Tom Luxsox Coins

Cent Best

Is this Britain's best school?

David Cook is chief executive or ‘clerk’ of Christ’s Hospital Foundation. He explains how this historic school helps so many children

Q David, what is so special about Christ’s Hospital?

A “It was established by the young king Edward VI in 1552 to help educate poor and needy children on the streets of London. The school has remained true to this sense of philanthropy ever since and today it offers fee assistance to 80 per cent of its pupils and full fees to at least 14 per cent. We help hundreds of children from challenging or disadvantaged backgrounds.”

 

Q How do you manage to offer such extensive fee support?

“The Christ’s Hospital Foundation was established at the same time as the school and has grown over the years thanks to charitable donations. It now funds 80 per cent of the annual budget of the school every year.

 

“Up until 100 years ago, we were in the north-west corner of the City of London before moving to Sussex. We have enjoyed support from many charitable institutions in the City, such as livery companies. Alumni have helped with the running cost of the school as has donation governorship, whereby individuals make a one-off payment to sponsor a pupil for seven years.”

 

“At its peak, our Foundation was worth £320 million. Now it is worth £215 million because a significant proportion has been invested in property. Rental income is still good but the value of our property has fallen. We’re suffering from the same recessionary problems as everyone else.”

 

Q How do you help families on low incomes or who face challenges in life?

 

“We look at parental income and identify the ability of parents to contribute towards the cost of the child being here. At least 70 per cent of successful applicants pay less than 10 per cent of the cost.

 

“The need may not be a financial one specifically. A child may be part of a lone parent family where the parent is finding it difficult to cope. Or, it could be a family where one sibling requires disproportionate family attention, for instance a child with autism, and another child who has real potential is not getting the attention that he or she needs.

 

“Children from service families where a parent has been killed or injured in Iraq or Afghanistan may also have a real need, now or in five years’ time. That need element is a very important facet of our charitable mission.”

 

Q Where does academic potential come in?

 

“We look at potential as much as academic ability. It’s quite a complicated assessment process to identify those children that combine ability and meet the need criteria, but we have a remarkable success rate in that.

 

Q What kind of culture do you have at Christ’s Hospital?

 

“Six days a week the children go into lunch as their Tudor forebears did, with the band playing in the quadrangle and 400 children marching in, four abreast in Tudor uniforms. Whenever I watch this what really strikes me is the diversity of these children. They’re from all sorts of cultural backgrounds and are just like an extended family.

 

“Thirty per cent of children we assess would qualify for school meals, whereas in the top independent schools, it’s three per cent. Also, less than three per cent of our pupils pay the full fees.”

 

Q How do you enable social mobility at Christ’s Hospital?

 

“If the children have worked hard enough, and been focused enough, everything should be within their grasp. We enable great social mobility through the economic groups – taking children from the fourth quartile economically to the first quartile by the time they leave.

 

“I think that’s the kind of social mobility that many people would like to see more of.”

 

Q How do parents on low incomes afford the ‘extra costs’, such as uniform and school trips at your school?

 

“The uniform is free and school trips are heavily subsidised so there are very few extras to budget for. Also, everyone has the opportunity to learn at least one musical instrument free.”

 

Q How do you plan to maintain the school and support its costs through the recession?

 

“We’re having to be very careful with costs. We do have sufficient pastoral care in that the system works, but we’d always like more. We’d like to take on additional staff, but currently we’re unable to.

 

“Some elements of our major maintenance plan have had to be delayed, which builds up a backlog. All these economies are to ensure that we can continue to offer support to the pupil, though.

 

“We are doubling our fundraising efforts currently. There is a perception that we’re a very rich, privileged school but we have a significant gap between our income and our essential expenditure and if we don’t start to increase the size of the endowment we will have an even lower income in future.

 

“People don’t understand what the pupils here have come from and what generosity means to them.”

 

Q What do you love about your job?

 

“My job is incredibly worthwhile. If you want to believe in what Christ’s Hospital is about, come and talk to the children. It’s remarkable.

 

“There is no better example of how philanthropy can achieve the kind of social mobility that we all know is the right thing to do but we so seldom achieve.

 

“Every time I think ‘here’s another problem’, all I have to do is look out of the window and see these bright, sparky children and think ‘this is fantastic’. At least 10 per cent of our leavers go to Oxbridge and the other 90 per cent become first class citizens who realise their full potential. I can think of no better reward.”

