August 2013

Issue 87

The Christs Chronicles

Welcome to the latest issue of Christs Schools newsletter
Future events for your diary
2nd September 3rd September 4th September 9th September 27th September 3rd October 4th October 8th October 8th October 15th October 15th October Staff INSET DaySchool closed New Year 7 start only All students attend PTA meeting 300th Anniversary celebration Open Evening INSET A level Taster Day Sixth Form Open Evening Individual School Photos Parent Forum Meeting

Special points of interest:

Reviews Coming

Events
7 pm 7pm11pm 6.30pm9pm School closed 6.30 pm8.00 pm 7.00 pm8.00 pm

Sports News Messages Requests Advertising

Congratulations to our Year 11 students on their GCSE results

Inside this issue:
GCSE Results Sixth Form update Tercentennial Btec Photography PTA May Fair 2 3 4/5 6 7

New House System 7 Richmond Museum 8 Jack Petchey Cover Story PTA News 9 10 10 11 12/5 16 17

Please check the school sports board for up to date weekly fixtures You can also check the school events calendar, which is updated regularly for more diary dates on our website at www.christs.richmond.sch.uk

Ruths Message Sports Work Experience Adverts

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The Christs Chronicles

Christs School GCSE Results Day 22nd August 2013

Christs School is once again celebrating their GCSE results with 80% of their 114 Year 11 students getting 5 or more A*-C grades in this summers examinations; 70% of pupils gained 5 or more A*-C grades including English and Mathematics. Acting Headteacher, Helen Dixon, applauded the efforts and hard work of pupils, staff and governors and thanked parents for their continued support of the school and their childrens education. Education and learning at Christs are about developing everybodys potential and it is really pleasing to see persistency and commitment from everybody concerned pay dividends like this. Our consistent focus on excellence and high standards has again seen a group of young people attain results beyond those expected of them. I am extremely grateful to my colleagues who were so determined to ensure that all pupils sat appropriate courses relevant to their needs and who were meticulous in the interventions they put in place to improve the pupils life chances. We are particularly pleased to see that the number of pupils achieving the highest grades of A*/A has continued to rise. Several individual pupils achieved stunning results: Katherine Banks, Emma Brown and Ahmad Salha gained 9 A* grades, Emily Young and Sasha Simpson Vanner gained 8 A*s, Gabriel Alveteg gained 7 A*s and Asal Asl-Tehrani and Ella Mackay gained 6 A*s. We are also thrilled with the high level of pupils who have achieved the English Baccalaureate 50% of pupils compared to a national average in 2012 of 16%. Christs is a thriving community intent on continuing improvement, especially as we look forward to welcoming our first cohort of sixth form students in 2014.

Congratulations!

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Issue 87

Sixth Form Update

As we approach the end of a busy academic year and reflect on the progress of developing the new sixth form, I am delighted by the clear interest shown by many of our students and parents for this exciting new development for school. Our first sixth form open evening was a great success. Parents had the opportunity to discuss sixth form subjects with subject staff and talk to the panel of four experts to get guidance on how to choose the right A levels, university applications, Cambridge and Oxford advice and career pathways. Our new head boy, Will Imber-Coxhead, and new head girl, Hanna Stephenson, spoke about the growing interest in the new sixth form and students enthusiasm for the plans. Parents who attended were given both the new sixth form prospectus and course directory. The course directory includes all relevant information about each subject we are offering in the sixth form. An electronic version of the sixth form prospectus and the course directory are also available on the website. The feedback on the evening from both parents and students was very positive. In particular, many of those who attended felt they had got very useful advice and guidance that will inform post 16 subject choices. Our year 10 students are now completing their work experience and they will return in September as year 11s, ready to face one of the most important years in their school career. The new school year promises a busy first term with our second sixth form open evening focusing on life in the sixth form and a full A level taster day on 8th October. There is an extremely positive feel about the sixth form through the whole school community and we will continue to build on that next year. Matt Morris

Sixth Form Logo Competition

There were over 90 entries for our sixth form logo competition. All entries received house points and the 10 finalists were given 10 house points. We would like to give a special mention to Liam Wright who finished in a close second place. The winner, Spencer Kugele will receive a special prize and his design will be used for all future sixth form publications. The Finalists: Daisy Forrester, Maya Regan, Freddie Rush, Davina Silwano, Le-Sian Areola, Aleksandra

