Christ's College, Guildford

Christ's College is a Church of England[1] secondary school and sixth form located in Guildford, Surrey, England, in the Bellfields neighbourhood.

Christ's College, Guildford
Address
Larch Avenue Guildford , Surrey , GU1 1JY England
Coordinates	51.25559°N 0.58106°W
Information
Type	Academy
Motto	Discimus ut Servimus
Religious affiliation(s)	Church of England
Established	2003
Local authority	Surrey County Council
Department for Education URN	142490 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Chair	Colin Henry OBE
Head teacher	Mrs Sarah Hatch
Religious head	Rev R Lewis
Staff	107
Gender	Mixed
Age	11 to 19
Enrolment	678
Houses	Austin, Redgrave, Turner, Sibley
Colour(s)	Red, Green, Blue, Yellow/White
Website	www.christscollege.surrey.sch.uk

The school was previously called Larch Avenue School, later being renamed Bishop Reindorp School, and took its current name in 2003. Previously a voluntary aided school administered by Surrey County Council, in December 2015 Christ's College was converted to academy status. The school is now part of the Good Shepherd Trust but continues to coordinate with Surrey County Council for admissions. Christ's College continues to be under the guidance of the Diocese of Guildford.

The main intake of students is from the area surrounding the school, but the school attracts students from as far as Woking and Ash.[1]

The new building

In the year 2008, the college moved into a new, purpose built building, with the old 1970s style buildings being knocked down to make way for new rugby pitches. The new building allowed the school to be up-to-date with each classroom being fully equipped with Smart Boards and wireless technology. The new building cost in the region of £20 million and allowed the college to move away from its dilapidated old buildings. The new building was short-listed for the RIBA Stirling Prize in early 2010 being described as allowing the school to be a 'small city' with the main atrium being the 'town square'.[2]

Ofsted

The College received a report from Ofsted in 2008 with the School having a 17% improvement in the maths department. January 2009 saw the opening of a new campus for Christ's College which would also be home to a ski centre. In February 2010, the Department for Education reported that the school had 516 students.[3]

In 2013 the College was inspected by Ofsted again and was graded as 'Good', the number of pupils being 649 with 37 in the sixth form.[4] This grading was an improvement on the college's previous one of 'satisfactory' with the Inspectors being impressed with the pupils progress from Year 7 and the ethos of the college which 'promotes learning'. The exam results from the summer exams gave an average value added score for pupils which was one of the best in the county.[4] In 2019 the college was graded as 'requires improvement' by Ofsted on the grounds that pupils' outcomes had declined since 2013 and the 'progress of disadvantaged pupils and middle-ability pupils [was] well below average across a broad range of subjects.' In addition, the inspection found that though improving, pupils' attendance is well below average and students' behaviour disrupted lessons; staff did not apply the new expectations for behaviour consistently and did not feel supported when changes were made made to school procedures and practices. The report also states that the 'quality of teaching is too variable across the school' and that 'teaching does not suitably challenge pupils from their different starting points.'

House system

The college has four houses; Austen, Redgrave, Turner and Sibley. Each house is led by a member of the Sixth Form Head Prefect Team and a member of staff. The children are assigned a house when they start in Year 7 and generally stay in that house for the remainder of their school life. There are many inter-house competitions including inter-house drama in the form of the Drama Festival and inter-house Dance and Music in the form of the Dance and Music Festivals. Many inter-house sports continue throughout the school year.

Sixth form

Christ's College has always had quite a small Sixth Form. Classes are small. In 2012 the Sixth Form moved into a new Sixth Form centre on the College's campus which allows for a rise in uptake of places in the coming years. The new building has fully equipped classrooms and seminar rooms with a common room and a study room with computers for the students to use.

Charity work

The college does work for charity, with it regularly holding fundraisers to help charities in the UK or across the world to get money they need. Money collected from mufti days is often given to a variety of charities and money raised by Sixth Form events and RAG WEEK often gets donated to 'Starfish Malawi'. The school is linked with another school in Malawi to provide a two-way learning experience for both colleges.

References

1. "Christ's College Website". Christscollege.surrey.sch.uk. Retrieved 9 February 2007.
2. McGuirk, Tony (30 September 2010). "Christ's College Guildford by DSDHA | Building study". Architects Journal. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
4. "2013 OFSTED Report" (PDF). Christscollege.surrey.sch.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2013.