 

Contact details

Christ’s Hospital, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 0YP; tel: 01403 211293

www.christs-hospital.org.uk

enquiries@christs-hospital.org.uk

 

For more details on independent schools in the UK, visit www.tom-brown.com

 

 

About the Author

I'm the editor of http://www.tom-brown.com - a guide that helps parents choose a school in the UK. We have a wealth of editorial on our site written by high profile writers from newspapers and leading journals.

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand PRE-OWNED - PlayStation 3 $17.99 SynopsisGet ready for explosive action as 50 Cent embarks on a new adventure filled with music and mayhem. In 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, 50 Cent discovers that his payment has been stolen by the local crime baron after performing in a fictional war-torn Middle-Eastern country. Now you and the G-Unit are out to battle across two countries to collect your payday and get your revenge. 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand slams you into a world filled with super-fast action set to a driving hip-hop rhythm. Arm yourself with powerful weapons and destroy your enemies by engaging in thrilling Run & Gun shooter gameplay and vicious brawler-style combat, complete with 20 weapons and interactive counterkill finishing moves. A soundtrack driven by exclusive tracks from 50 Cent and G-Unit helps to keep you moving at a fast and furious pace through the action-packed and hyperdangerous world of Blood on the Sand.

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand PRE-OWNED - Xbox 360 $19.99 SynopsisGet ready for explosive action as the one and only 50 Cent embarks on a new adventure filled with music and mayhem. In 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, you'll experience intense arcade-style excitement as you unleash pain on anyone who gets in your way. Steel yourself for a brutal thrill ride like only 50 Cent can deliver, and prove you have the fearlessness it takes to survive in 50's world. 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand slams you into a world filled with superfast action set to a driving hip-hop rhythm. Arm yourself with powerful weapons and destroy your enemies by engaging in thrilling Run & Gun shooter gameplay and vicious brawler-style combat, complete with 20 interactive counterkill finishing moves. A soundtrack driven by exclusive tracks from 50 Cent and G-Unit helps to keep you moving at a fast and furious pace through the action-packed and hyperdangerous world of Blood on the Sand.

Best Friend (Remix) $6 Best Friend (Remix) - 50 Cent & Olivia

50 Cent $10 50 Cent

Longinus on the Sublime by Cent, Longinusst [Paperback] $24.51 This is a pre1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. Author: Cent, Longinusst Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 138 Publication Date: 2009/05/20 Language: English Dimensions: 8.00 x 5.00 x 0.30 inches

Longinus on the Sublime by Cent, Longinusst [Hardcover] $39.64 This is a pre1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. Author: Cent, Longinusst Binding Type: Hardcover Number of Pages: 138 Publication Date: 2009/05/20 Language: English Dimensions: 9.21 x 6.14 x 0.38 inches

50 Cent - Refuse 2 Die DVD New $10.99 50 Cent - Refuse 2 Die DVD New From the producers of EMINEM AKA comes REFUSE 2DIE, Hip-Hop superstar 50 cent s gritty and unauthorized biography. From running the streets of Jamaica, Queens, to his first collaboration with Jam Master Jay, this is the real story of 50 Cent. Packed with pounding music, revealing interviews and cutting- edge animation, it chronicles the best-selling artist s rise from a life of dealing drugs to becoming music industry royalty. Synopsis: From the producers of EMINEM AKA comes REFUSE 2DIE, Hip-Hop superstar 50 cent s gritty and unauthorized biography. From running the streets of Jamaica, Queens, to his first collaboration with Jam Master Jay, this is the real story of 50 Cent. Packed with pounding music, revealing interviews and cutting- edge animation, it chronicles the best-selling artist s rise from a life of dealing drugs to becoming music industry royalty. Format: DVD Runtime: 81 Year: 2005 Studio: Alliance Director: Mike Corbera

Cent a Story! : The Best from 'Ten Detective Aces' $10.68 No Synopsis Available

Dance Paradise PRE-OWNED - Xbox 360 $24.99 SynopsisIt all comes down to this moment. There's no time to think as the familiar beats fill the air and your feet take over performing the choreographed moves to perfection. Your opponent waits for his turn with growing apprehension. You have the spotlight and the admiration of the crowd as you rock the competition and do what you do best just dance. Show off your dance moves in Dance Paradise. Dance to 40 international hit songs, including 50 Cent's "In Da Club," Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" and Starsailor's "Four to the Floor (Remix)." Practice perfecting your skills in Free, Career and Tutorial single-player modes or wage a dance war against another player in Versus and Attack modes. Take center stage as you set the bar high for this dance party.

