WHAT? WHERE?

St Christopher School in Letchworth Garden City or St Chris (as it likes to be known) is a day and boarding school for 490 girls and boys aged 3-18. It is a school that prides itself on doing things differently – that means no uniform and first names used between staff and pupils. It encourages individuality and values opinions.

St Chris is 30 miles from both London and Cambridge and is a 10 minute walk from the centre of town and the railway station. There are fast trains to London (you can get to St Pancras in 27 minutes) and it’s close to the A1. There’s an extensive school bus network bringing in children from all over the county and there’s also a school bus from Highgate and Cockfosters in North London.

WHAT ELSE?

Created by members of the Theosophical Society in 1915, St Chris School was run by the Theosophical Trust until 1930. However, many of the founding principles and practices continue today and include tolerance towards all races and religions; an appreciation of the spiritual benefits of the natural environment; the physical benefits of sport and exercise, and a vegetarian school diet – although recently some meat has been added to the menu for the boarders, at their request.

FACILITIES

The Junior school (with an integrated nursery) and Senior school are separate buildings on the same campus. Everyone shares the main dining hall, 25-metre indoor swimming pool, sports pitches and theatre. Many of the buildings are in the original Letchworth Garden City Arts & Crafts style. There are new buildings too, and it all works as a whole. New facilities include Arunfield, a specialist resource provision and wellbeing space, and eco-centre Arunwood, home to an impressive array of animals. All in all, it’s a big site, with 25 acres, but it feels compact because everything is easily accessible. The grounds are immaculate.

NURSERY & PREP SCHOOL

In the nursery the curriculum follows the EYFS. While there are certain times of day when children are ‘taught’ skills as they would in other nurseries, there are many other practices that come from the nursery’s Montessori roots. Children are encouraged to do things at their own pace and choose what they would like to play with. They also take responsibility for what they have chosen and put things back in their place when they have finished. At lunchtime, children enjoy a vegetarian meal and are encouraged to go back for more if they want to (many do!). Weekly swimming, music and Forest School are also popular sessions.

In the Junior school, students are taught by a main class teacher and each year group is supported by a Learning Support Assistant. Subject specialists teach French, PE (from Year 1), swimming, music and weekly Forest School (up to the end of Year 4 when it switches to half-termly). Pupils also follow a topic-based approach (during my visit Year 6 students were learning about the Second World War and making Anderson shelters during their art class). Pupils have lunch in the main school – the food here is good, akin to home cooking and is served by a kitchen team who know all the children by name, and any specific allergen or dietary requirements that they have.

In Junior School there is a choir and a rock band and in Year 4 all students learn the ukulele – 51% of Junior pupils learn an extra instrument. They also have their own theatre hall – although they can use the Senior theatre hall too – and there’s an annual Junior School performance for Years 4 to 6 with opportunities for students to perform and work backstage. LAMDA is popular here too. Plus there’s a Forest School and lots of trees for climbing in the orchard. The orchard fruit makes its way into the dining hall. In Years 5 and 6 the pupils spend time each week in the Senior School – it helps with their transition to Year 7 when the time comes.

SENIOR & SIXTH FORM

St Chris has a strong pedigree in art and design, and you only have to visit the art and design technology departments to see why. You could be at art college. The students are utterly absorbed and you can see and feel their motivation. 3D Design is on the curriculum and a Creative Media Suite aids learning. From Year 9 you can choose a particular discipline: graphics; 3D design, photography, fine art and textiles. If you are doing an art or design A Level you have your own studio space.

The annual Recycled Fashion Show is a big thing at St Chris and is now in its 30th year. Previous shows have seen shoes made from human hair, and a cycle helmet and trousers made from surgical gloves.

There are also huge opportunities to develop your interests in music and theatre. Even if you don’t want to perform, there are many openings for getting involved in production. Senior School students take part in at least one production per year – this year it’s Chicago.

Yes, St Chris is known for its excellent arts provision, but it’s also strong in science and maths. Over the past two years, students have gone on to study engineering, maths, natural sciences, astrophysics and computer programming in a wide range of courses at top universities.

In Year 7 to 9, alongside the normal subjects, students also study critical thinking, environmental studies, with philosophy added in Year 9. A wide range of courses are available at GCSE level (including after school GCSE Astronomy). Not only that, all students also undertake a personal development programme which includes either a Higher Project Qualification (Level 2) or Global Perspectives (IGCSE) in Year 10, and life skills courses in Year 11.

What else? An Opportunities Programme (known as “Opps”) runs every Thursday and gives pupils from Y7-12 the chance to learn a new skill outside of the curriculum. Recent Opps have included bee keeping, kick boxing, jewellery making and VEX Robotics – in fact the Robotics team are so good they recently won the VEX Robotics UK championship and went on to represent the UK at the international competition in Dallas, Texas.

Other extra-curricular activities include the Late Summer Programme in the last week of the Summer Term. It involves a trip away and trips have included a golf tour in Boston, a trip to Pompeii and water-based activities at Lundy Island. Needless to say, pupils have a say on the trip they want to go on.

