St Christopher School, Letchworth

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St Christopher School is a mixed day/boarding independent school in Letchworth, Hertfordshire and a long-time proponent of progressive education. The school was set up in 1915 shortly after Ebenezer Howard founded Letchworth Garden City. It was to be a school 'where members of different faiths shall be encouraged to mix together and in this way to learn a respect and tolerance for beliefs other than their own'. Overall the aim was to create a community that would encourage the positive development of all the capacities that lie within the child. "We treat our young people as individuals and aim for them to develop competence and resourcefulness, social conscience and moral courage, the capacity for friendship and a true zest for life" is St Chris' ethos.

The school motto used to be "The Utmost for The Highest"

Notable hallmarks include the lack of school uniform and the freedom and encouragement to address teachers by their first names, as well as being entirely vegetarian. Until recently all Major Officials (the school's equivalent of a prefect) were nominated and elected by school pupils. Students and staff alike had a say at the school council meeting and the School Meeting, but the headmaster reserved the right to veto any he deemed unworkable or unacceptable. A move back towards this system has recently begun under headmaster Richard Palmer who has held the post since 2006.

The school offers a number of annual trips including Ladakh, Kosovo and Rajasthan, along with some DoE (Duke of Edinburgh Award) expeditions. These are generally (but not always) taken as part of a short programme of activities at the end of the Summer Term known as the Late Summer Programme.

The school was founded in 1915 by Dr Armstrong Smith. In 1919, Beatrice Ensor and Isabel King assumed joint headship following Smith's retirement the previous year, but both women left to found Frensham Heights in Surrey in 1925.

The School in its present form developed under the guidance of Lyn and Eleanor Harris (1925-1953) and their son Nicholas (1954-1980). Following Nicholas's death in a road accident on the island of Gozo in Malta, the governors hired Colin Reid, essentially to carry on his work.

Colin Reid was Head from 1981-2004. There were many changes, and, some say, a loss of much of the early idealism from the mid 1990s, and references to inspiration by A. S. Neill of Summerhill School at Leiston, in Suffolk, are now more or less of historical interest only. But the ethos of the school remained very much intact and Colin and his wife Betsy, who taught History, retired in 2004 with great respect from past and present staff and pupils.

The headmaster for the next two years was Donald Wilkinson, who made many changes to the running of the school during his short spell, and notably tried to increase his control over the staff and pupils alike. Mr Wilkinson's alterations to the way the school was run, including its system of self government and its policy on pupils with special educational needs were extremely unpopular amongst students, parents and teachers alike and were felt by many to be contrary to much of what St Chris had always stood for. Rumours that he wanted to reverse the school's stance on school uniform or close down its art department were, however, unfounded. Mass redundancies across the staff also contributed to his unpopularity.

Donald Wilkinson announced his resignation from the post on 28th September 2006, citing personal reasons. The Chairman of Governors thanked Donald for his contribution to the development of the School and in particular for the raising of exam results both at GCSE and A level.

The current Head is Richard Palmer. Mr Palmer had had quite a history already with the school. During the 1980s he studied at St Chris during a gap year and returned a few years later, this time doing teaching practice. Richard joined the permanent staff in 1989 and taught Craft, Design and Technology as well as serving as a boarding house tutor before leaving in the mid 1990s. Having taught elsewhere and gained experience as a deputy head in Cambridge, Richard returned in 2004 as Head of the Junior School. He served as Acting Head of the whole school in the interregnum following Donald Wilkinson's abrupt departure but on the 11th December 2006, he was announced as the permanent Headmaster after three other candidates had been considered and subsequently rejected. While wishing to continue the high academic standard, he has also in the eyes of many, helped re-centre the school on its proper focus, not only encouraging a proper work/play balance but also re-opening one of four boarding houses which had closed over the preceding decade.