until 3.20pm. But there are always ‘actives’ afterwards, when you do sports or a club. I’ve been playing different sports, swimming and am part of the Spanish Society. Christ’s Hospital has fantastic sports facilities, sports teachers and coaches. I’m starting to learn the drums next year too.
Dinner is at 6pm, then you can be outside until 7.30pm in the summer and 6.30pm in the winter. Then you can relax in the common area with your friends or do prep if you need to until lights out at 9. (We have to hand in our phones or devices well before that).
My lessons end at either 2pm or 3.20pm and then you have your actives and prep time afterwards. We do have lessons on Saturdays but they end at 11.10am, with either actives or matches afterwards.
The other students come from lots of different schools. There’s a lot of ethnic diversity. Students come from everywhere in the world, which makes it really interesting.
The food here is pretty good. There’s lots of choice. Mondays are meat-free. Catering must be a big job. The kitchen staff have to cook for around a thousand people! We eat in a huge Harry Potteresque dining hall.
For my GCSE's, I’ll be doing English, Maths, three Sciences, DT, French, History, Spanish and PE. I am not 100% sure yet what A-levels I am going to take. But I've a rough idea of what I want to go on and do. That's to study to be a vet, possibly with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.
Charlie (top row, centre) with his fellow Year 8 Scholarship winner pupils at Sompting Abbotts