Beyond the Prep School Classroom

Pupils at St Christopher’s are exposed to Music and Drama from a young age and enjoy performing in front of their peers and parents on a regular basis.

Every child receives music lessons each week with our specialist teachers and can opt to have additional LAMDA drama lessons. Essential skills are developed including singing, percussion, musical theory, public speaking and performance.

Most of the children at St Christopher’s learn a musical instrument. Lessons are delivered by our talented team of visiting music teachers and we have an excellent record of results in Music examinations.

In Drama, each year group has the opportunity to take part in a production. Over the last few years, we have seen productions of The Greatest Showman, Little Shop of Horrors, Hairspray, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, A Christmas Carol and Annie!

Pupils take part in the Shakespeare Schools’ Festival every year at The Old Market Theatre, performing a 30 minute adaptation of a Shakespeare play to a rapt audience. In the Summer Term, the Upper School take over the Barn Theatre in Southwick for a week for the dramatic highlight of the year, the Senior play!

Our programme of Art offers rich and diverse opportunities to extend and develop pupils’ art skills and knowledge.  Educational visits to art exhibitions in both local and national galleries, local landmarks, and cross-curricular trips all inspire a range of projects.

Excellence in art is celebrated through vibrant displays beyond the art room into all areas of the school. Art assemblies give pupils the opportunity to show and talk about their work and projects to the whole school.  Annual public art exhibitions are held, and all pupils are encouraged to enter a variety of art competitions.

Upper School pupils who show exceptional interest and talent are encouraged to submit portfolios of work for a range of 13+ Art Awards and Scholarships.  After school Art clubs and masterclasses are offered to our gifted and talented pupils.

Sport at St Christopher’s centres on healthy competition, participation at all levels and, most importantly, enjoyment. The school is committed to offering positive and inclusive sports sessions for all pupils, as well as achieving excellence at the top level.

All pupils’ gain an opportunity to represent the school and we aim to have as many teams as possible from Years 3-8 playing our five major sports of Cricket, Football, Hockey, Netball and Rugby. Teamwork is a key element in our approach and this is reflected in a strong team spirit when our boys and girls play other schools. The importance of good sportsmanship is stressed at all levels. Our A teams are selected on skill and ability to challenge our best sporting children and our B teams and below are rotated so every child gets the chance to represent the school in a match.

Many of our top sportsmen and sportswomen achieve Sports Scholarships to Brighton College, Hurstpierpoint College, Lancing College, Bede’s, and Ardingly.

Pupils in Year 4-8 head to our Prep Club if they are staying after the end of the school day. Prep Club is supervised by teaching staff and children can do their homework or read quietly until pick-ups at 5pm or 5.30pm.

At St Christopher’s Prep we offer a fun and varied activities programme for pupils to get involved in allowing them to try new things.

We offer clubs run by external providers as well as our own staff which vary each term.
All activities are optional and some do have an additional cost. Most clubs take place after the school day but occasionally for the performing arts clubs, these may run at times during the school day.

Here is an example of some clubs that have been offered by St Christopher’s Prep recently.

From Reception to Year 8, we offer a comprehensive programme of day trips, residentials and visits to enrich and enhance our pupils’ learning.

Each year group goes on one major expedition per term, with visits arranged to tie in with curriculum topics, such as Reception visiting a farm to develop their work on animals, Year 2 visiting a synagogue, Year 5 studying meanders at Cuckmere Haven and Year 6 visiting Bodiam Castle after studying siege warfare in History. Year 7 have the opportunity to spend a week in France in the Somme region and also visit the Tower of London.

Year 8 enjoy a Leavers’ Programme after they finish their Scholarship and Common Entrance exams in the Summer Term, helping them to develop both their friendships and skills above and beyond academic life. Year 8 pupils also enjoy a residential trip to Dorset, which combines Geography work on coastlines with a visit to a First World War museum to give context to their study of Journey’s End in English.

A very popular Ski Trip is run each year after Lent Term, with both beginners and the more experienced skiers all welcome.