Congratulations to our winner Spencer Kugele

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The Christs Chronicles

Tercentennial Celebration
To mark our Tercentenary, Christs School has held a series of events, the first of which was a celebration service at St Mary Magdalene, Richmond at 11am on Saturday 18th May. The guest speaker was Baroness Shirley Williams who as Minister of State for Education in 1979 opened the main building on the east side of Queens Road. The original school, founded in 1713 with the purpose of educating Richmond children, was on the junction of George Street and Brewers Lane where present day Top Shop is situated. One of the original benefactors was Queen Anne who contributed 30 along with East India merchant Elihu Yale, after whom Yale University is named. First known as The Bluecoat School as all pupils wore a blue cloak and Christs present day pupils continue that tradition with the blue blazer. The school was for many years known as St Mary's Parochial School or National School and was for over 100 years based in Eton Street. The move to the present site at Queens Road was in the 1960s and it is only in the last couple of decades that the name Christ's was used. The celebration service was a mixture of music, drama and reading with the sermon given by Baroness Shirley Williams who spoke about her relationship with the school over a number of years and the importance of the school in the community. The Mayor was present, as well as the Bishop of Kingston along with Helen Dixon, the present head and 3 ex heads as well as numerous former staff, governors and pupils including one pupil from the 1930s. After the service, there was a reception at school where numerous archive photographs and newspaper cuttings were on display as well as some record books from the 19th century and two school newsletters in the form of books printed in the 1940s. In addition, our Year 10 prefects ran tours of the school as of course there have been many changes since the present building was opened in 1960. Our second event also took place at St Mary Magdalene which was a Choral and Orchestral Concert. The concert included the well-known baroque masterpiece, Gloria, by Vivaldi, a piece which is, like the school itself, three hundred years old, and which will feature the 50-strong choir of Christs School and soloists who will demonstrate the strong vocal traditions of the school. The choir will also be singing Mozarts Ave Verum Corpus, one of the most popular of all choral pieces, written in the last year of Mozarts life, and of which it has been said that it is too simple for children, and too difficult for adults. The concert also featured two of Christs best young musicians who gave concerto performances with the orchestra: Otto Sterner who is currently studying at the junior department of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, performed the 2nd movement of Tchaikovskys Violin Concerto in D, and Jasper Rose will be performing the Concertino for Trombone and Orchestra by Ferdinand David. Jasper is a student at the Royal College of Music junior department, and has this summer won the British Trombone Association's Carol Jarvis Trombone competition.

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Issue 87

Tercentennial Celebrations continued.

On July 4th, we held the final event at school: an Arts and Jazz Evening, After several successful collaborations with summer productions, the technology department, led by Valerie Busby and Michele Conteh were keen to work with Philip Wilson and the music department to develop a showcase event for the visual arts and a different genre of music. There was a lovely exhibition of all the best GCSE and BTEC textile work, art and 3D design on display as well as a selection of year 10 work from a project based around recycling denim to create a range of different projects. While browsing the exhibition guests were able to sample a delicious range of savouries, fruit skewers and miniature cup-cakes produced by the Lets Get Cooking group Christs students, under the direction of Ben Wetherfield, an extremely talented musician and winner of BBC

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The Christs Chronicles

Btec Photography Project

As part of their Btec Art and Design coursework, a group of Year 10 students visited Kew Gardens for a photography field trip. Luckily for us, the weather held off for the morning and we had a great time snapping away at the flowers and foliage! Here are some of our photos, the focus was on the rich textures and patterns that naturally occur around us. Once back at school we used Photoshop to manipulate the photos to create some stunning images.

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Issue 87

PTA May Fair

There was a constant buzz of excitement in the Christ's School marquee at the Richmond May Fair. Not even the odd torrential downpour could dampen the enthusiasm of the Christ's students and parents who helped out and all who came to visit. The plant stall was swarming with keen gardeners, the tombola was buzzing with anticipation, the cakes and lemonade were absolutely delicious and people were keen to bid on the silent auction. Thank you to all parents, students and staff who contributed and helped out. A special thanks to the students who did a fantastic job of manning the stalls. They really did the School proud.

