Anxious parents

[Luisa]

That is really lovely, it brought tears to my eyes! I have visited the school on a 'normal' day when many pupils were in their home clothes etc & their attitude was still fantastic - they were all friendly & polite & seemed to be enjoying themselves. I know my son will love it, it's just me & his younger siblings that will be sad!

[sejintenej]

Let me add my congratulations to Josh on an excellent and evocative post.

He might have second thoughts about it but where else would have allowed him to be the Emperor for six weeks?

[Eruresto]

Oh and Saturday Salad! Every parent or pupil reading this, get salad on Saturday lunchtime - it's divine!

[J.R.]

Let me add my congratulations to Josh on an excellent and evocative post.

He might have second thoughts about it but where else would have allowed him to be the Emperor for six weeks?

Hear Hear Josh !

I think as you go through Christ's Hospital, leave and start your adult life, the true ethos of the school becomes more and more apparent day by day, and long may it do so !

[midget]

Well done Josh. Even though I have (and probably will continue) moaned about the way we were treated at Hertford, there is still something about CH!!

[CHDad]

I think that what a lot of people have said about remembering why you chose CH in the first place is correct. When my DS received his letter there was a feeling of elation swiftly followed by a terrified look on his face as he realised that he would be going to live somewhere else in term time. So the next weekend I took him to CH to watch a rugby tournament and of course we had a walk around the school. We both left with big grins on our faces knowing this was the right thing to be doing. We then had a period of waiting before the New entrants day in May, again we left that day feeling very happy with our decision. Of course it has now been a long time since the new entrants day which was our last real tangible contact with CH. As the big day approaches the feeling of apprehension naturally increases. However everyones comments on this forum has reinforced and reminded me why we chose CH.

[dinahcat]

I woud agree with Josh- the romance of it is very seductive and things like Beating Retreat do certainly bring a tear to the eye . It is also true that you have to go into the school feeling positive and proud to be there. I would say though, that all children are different and you do have to be quite robust to get the most out of it. I have three children at CH and they all speak very differently about the school-you would be hard pressed to believe they were all speaking about the same school. The youngest one is not as tough as the other two and will probably leave but that is in no way a reflection on the school-it just doesn't suit which I would never have guessed in a million years before she went.
I think if you live near the school you certainly have an advantage as you can go to concerts and matches and feel a bit more involved with what's going on. It is true that you don't have to worry about ferrying your children about and supervising home work and so on but if you live a long way away it is hard not to be able to see what they are doing or help them if they are finding it tough going.

[jhopgood]

Not quite from the same perspective, but I have just had Hugh Lindley to stay. He left CH this year where he was Band Captain, House Captain, played in the first XV and is hopefully on his way to do Physics at Imperial.
He came to play French Horn with the local village band, but also joined in very fully with the locals of his age, going to the open air dance at 1.00am and coming back at 8.00am. (Despite not speaking Spanish). Seemed to me to be a typical, yet not hare brained, 18 year old.
I had some interesting chats with him about CH, the way it differed from the CH I knew, the good things, and the disciplinary incongruities as he saw them, but he seems to have had a good time at CH and has obviously come out a well rounded individual.
I can recommend that Old Blues chat to the present generation of Grecians, so that we can better understand the school and its changes.
I don't know if he is typical, but if he is an example of what CH can produce, then I am more than happy to be involved and to help promote CH.
I also got the feeling that anyone going there with a desire to use all the available opportunities, can have a good time.

[fra828]

As one of the more recent pupils (I left at the end of last year), I'll put my tuppeny in.

The line "CH is unique" gets batted around a lot by all areas: the Headmaster, the teachers, Old Blues, everyone in fact. They'll talk about its history and its traditions and the possibilities that can arise there. All of this is true, but in some ways seems to be addessed more to you as parents than to your DSs/DDs as new pupils.

What I would say to them, and through them to you, is that CH is unique in its character. Each day is not merely another slog, but an adventure to be relished. Even in the most mundane events CH can create a sense of wonder: walking along the Avenue at 7.10 (if you're bright and perky enough to be out that early!) on a November morning, with the mist just starting to fade; the Saturday marching, with the sun shining brightly down and the weekend air among the ranks, still gave me a thrill in my last years.

CH is, fundamentally, a thing of beauty. What it does, and how it does it, is beautiful. If your DS, or for other parents your DD, can each day look at the school, perhaps as they're walking to lessons, or on a Wednesday afternoon sitting on the statue, and get the same buzz that they felt when they first entered the Quad on their Open Day, he or she will make CH their own, and ultimately they will come off better for it.

So to a new pupil I would say: "This is your CH: you have won your place here, and now you are free to make it your own." And to the parents? Well, probably the best thing I can say is, "Remember that Open Day. It's true that an Open Day is CH at its best, but truth be told the attitude of the school is much the same most days. Your child is in the hands of the best there!" (And trust me, they are)

Good luck for hopefully a prosperous and happy 7 years

Josh Bell (2002-9)

Sorry, this is probably the wrong thread to put it on, but does anyone AT ALL have similar feelings about Hertford?!

[anniexf]

Sorry, this is probably the wrong thread to put it on, but does anyone AT ALL have similar feelings about Hertford?!

[englishangel]

That was my thought too, but it was 25 years ago that Hertford closed.

[Great Plum]

Josh, that's wonderfully put... I know just the feelings you describe... Being lucky enough to still be able to go back and visit regularly I still get those feelings...

Oh, and CHDad, if your son gets Mr Holdsworth for English, then good luck to him!

[wickedwitch]

Daughter the first looked a bit teary yesterday when she was counting the days 'til 'leaving'!

[Eruresto]

Oh, and CHDad, if your son gets Mr Holdsworth for English, then good luck to him!

He'll need it I had him for my 2nd form and LE - had us in stitches non-stop!

[AKAP]

Oh, and CHDad, if your son gets Mr Holdsworth for English, then good luck to him!

He'll need it I had him for my 2nd form and LE - had us in stitches non-stop!

Now imagine what he was like in Mid B dormitory, as a pupil, after lights out and you can realise why we were all permenantly in trouble with the monitors and house masters.