School News

Despite the lockdown occasioned by the Coronavirus outbreak, education continued this week at Christ Church Cathedral School. 

As an introduction to their new topic, Form 4 ventured over to the Woodland School in search of different animals and their habitats.

Boys in Reception created wonderful and imaginative robot masks during half term.

On Tuesday, three boys from Form 6 visited The Oratory School near Reading for a day of debating and competition.

Pre-Prep celebrated Chinese, or Lunar, New Year, a festivity which culminated in them performing a Dragon Dance in the afternoon.

Year 8, along with Mr Richards, Mr Cotterill and Ms Biddell, visited the Palace of Westminster, where the Mother of Parliaments has been wearing itself out with the mother of all battles over Brexit. 

This Week in form 1 we have been looking at fractions and usting pizza diagrams to help us.

For the first time in almost thirty years, three Christ Church Cathedral School choirs sang simultaneously in three Oxford college chapels last night. In an inaugural evensong at Pembroke College, the 12 CCCS boys who are newly appointed Pembroke choristers, sang music by Elgar and Walmisley.

Pupils, staff and parents attended a special service in the cathedral yesterday to honour our Head of Science, Mrs Naylor, who died in a road accident in South Africa during half term along with her husband, Chris, and a close friend.  Whilst Mrs Naylor had only been teaching at the school for six and a half weeks, she was already a hugely valued member of staff and was an exceptional teacher of Science.

Form 2 boys spent a very informative and inspiring hour at Christ Church, learning about the history of our school from Jackie Holdeness, Cathedral Educational Officer, with Patrick and Tom, two volunteers.

Sustainable fashion was all the rage at Christ Church Cathedral School’s Environment Theme Day today as boys set about sewing their own mock-up Gucci bags and learnt about Nike’s pioneering shoes made from recyclable plastic.

Form 6 visited the museum at Cirencester, which is largely devoted to artefacts from Corinium Dobunnorum, one of the largest towns of Roman Britain and the capital of the Dobunni tribe, and possibly the capital of Britannia Prima when Britain was divided into four provinces.

It was a beautiful sunny Saturday morning, as our school’s Old Exeter Choristers and their former Choirmasters came together to celebrate their much-loved Choir and passion for music, and to share their special memories, experiences and anecdotes from years gone by. 

For the last few years we have run a very successful Real Tennis Club on Monday afternoons between 4.30 pm and 5.30 pm.  On the strength of it, last year, two of our boys became national champions for their age group – one of whom also had the honour of playing against His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex.

Form 2 boys had a fabulous day at Cogges Manor Farm on Wednesday 25th September.

Forms 5 & 6 boys had an amazing time walking through La Baie du Mont St. Michel. They braved quicksands, learnt about the fauna and flora of the Bay and admired the Abbaye standing at the top of the Mount before visiting it.  Such a walking introduction made the visit of the Abbaye very special.

On the last Monday of term, Form 5 set off for Oxford Central Mosque.

A record number of Old Boys and other members of the CCCS Community returned to Merton Field on Sunday to enjoy their annual Old Boys’ Cricket Match & Barbeque, and to bid farewell to the School’s retiring Bursar, Mr William McLean, an Old Boy and Old Exeter Chorister (1958 – 1964), who is leaving his post after 19 years of service, and who was a special guest at the event.

Form 4 have adopted a gibbon from Thailand.

This year's Oxford Orpheus Concert was a spectacle of musical delights. It opened with the Coronation Anthem I Was Glad by Parry, followed by Vaughan Williams' setting of George Herbert's Five Mystical Songs and concluded with Fauré's Requiem.

Congratulations to Cathedral Chorister, Alexander Winnifrith, who recently won a place in the National Children’s Orchestra (NCO) following a very competitive audition process. 

Stephen Darlington has been awarded an MBE for services to music.

When Ambrose Garson took up Real Tennis two years ago he knew it was the Sport of Kings but he didn’t expect to find himself partnering a Prince.

Congratulations to Gordon the cockerpoo (reindeer) for completing the Santa Run on Sunday.