New House System Trophies

The introduction of a new house system at Christ's School in our 300th year has been a great success and a dormant competitive spirit has been re-awakened with Attenborough, Dickens, Elizabeth and Turing houses all vying for supremacy as we close in on the end of the academic year. We are looking to mark this and future endeavour through the purchase of 3 new trophies to be awarded each year to the overall winners of the competition, and also to the houses who gain the most points in the sporting and academic fields. In many schools such cups and awards are often given in the name of ex students, alumni and staff or in memory of loved ones with a link to the school, so before we go ahead with this purchase ourselves, we felt it would be an ideal opportunity to ask if anyone in our school community would be interested in 'sponsoring' one of these awards in their name, in perpetuity, by making a donation sufficient to secure the purchase of a suitably substantial cup or shield which would be engraved as appropriate. If you would be willing to consider this please contact Mr James Butler, Assistant Head Teacher at the school

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Richmond Museum Press Release

Christs School Students Triumph in Museum History Competition Year Ten Students from Christs School were the proud winners of the Museum of Richmond's annual history competition: the Terry Denton de Gray History Challenge. The award was presented at this years Richmond May Fair by the Mayor of Richmond. The students were presented with the award in recognition of their imaginative and informative exhibition that they curated at the Museum of Richmond last year, focusing on the 1948 Olympics in Richmond. The exhibition highlighted the background to the 1948 Games and the fascinating stories behind some of the athletes who took part, from Fanny Blankers-Koen, the flying housewife, to British high-jumper, Dorothy Tyler. It also focused on the interesting part that the local area played in the Games, in particular the Richmond Park Housing Centre which housed, in wartime army barracks, approximately 1500 male athletes and 300 staff. One student who took part in the project commented that they particularly enjoyed: the opportunity to create our own exhibition. To be the creators of it The Terry Denton de Gray History Challenge is run annually by the Museum of Richmond in memory of Terry Denton de Gray whose love and knowledge of history enabled him to contribute so much to the celebration of history in the Borough of Richmond. The Museum of Richmond is an independent museum and a registered charity supported by the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The colourful displays span the ages from medieval times to the present day. Admission to the Museum is free, and it is open between Tuesday and Saturday, 11.00 17.00. (Closed December 24th and Bank Holidays). Contacts and Further Information Phillippa Heath Tel: 020 8332 1141 (Museum Officer: Education and Audience Development) E-mail: mor.education@btconnect.com

Museum of Richmond, Old Town Hall, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1TP

Richmond Society Photographic Competition

Richmond Society photographic competition: 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!' Young photographers are invited to enter photos that capture something that is good or bad about Richmond. They might be odd details of buildings, unusual happenings, nature, sports, anything. Age ranges: Category A under 12, Category B 12-18 years. There is no charge. Closing date 20 September 2013. Please display the poster in your school and encourage your pupils to enter. More details and entry form at www.richmondsociety.co.uk/photocomp

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Issue 87

Jack Petchey - Summer term winners

Erinn Ashbery Reason for award: Erinn is awarded the Achiever Award for for her personal attributes. She is caring, thoughtful, responsible, committed and shows appreciation for others. Erinn is always there to help others and is a great asset to her tutor group. She was a dedicated member of the drama team for the tercentennial celebrations. Also, she represents school in sports activities, in particular netball. Last year in sports day she ran the longest distance although she is not a good long distance or fast runner. We did not have any student in 8A who wanted to represent the form, they all thought it was too much to run.... and Erinn once again saved the day. She had to stop half way , she cried.....but walked all the way until the end to complete the race. We are most proud of Erinn, her attitude and courage. Finley McCool Reason for award: Finley is awarded the Achiever Award for being a fantastic team player whilst on the PE GCSE trip. In addition to this, he has given up a great deal of his own time to help out coaching the younger boys at Rugby club and is a great role model for these boys. Finley has been an excellent GCSE PE student. He has also shown a lot of commitment to the music department, and has played an important role in a number of concerts. Jasper Rose Reason for award: Jasper is awarded the Jack Petchey Achiever Award for his exceptional commitment and achievement in music. He has been a consistent member of the jazz band giving up an enormous amount for time for rehearsals. He has worked hard on all aspects of his music and recently won a national trombone competition. He has also contributed to many other aspects of school life by being extremely helpful in classes, producing excellent lass work and by being a good role model as a prefect. Julia - perhaps we could add the following sentence for the newletter: Congratulations to all our winners for this academic year. We continue to be extremely grateful to Jack Petchey for these awards and the benefits they bring to school.