SPORT

St Chris has playing fields for rugby, football and cricket, and courts for tennis, netball and basketball (this year the basketball team reached the District League Final). You can play hockey and golf, and learn climbing, canoeing, archery and yoga. There’s a big sports hall and gym. There’s a great love of outdoor learning, with an outdoor classroom, a skate park, and a climbing wall. The indoor swimming pool is in its own building which feels like a leisure centre (swimming lessons start in nursery) and children can learn lifesaving, water polo, underwater hockey and scuba-diving. There’s a Senior school skiing trip every February and a bi-annual cross-school swim trip to Jersey (Y5 upwards)

ACADEMIC RESULTS

Academic and art scholarships are offered in the senior school. The school also offers bursaries. This year, 92% of students gained a place at their first choice of university. The vast majority of students who leave St Chris go on to university, art school or specialist colleges with a number undertaking degree apprenticeships. Looking at the list of university destinations, there is a high number of creative subjects: graphic design, film making, fine art but you’ll also see aerospace engineering, cyber security, chemical engineering, law and computer science.

THE HEAD

Richard (Rich) Jones has been the Head since March 2023 having previously been Deputy Head at St Chris (2017-2023) and Senior Boarding House Master at Bede’s Senior School in Sussex. He is open and approachable and is a firm believer in the core premise of the school – that the school must adapt itself around the needs of the children, not the children conforming to the rigours of an organisation.

On a practical level he’s dedicated to broadening opportunities and is committed to progressive education and moving towards the 21st Century. He has already introduced new subjects (including AI and digital learning), changed the shape of the day across the whole school (with new start and finish times in the Senior and Sixth Form), updated the co-curricular activities and introduced Arunfield, an inclusion provision.

QUIRKS

On campus there’s a house called Arunwood which was the childhood home of Laurence Olivier. His father was the Rector of Letchworth, Rev. Gerald Kerr Olivier. Its grounds are now home to the St Chris alpacas and pigs with an Eco Centre housing rabbits, geckos, snakes and more. Not only do the animals have a calming and positive effect on the pupils, the school is also now able to offer Animal Care as a BTEC and Year 7 to 9 all take environmental studies.

There is no religious education at St Chris although students at GCSE can opt to take Philosophy, Religion and Ethics. Rather than assembly, the whole school gathers for Morning Talks which take place three times a week – during this time the school holds a silence as a conscious moment of pause in the day.

The School Council, run by Sixth formers for the whole school, is also worth a mention as it is clearly genuinely empowered and engaged. It’s thanks to the School Council that St Chris now has more outdoor seating, a skate park, meat in the evening for Boarders and strong Eco Councils in the Junior and Senior schools.

PASTORAL CARE

Plenty of scaffolding here with a strong pastoral structure led by the Assistant Head (Pastoral) and Assistant Head (Pupil Development and Wellbeing) in the Senior School, and a dedicated Pastoral Lead in the Junior School. In the Senior School, Advisers (the name for a Form Tutor) know each student and look after their emotional development. In Sixth Form, every pupil is also assigned a Personal Tutor who they meet every week, one-on-one, to discuss progress, wellbeing, and future goals.

This year a Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) Lead was appointed, plus two SEMH Learning Support Assistants – one each in the Junior and Senior Schools. There is a “recharge room” in the Junior School for those wishing to take a moment to rebalance, and the Mulberry Building – the pastoral centre in the Senior School – offers similar spaces.

SEND

St Chris recognises the unique need of the individual with a dedicated inclusion team providing in-class support and one-to-one sessions as needed. Arunfield, a specialist resource provision designed to enhance a whole-school commitment to inclusion, also opened this year (Sept 2025) and offers those who need it a more personalised approach to learning, regulation, and emotional development.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

Mobile phone pouches are issued to all students (Y7 upwards) and are locked away during the day. No mobile phones are allowed in the Junior School.

ISI REPORT

The latest ISI Report is here, showing excellence with regard to the personal development of students.

WORD ON THE GROUND

People aren’t going to judge you here; you can be whatever you want. Opinions are valued and students are treated with trust and respect.

WRAPAROUND CARE

In Junior school, early morning club runs from 7.30am and after school until 6.30pm. Clubs in the Junior School run Mon-Thurs until 5pm with a wide range of options (most clubs are included in fees). In the Senior School, co-curricular clubs run each day until 5pm with everything on offer from table tennis to pottery and Minecraft. Homework club runs until 5.30pm each day and there is also flexi-boarding for those who need it.

BOARDING

Full, weekly and flexi boarding from Year 7 to 13. There are around 50 boarders – the majority weekly to save commuting daily from North London or further afield. Boarders get their own room with shared bathrooms. There are comfy, co-ed social spaces and a good programme of weeknight activities including swimming, cooking and games nights. There are also weekly Saturday trips to – recent outings include visits to London, Brighton and Cambridge.

FEES

Nursery offers morning, afternoon and whole day sessions starting from £31. Junior School day fees: £5,447 per term for Years Reception to 2; £6,814 for Years 3-6. Senior School £9,069 per term for Years 7-13. Weekly boarding is £12,296 per term for Year 7-13 and it goes up to £15,710 for full boarding. All inclusive of VAT.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

GOOD FOR: Those who who value independent thought, a broad education and want to step up and learn about decision making and taking responsibility from an early age. Also, if you appreciate healthy living, sustainability, environmental issues, open communication, kindness and respect you will do well here.

NOT FOR: If you’re looking for blazers and boaters, you believe that children should call the Head ‘Sir’, and you prefer meatballs for lunch, this won’t be for you.

WANT TO SEE FOR YOURSELF? Be my guest! The next Nursery & Junior School Open Mornings are 22 January, 21 April, 21 May and 16 June 2026. The next Senior & Sixth Form Opening Morning is Tues, 28 April 2026. You can also book a private tour to fit your schedule. To find out more, click here.

St Chris, Barrington Road, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, SG6 3JZ. Tel: 01462 650850

St Christopher School, Letchworth Garden City

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