Christ's College

I am delighted to take up post as Principal of Christ’s College, having worked previously in two other ESF (Emmanuel Schools Foundation) Schools. At Christ’s we are greatly supported by our 5 sister schools in the Trust, sharing an inclusive Christian ethos and common vision, mission and virtues. We benefit from massive investment into our premises, with recently upgraded classrooms, a new art room, food technology room and music room, and with a planned million pound dining room extension to our Sports’ Hall coming soon. We benefit from a greater breadth of educational expertise and the opportunity for our staff and students to connect with colleagues in other ESF schools.

We are a small inclusive school, with the belief that all students and staff are of immense worth, being made in the image of God and thus being infinitely precious. Our vision is for all to flourish, in the knowledge that they are valued, whoever they are, and whatever their race, religion, gender or ability level. In lessons, students can therefore expect to be challenged, knowing that hard work accelerates their learning, and that they will be held to account for high standards of work and high standards of conduct at all times. We aim for students to be inspired, by high-quality teaching in the classroom, complemented by a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and educational visits. We support students in identifying and growing their gifts and their talents, and encourage them to carefully consider how best to use these, for the benefit of others.

Our mission, as a Christian Ethos School of Character for the whole community, is to have a transformational impact on the community in which we serve. Our students will benefit from a broad and rich curriculum that prepares them for their future careers. Our focus on character education encourages them to strive for personal best in all things, recognising that their character counts and that the person they choose to become is hugely important, and will impact on all areas of their lives, both now and after they’ve left school. We aim for our students to have a positive impact on their community, and we provide a plethora of opportunities to serve, both as student leaders within school, but also in charitable and community initiatives outside of the school gates.

Our virtues of love, wisdom, courage, fairness, self-control, humility and integrity provide students with a moral framework, and are exemplified in the life of Christ. We teach students about good character, and why it is important, and we celebrate with them when their good character impacts positively on others.  We pride ourselves on having established and embedded a nurturing, close-knit community, that is immensely supportive of one another and where every child is well known.

We are a school of high standards, and this enables students to flourish and strive for personal best in all things. Students have good attitudes towards learning, and take great pride in their work and appearance. Bullying is not tolerated in our school, and pastoral staff work hard to deal with any reported issues immediately.

We encourage students to think deeply, not just about the academic content of their curriculum, but also about big questions in life. We provide a rich tutorial programme for secondary students, in which they reflect on assembly themes, considering relevant applications for their own circumstances, and in which they study our Personal Development curriculum, which seeks to promote wellbeing, challenge risk-taking behaviours, and prepare students for life in modern Britain. In the primary years, the class teacher delivers age-appropriate personal development lessons, with students of all ages benefitting from external delivery from a range of expert providers.

We hope that, for all our children, the years spent at Christ’s College will be foundational, equipping them to be young men and women of good character, who will be excellent stewards of the resources entrusted to them and who will be those who use their gifts and talents for the benefit of others. We long that they will have a lasting impact on those they meet during their lives, as model moral citizens, diligent employees and inspiring leaders in their future workplaces.

We know that the success of our school is intrinsically linked with the support of parents and the wider community. We seek to work closely with parents, as we unite in our common goal of aspiring for the absolute best for every child.

Mrs J Normanton

Principal