This year's Jack Petchey winners: Alex Greenwood Terence Vancooten Dorsa Nasrollahi Sophie Fenton Sarah Deary Nikki Turnbull Finlay McCool Jasper Rose Erinn Ashbery

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The Christs Chronicles

Cover Story Competition

Richmond Libraries runs the Cover Story Competition each year for all 11-14 students. Students have to write a review or recommend a book they have recently read. Nearly all of our year 7 took part and competition ran from November to February. This year we had two winners Joshua Fitch and Daisy Degan and two highly commended Ayaan Rahman and Alexandra Isaie. On 2nd May there was a prize giving evening at the Richmond Library where prizes were given out by the author Elizabeth Laird who also gave a very interesting talk about her life and how it inspired her to write all her books.

PTA News -A Big Thank You

Thank you to all Christs parents, carers, teachers, staff and pupils who have helped make this years PTA events such a huge success. We raised approximately 6,000 from our three main events (the Fireworks, Quiz and May Fair), and had a lot of fun. The money has funded new sports kits and equipment. The events are a huge team effort and all help and support is really appreciated - from the planning and organisation stages, working tirelessly to help on the day or simply turning up to support us. A special thanks to the students who did a fantastic job of manning the stalls at the May Fair and those in the school band who played some great tunes at the Fireworks. Thank you also to the parents who have had estate agents boards outside their house for which we receive 500 for each event. Future Events Fireworks Friday 8th November at 6.30pm in the Christs fields. PTA Meeting Monday 9th September at 7pm in the Music room. Parents Forum Meeting Tuesday 15th October at 7pm in the Music room.

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Issue 87

A Message from our Chaplain Ruth Scott

Dear Parents and Carers, Another academic year has passed and the last term has reminded us all, if we needed reminding, what great students we have at Christs. The Tercentenary Service was a great success. We were joined by the Mayor, the Bishop of Kingston, and students and staff from the past as well as the present The school choir under the direction of Mr Wilson, and including students, staff and parents sang fantastically. The Year 8 drama group, directed by Mr Edmondson, and using mime and music took us through the 300 years of the schools existence, marking major events and discoveries during that time. This was part of the prayers of thanksgiving and celebration. Our student readers who helped lead the service rose to the occasion. Baroness Shirley Williams preached at just the right level and the atmosphere was great. Ms Perkins and her students made a brilliant school banner out of school ties. This was processed through the church at the beginning of the service. We also gathered photographs of all the students and staff in school and had them made into a photomosaic of the front of the school. This too was processed in. It is now being put on a solid backing and framed for display in reception. Revd. David Gardiner and Nicolas Baumgartner, from the Richmond Team Ministry have run a lunchtime discussion group for members of Years 7/8, picnicking in the Chapel. Theyve looked at wisdom, forgiveness, healing, transformation, love and community using film clips and bible stories to provoke discussion. The group will continue meeting in the autumn term, working on ideas that have come from the students. We started an after school gospel choir group this half term which the students participating in it have loved. We bought in two musicians who run gospel choirs in different London schools. They have been great. Sadly, because we have not been able to find funding for it, we will not be able to run it next term. If any of you know of grants we might apply for in relation to the gospel choir, please let me know. Ive had the pleasure of teaching a number of lessons on the RE curriculum looking at the situation in Israel/Palestine with Year 9s, and most recently looking at conflict transformation and peace -building with Years 7/8. A large part of the latter was sharing stories about people from the different contexts of violent conflict in which Ive been involved. I was really impressed by the concentration of the students and by the thoughtfulness of their answers in relation to war and peace. Weve also had activities week, Sports Day and the Duke of Edinburgh bronze orienteering practice and assessment days it remained fine for both! And not forgetting all the usual lessons and learning that make up the school day! I hope you have a lovely summer. Every blessing, Ruth (Christs School Chaplain)

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Sports Clubs and Reviews Ski Trip 2013

