Portal:West Sussex/Selected article/2

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Christ's Hospital (also popularly known as The Bluecoat School, and also by the nicknames "Housey" and "CH") is a full board coeducational boarding school located in the countryside just south of Horsham, West Sussex, England. The school was originally founded in the 16th century in Blackfriars, London and Hertford.

Christ's Hospital is unique for a British independent school in that it educates a large proportion of its students free, and most at a reduced rate. This stems from its founding charter as a charitable school. School fees are paid on a means-tested basis (in 2006/7 families with a net assessed income of £7,499 pa (and below) pay nothing in contributions), with substantial subsidies paid by the school so that students from all walks of life are able to have a comprehensive, high quality, public school education that would otherwise be beyond the means of their parents. In 2005/6 average parental income assessed was £14,275; over 50% of pupils are from families with a household income of less than £13,000; half are from single parent families; a third would qualify for free school dinners in the state system (compared to the national average of 14.3%).