Most people believe that Independent Schools offer facilities well above those of equivalent state schools, but that was not necessarily the case in the 1960s.
A crowded environment
This photograph of the Sixth Form classroom at St Christopher’s in about 1967, shows the crowded nature of the room. It was on the first floor of the old building which was formerly a private residence. The small trestle table in the centre, was where Maurice Standring, as form master, sat smoking his pipe and marking maths homework in red fountain pen ink, while we all laboured with our own ‘prep’ after ordinary lessons were over for the day.
Great results are possible
The Sixth Form was the equivalent of Year 8 of the current school year system, and the boys were prepared for the Common Entrance Exam (Lower Sixth) and the various Public Schools’ scholarships. The boys’ success in their endeavours would certainly suggest that while good class facilities are desirable, with able staff and relatively willing children, great results were, and are, still possible.
Comments about this page
I was at St Christopher’s School for a short time aged six in 1947. The Headmaster was called Beale, and the school week ended with a well-told story from him, from classical mythology. There was also a teacher called Mr Stirling, who moved to Rottingdean School in September 1947, at the same time as I did.
I was a pupil at St Christophers from around 1968 to 1975, before going to Brighton College. I remember this classroom well, it hadn’t changed much at all before I spent two years in there in the lower, then upper, sixth forms. I have mostly fond memories of my time there, and of the friends I made in those early years. If anyone reading this would like to say hi, if you remember me, please do!
Add a comment about this page