During the first week of the Easter holidays 12 students accompanied by Mrs Montague and Miss Needham went to Zell am See, Austria on the school ski trip. On the first evening it started snowing and didnt stop until the end of the next day, thus giving us fantastic skiing conditions for the rest of the week. All of the students made tremendous progress, the beginners quickly progressing to steeper slopes and the advanced group spent time working on their carving technique and improving their speed. Our accommodation was brilliant and included an indoor climbing room, two volleyball courts and trampolines, where we spent lots of our evening. We also went to the World Junior Ice Hockey championships, a fast paced thrilling game. All of the children were a true credit to Christs School and it was a delight to take them on the trip, thank you for making it such fun. Miss Needham & Mrs Montagu

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Issue 87

GCSE PE Trip

GCSE PE
22 Year 10 GCSE Students went to High Ashurst last month to embark on part of their practical controlled assessment. It is the first time we have used High Ashurst (Surrey Outdoor Education Centre) and it will certainly be the first of many trips. What an amazing place - the students lived in luxury, ate like Kings and Queens and they were even treated to bespoke cinema sessions in their cabins! For 3 days every student faced their fears and challenged themselves to learn about the many aspects of climbing. From bouldering to abseiling, they all excelled themselves and we were very proud when every student achieved 10/10 which means they have now scored 100% for 1/4 of their practical marks. The team work and encouragement to support everybody was exceptional - congratulations to you all. Many thanks to Gareth Moss (manager of High Ashurst) who looked after us all so well and ensured that every student was challenged and given the right level of support. Mrs Bromly & Mr Sedour

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The Christs Chronicles

Sports Clubs and Reviews SPORTS DAY On Friday 5th July, the PE department hosted the House Sports Day. The sun was shining, the Heads of Houses were giving pep talks and the pressure was mounting: which house would be the 2013 winners and get their name on the trophy?! Students jumped, threw, jogged and sprinted to achieve as many house points as possible throughout the day. Ms Perkins made unique banners for each of the houses and the PTA provided much needed refreshments on such a hot day. To add to the enjoyment of the day, it finished with a staff relay. The competition was mounting and there was a lot of pride at stake! In the end Mr Morris (Elizabeth House) put his sprinting skills to good use, crossing the line a fraction of a second faster than Mr Cyrus (Dickens house). The students then waited in anticipation of the final results. We knew it would be close; 1st with 655 points, was Dickens, 2nd with 573 points was Attenborough, followed by Turing and Elizabeth house. A huge thank you to all of the competitors, Head of Houses and staff who officiated at the different events. The day couldn't have been such a success with out their hard work. Miss Needham

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Issue 87

Sports Clubs and Reviews

KS3 Rounders Throughout the summer terms the year 9 rounders team have been working hard and dedicating themselves to practices in order to battle it out against the other schools in the Borough in the Rounders League. In many of the early games the girls played against year 10/11 students, where they set about proving themselves as a team to be reckoned with. There were a lot of close games and we had luck on our side with a win against Grey Court by 1 rounder and RPA by only half a rounder! Towards the end of the season we attended a rounders tournament and the team worked extremely hard to pull off a 5-5 draw against Lady Eleanor Hollis School. Although the students were the youngest team in the league they did extremely well to finish second behind Waldegrave. I have high hopes and expectations for next summer when they will fight it out for top of the league! Year 9 Rounders team: Lauren Canner, Daisy Forrester, Maya Regan, Amber Fryer, Tash Blackmore, Hannah Perks, Charlotte Cox, Sandra Arezina, Issy Urquhart, Georgina Plant, Sophie Fenton. Well done girls a brilliant league performance. Your dedication, commitment and hard work have been a credit to Christ's School. Miss Needham Year 7 Cycling The year 7 borough cycle competition was held on Friday 7th June at Waldegrave. Christ's entered two teams who had to compete in both an endurance and a sprint race. The endurance track consisted of three laps of the course which had some tight corners and hills. The sprint was over a 100m straight. The event - run by British Cycling - saw Christ's compete against teams from Orelans Park, Teddington and Waldegrave. In the endurance races the teams were in heats, with Luke and Miles winning their heats. The fastest two in the heats of the sprint went through to the final. Luke, Bosston, Miles and Frank represented Christ's in the sprint final. In the team challenge Frank, Luke, Bosston and Billy picked up bronze place and the team of Harry, Stephen, Salmon and Milles were silver overall. A brilliant result! A special mention must go to Luke Taraowski who won the top boys competition winning both of his endurance and sprint races. Well done to all those who took part. Miss Needham

