Christ's Hospital received the top overall award for Independent School of the Year this year and was recognised as the school which embodies accessibility, sensitivity and responsiveness to pupil need, and its unremitting determination to offer to all the kind of education that every child deserves. 

Head Teacher, Simon Reid, writes about what this award means to Christ’s Hospital and its 500-year-old mission. 

It brings a real joy to see the hard work of everyone at the school acknowledged by the overall award for Independent School of the Year and, to be recognised, alongside that, with the top award in the Performing Arts category.  Our historic mission is to provide a nurturing education to transform the lives of children from all backgrounds. Acknowledgement like this award reaffirms our position as one of the leading independent schools in the UK educational landscape and an engine for social mobility. 

Christ’s Hospital is well known for its yellow socks and Tudor uniform, but this is a school where tradition and transformation are woven inextricably together.

Christ’s Hospital was originally founded nearly 500 years ago as one of the famous Royal Hospitals of London, marking the beginning of the social services in Tudor England. Inspired by a sermon by the Bishop of London, the young King Edward VI instructed the Lord Mayor to appoint a committee of leading citizens to consider remedies and relief for the City’s homeless and poor.  Christ’s Hospital, established in the monastery of the Grey Friars in Newgate Street, embraced the task of educating and nourishing the children of the City – many of them in extreme need.

When the school moved out of London to Horsham in the early 20th century Christ’s Hospital took its traditions with it as well as amazing artefacts, statues and paintings which provide an atmosphere still steeped in tradition. In early October the whole school went to St Paul’s Cathedral to celebrate those centuries old links with the City.  After the service, attended by the school’s president the Duke of Gloucester, the students marched through the streets of London to Guildhall to participate in the customary ceremony of accepting a newly minted coin from the Lord Mayor.   

Our traditional values do not change, but over the years the Christ’s Hospital educational experience has continually transformed to respond to our changing society and the needs and expectations of children and parents. Today’s Christ’s Hospital has a rich blend of UK and international students representing families from right across the income scale – all coming together to benefit from the extraordinary range of opportunities that we can offer. Academic ambition combines with performance passion, sporting spirit, artistic achievement and, most recently, expeditionary education to stretch every child to find their route to future success. We prepare our students for life in an ever-changing world – embracing new academic subjects, using technology in the classroom, developing individual talents and confidence, helping them find lasting friends, caring for them ever more pastorally to ensure they are being fully supported throughout their time at Christ’s Hospital.

We deliberately keep the best of the old and marry it thoughtfully with the new to give children a fantastic experience that, many tell us, has a huge impact on their lives and prepares them to make a positive impact in the world when they leave. 

This a wonderfully exciting time for our remarkable school and we are thrilled that this award gives us an even bigger opportunity to reach families who would love their children to become part of our amazing community.

Find out more about this incredible institution by visiting the website.