Christ Church Cathedral School

At CCCS we are committed to developing and providing an environment that is stimulating, challenging and exciting and where pupils therefore feel fulfilled and confident in themselves.

We aim to get the best from every child in our School by setting high standards; through dynamic teaching; by focusing on the child as an individual and by ensuring that in all areas of school life there is a positive and encouraging atmosphere where achievement is a reality for all and where pupils learn to think for themselves and to acquire the skills of the independent learner.

We expect good manners and common courtesy towards all people in all situations and promote appreciation of and respect for difference: everyone here should feel valued and an important part of our community.

We believe that this can be most effectively achieved if there is a healthy partnership between the School, pupils and parents. As a school rooted in the traditions of the Church of England, we have, as a central purpose, the development of the spiritual and moral lives of our pupils with the corresponding expectations of behaviour towards others and to both the school and wider communities.

We also seek to encourage pupils to approach new challenges with confidence, not fearing failure but learning from it. Finally we aim to produce pupils who are resourceful, motivated, imaginative and reflective so that when they leave our School, they will relish the challenges of life and be ready to flourish at their chosen senior schools.

We have three departments: the Nursery (for boys and girls aged 3-4) housed in Cardinal Wolsey’s former residence; the Pre-Prep (for boys aged 4-6) and Prep (boys 7-13) mostly accommodated in the modern Walton Centre. We build on long and strong traditions but look forward, aiming to prepare each boy for the challenges of the next stage of his education, to nurture talent and to build self-esteem.

We have tried on our website to give you a flavour of our busy, happy and successful School, but words and pictures can only go so far: there is no substitute for seeing us for yourself. When you visit you will be assured of a warm welcome and we hope that you will decide, as so many other parents have done, that you could see your child learning, playing and thriving at Christ Church Cathedral School.

The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Everything written in this website is premised upon that fact and we are always mindful of this when formulating responses and strategies.

Our Nursery is where the story begins. It is housed in a 16th century building in which Cardinal Wolsey sketched the plans for his college with a garden in the shadow of Christ Church's imposing frontage.

The Nursery follows the Montessori philosophy and approach to learning combined with other more traditional methods of teaching. The underlying philosophy of the Montessori approach is to cultivate each child’s innate curiosity whilst developing concentration, coordination, independence and order.

Our experienced staff aim to instil a love of learning, independence and a sense of having a meaningful place in our community here at CCCS. The Headmaster reads to the Nursery every week.

The Pre-Preparatory Department, which includes Reception, Form 1 and Form 2, is where the foundations are consolidated. Class sizes throughout Pre-Prep are small - 16 in Reception and 18 in Forms 1 and 2 – which allows our teachers to focus on each boy as an individual.

Pre-Prep New.jpgUnder the close direction of our Head of Pre-Prep, Miss Farmer, the boys are encouraged and motivated in the wide range of academic, musical and sporting activities on offer. Our inspirational teaching staff ensure that the boys are fully engaged and challenged throughout their school day in a nurturing and caring atmosphere. Specialist class music is standard and instrumental tuition is available for those who show early promise. Children take home their books to read with parents each day and are gradually introduced to short tasks for homework.

Our curriculum is broadly based on that set by the government (ie the Early Years Foundation Stage in Reception and the National Curriculum), although we often teach well in advance of these requirements and enjoy the freedom to follow the boys' interests and go off at a tangent where appropriate.

Our strong belief is that if boys are allowed to be boys they will, ironically, mature more quickly.

If they are educated in a context where their imaginations are sparked, where their curiosity is engaged and where they enjoy themselves, they will start thinking for themselves, they will work hard and they will care profoundly about the work they are doing. In essence they will succeed in all walks of life, most particularly academically.

Our boys learn to voice their views fearlessly; they learn that to ask questions is the best way of learning how to answer them. We believe that pupils thrive when they are happy; they are happy when they are treated with kindness and consideration and when the expectations placed on them are high. To treat them otherwise is not to take them seriously.