Curtis Jackson- 50 Cent $10 Curtis Jackson- 50 Cent

Special Caricatures - 50 Cent $10 Special Caricatures - 50 Cent

49 Cent Calling $10 49 Cent Calling

10 Cent Billionaire $10.49 10 Cent Billionaire

Maximum 50 Cent $7.49 Maximum 50 Cent

Salon des Cent $19.99 Salon des Cent - Masterprint

Cent Jours by Capefigue, M. [Hardcover] $61.87 This is a pre1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. Author: Capefigue, M. Binding Type: Hardcover Number of Pages: 428 Publication Date: 2010/04/04 Language: French Dimensions: 7.01 x 10.00 x 0.94 inches

Cent Jours by Capefigue, M. [Paperback] $38.29 This is a pre1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. Author: Capefigue, M. Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 428 Publication Date: 2010/04/04 Language: French Dimensions: 7.44 x 9.69 x 0.87 inches

IGT Slots: Lucky Larry's Lobstermania - Mac/Windows $19.99 SynopsisForget the expensive plane tickets and hotel rooms. Why fly to the desert when you can experience the high-rolling thrills of Vegas right from your home? Saddle up with Lucky Larry and try your luck on big-name slot machines right on your own computer. IGT Slots: Lucky Larry's Lobstermania features two games modes, so you can get the true Vegas experience in True Casino Payouts, or play Extra High Payouts to live out a Vegas fantasy. Win big on five-reel video machines, complete with second-screen bonus rounds and animated features, and try your luck on classic three-reel spinners. Play single or multiline wagers, with up to 100-line wagers per spin, and earn your rewards on machines that offer a number of different denominations, ranging from one cent all the way up to $100. Pick a winner and select from an impressive list of exciting games, including Lucky Larry's Lobstermania, Cats, Stinkin' Rich, Country Cash, Triple Diamond, Moolah, Cleopatra, Betti The Yetti, Carnival of Mystery, Candy Bars, Triple Triple Diamond, Sizzling 7, Frog Princess, Da Vinci Diamonds, Price Check, 4th of July, Cats n' Dogs and Wild Cherry. Are you feelin' Lucky?

IGT Slots: Diamond Galaxy - Mac/Windows $19.99 SynopsisWhether you crave the bright lights, the sounds or the thrill of hitting the jackpot, casino slot machines provide an experience like no other. Now, you can experience the excitement and fun gameplay right on your computer with IGT Slots: Diamond Galaxy. Featuring some of IGT's most popular and well-known casino slot machines, Diamond Galaxy delivers an authentic and realistic slot machine experience. Are you ready to put your wager down, pull the lever and see if the machine explodes with lights and sounds for the jackpot? Imagine yourself stepping up, popping in your token, pulling the lever and hoping for a big win with IGT Slots: Diamond Galaxy. Explore a 3D casino environment with authentically replicated IGT slot machines, including Pharaoh's Furniture, Wild Horse, Kingpin, Triple Triple Diamond, Mighty Mammoth, Maid of Money, Red Rooster and more. Play three-reel mechanical spinners or five-reel video machines that feature interactive bonuses and second-screen bonus rounds. Choose to play with wagers in 11 denominations ranging from one cent to $100, and earn true casino payouts or extra-high payouts depending on your wager. Get ready to bring the casino experience home to your computer with IGT Slots.

The Bulletin, One Cent $59.99 The Bulletin, One Cent - Wall Decal

40 Cent Stamp $21.99 40 Cent Stamp - T-Shirt

Cent Mille Lieues $39.99 Cent Mille Lieues - Giclee Print

Rosier a Cent Feuilles $54.99 Rosier a Cent Feuilles - Art Print

50 Cent - Crime Wave $6 50 Cent - Crime Wave - DJ ReDo

Cinq cent mille miles $6 Cinq cent mille miles - Antoine Gratton

Format (ft. 50 Cent) $6 Format (ft. 50 Cent) - El DeBarge

Psycho (Orig. 50 Cent) $6 Psycho (Orig. 50 Cent) - DJ Cover This