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Work Experience
Our Year 10 students undertook a range of diverse and interesting work placements during their 2 week work experience at the end of the summer term. Students work placements included hairdressers, courts, schools, nurseries, creative and media companies, football clubs, sports and fitness clubs, the British Museum, hotels, vets, stables, the International Youth Arts Festival, Comic Relief, Homebase, architects, libraries and many more. Teachers visited the students in the second week and returned to school with glowing reports of our students behaviour, ability, talents and maturity. Some students were offered part time work, or promised a future job opportunity. As in previous years our students were a credit to us, their parents and themselves.

Ruby Wheeler at PWC

Well done Year 10s

Chris Short at St Pauls Cathedral

Hengitsbury Head
Geography GCSE students travelled to Hengistbury Head on their annual trip to explore the geological features on that coastline.

Students on the be ach at Hengitsbury Head

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Issue 87

Advertising

SOUTHWARK DIOCESAN BOARD OF EDUCATION

wishes to appoint a

Governance, Admissions and Development Adviser

Salary circa 24K (inc. LW) according to experience Based at the Boards offices near London Bridge, you will be working as part of a small, highly effective team with opportunities to work directly with schools on a range of governance matters. For this challenging and varied role, you should have experience of the education sector, be sympathetic to the Christian ethos of the SDBE and able to work collaboratively and flexibly in a small team and have a proactive approach. You will have a systematic approach to work and attention to detail combined with the ability to analyse and manage data. Good ICT skills are required as is knowledge of website management. The ability to deliver high quality training is essential. For an application pack, please visit our website, or telephone 020 7939 9470 or email: recruitment@southwark.anglican.org
SDBE is strongly committed to equal opportunities www.education.southwark.anglican.org/education/job-vacancies

Kew Association New under 13 Football Team looking for players

Kew Association Football Club in Ham is looking for new players aged under 13 (current Year 7) to play for the club in September. The club already has two successful teams for this age group and is looking to set up a third team playing in Division 4 of the Surrey Youth League. Enthusiastic players of all abilities are welcome. Players in the new squad will be rotated with the aim that everyone will play an equal amount of time and be able to develop their skills. KEW AFC is a friendly club that will try to fit you into a team playing at the best level for you. We play on Sundays and train on Thursday evenings. Our home ground is Ham Playing Fields, Riverside Drive, Ham, Richmond, TW10 7RU http://www.kewafc.co.uk/ If you are interested, please contact Ian Neal at getianneal@gmail.com or 07986 616941 for more information.

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Additional information:
To contact Staff by e-mail please use their first initial and then surname written as one word followed by generic ending: @christs.richmond.sch.uk

There is also a quick link via school website.

Term Dates 2013

Autumn Term Monday 2nd SeptemberStaff INSETSchool closed Tuesday 3rd SeptemberNew Year 7 only Wednesday 4th SeptemberWhole School Friday 20th DecemberSchool finishes 12.30 pm Half Term Monday 28th October Friday 1st November Spring Term Monday 6th January 2014Friday 4th April 2014 Half Term Monday 17th February 2014Friday 21st February 2014 Summer Term Tuesday 22nd April 2014Friday 18th July 2014 Half Term Monday 26th May 2013Friday 30th May 2014 INSET Days Friday 4th October 2014 Monday 24th February 2014 Monday 23rd June 2014 INSET days are subject to change. Please check website.

Christ's School Queen's Road Richmond Surrey TW10 6HW

Phone: 020 8940 6982 Fax: 020 8332 6085 E-mail: info@christs.richmond.sch.uk

Timetable for school day All students to arrive at school and be ready for registration at 08.30 Morning break 10.20-10.40 Lunch break 12.20-13.00 End of school 15.00

Winter uniform required: blazer, white shirt and school tie. To order uniform go to our website: http:// christs.richmond.sch.uk/ home

www.christs.richmond.sch.uk