WHAT? WHERE?

Churcher's College Petersfield aerial view Hampshire independent schools

Churcher’s College is a large, selective, co-ed day school in the market town of Petersfield, East Hampshire. The current roll call here is 1062 pupils – 743 in the Senior School and 319 Sixth Form. Students are taught in manageable class sizes of 22 up to year 9, 15 in Years 10 and 11 and nine or less in Sixth Form.

Founded in 1722, following a bequest by the businessman and philanthropist Richard Churcher, the school celebrated a milestone 300-year anniversary in 2022. Originally located a stone’s throw away from the current Petersfield site on College Street, Churcher’s College moved to the large, green 10-acre campus it still occupies today on Ramshill in the 1870s.

In 1993, the college opened the doors to younger pupils. Churcher’s College Junior School is located in its own 14-acre site in Liphook, which also has a modern, purpose-built Nursery. Churcher’s College Juniors is the official feeder for the school but children are welcomed from lots of preps and state primaries in the region.

FACILITIES/MUSIC

Churcher's College Petersfield Hampshire

In 2022, Churcher’s College cut the ribbon on an impressive new building. Used for Design and Technology, Music, Mathematics and Classics it has a 250-seater auditorium, 11 classrooms and 15 music instrumental lesson/practice rooms. Along with string quartets and other chamber groups there are orchestral ensembles and a hugely popular Saturday morning Rock School.

Take-up of individual lessons (35%) is pretty reasonable for a senior school of this size. Churcher’s College musicians and sizable teaching team are passionate about their art. There are plenty of concerts throughout the year, from lunchtime recitals to large scale events such as Cabaret nights and grand outdoor concerts. There are also trips further afield to performance venues like Cadogan Hall in London, as well as international choir and orchestra tours.

FACILITIES/DRAMA

Show drama theatre Churcher's College Petersfield Hampshire

Performing Arts at Churcher’s College is strong. Along with day-to-day lessons, young actors here get to work with professional directors, choreographers, musicians, and technicians. And they put on big productions, from Grease, Les Misérables, Miss Saigon and School of Rock to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Diary of Anne Frank.

All pupils get the opportunity to study for LAMDA examinations in drama. And the keenest (over 18%) do, with professional tutors providing weekly coaching sessions. 100% achieved a merit or distinction in 2023 and 100% of Music GCSE candidates achieved A* – A Grades.

Just as enthusiastic as those on stage, kids involved in the production team get to use some high-spec, professional quality kit. It includes digital mixing desks and moving lights, with professional staff on hand to help design, coach and supervise them.

FACILITIES/SPORTS

Cricket at Churcher's College Senior school Petersfield Hampshire sport

Individual and team sports including hockey, cricket, netball, rugby, swimming, water polo and tennis are popular at Churcher’s College. All are played on-site, making the most of ten acres of grassy playing fields. And there’s plenty of other facilities, including two fitness suites and gym, a climbing wall, a large indoor swimming pool, multiple multi-use games areas and astro pitches, a cricket square and nets and two indoor sports halls.

Sport is played every Saturday. There are plenty of opportunities at every level to represent the school with year-round training and after-school sports activities. Plenty of Churcher’s College pupils do choose to play competitively and the school has a decent amount of silverware to show for it. Recent achievements for the girls’ and boys’ teams from Churcher’s College include being Silver Medallists for Netball at World School Games, Hampshire Champions for Rugby, Hockey, Tennis and Cricket and National Champion winners for Rugby in 2015 and Hockey (boys) in 2019.

Sports pool Churcher's College Senior school Petersfield Hampshire sport

In a school this size, not everyone will be trying out for competitive sports. But don’t worry if your child is a bit of a shrinking violet, there are plenty of ways pupils can and do keep active. Overall, the school’s sports ethos is much more about enjoyment than trophy gathering. The overriding ambition at Churcher’s College is to make all pupils comfortable with sport, which in turn translates to high participation levels.

SIXTH FORM

Sixth Form at Churcher's College Senior school Petersfield

A big calling card for the school, at 16+ over 90% of Churcher’s College pupils go on to the Sixth Form. The rest of the places are snapped up by students from independent and state schools in the area. Entry is based on an interview with the Headmaster and Head of Sixth Form, with offers subject to achieving the necessary GCSE grades.

The Sixth Form has a decent subject choice. The 25 options include a few niche subjects like Ancient History, Music Technology, Latin and Politics. Lessons, lunch and activities mean mixing with the rest of the school but Sixth Formers have two of their own well-used common room areas for breaktimes. There’s no prescribed uniform but students are expected to wear smart office attire – and do so.

Canoeing Sixth Form girls Churcher's College Petersfield Hampshire

Moving on, Churcher’s College Sixth Form team provide tailored support for all students. There are specialist programmes for Oxbridge candidates, as well as those applying for Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science. Many leavers choose to go on to Russell Group universities, the most popular being Bath, Nottingham, Cardiff, Durham and Exeter. Between three and ten Churcher’s College students per year successfully land places at Oxbridge.

ACADEMICS

Churcher's College Petersfield Hampshire

Attitude and academics are important at Churcher’s College and competition for places is strong at both 11+ and 13+. Prospective pupils are selected through an interview with the Head and the results of an entrance examination.

The academic results at Churcher’s College are consistently very good, highlighted by strong Value-Added Score metrics. In 2024, 74% got A*- A grades at GCSE and a fraction under 100% achieved A – C. At A Level, 57% of leavers left with A – A* grades, 88% A* – B and 97% passed with A*- C grades.

PASTORAL CARE

Churcher's College Petersfield Hampshire

The school’s inclusive atmosphere and ethos of celebrating success in all forms – from maths champions to rock guitarists – all helps to create a strong feeling of common purpose and camaraderie among the cohort. There’s also a strong House System that helps form friendships between year groups.

Pastoral care is a school-wide responsibility, with Heads of House, Form Tutors, School Nurses, a Counsellor and the Chaplain all providing a listening ear. There’s also a dedicated Wellbeing building where the counsellor and nurses are based.

Pupils can also raise issues, concerns, or request change through the active School Council or informally via the ‘Confide’ channel. Churcher’s College also has regular PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) lessons that are sensitively delivered by Form Tutors, with input from external expert speakers.

THE HEAD

Simon Williams Headmaster Churcher's School Petersfield

Simon Williams joined Churcher’s College in 2004. A hands-on headmaster he’s served as a solid steer at the school and a well-known figure in the community for almost two decades. A graduate in Biology at Durham and PGCE at Cambridge, his first teaching post was at King’s College School in Wimbledon. He went on to become Head of Science at Newcastle-under-Lyme School and Deputy Head at Warwick School.

Williams moved his family to Petersfield when the Churcher’s job came up partly because he thought the school would be a nice school to send his own three children, with lots of opportunity for them to find their groove.

Outwardly relaxed with clear purpose, during his tenure he’s successfully improved the school’s already good academic achievement. It’s something he attributes to a process of ‘refinement rather than revolution’, as well as attracting and retaining good teachers.

Fittingly for the National Park setting, improving Churcher’s College’s eco-creds by carrying out recommendations from the Carbon Trust have been high on the agenda. In 2023, 356 solar panels were fitted to the swimming pool roof, adding to the 48 panels on the school’s Goodfield Building, with more planned for the future. This forms part of the school’s five-year plan to reduce its environmental impact by 2030 and follows its impressive achievement of planting 1,800 trees in 2022.

QUIRKS

Churcher's College Petersfield Hampshire

Somewhat unusual for such a large senior school, there is a real universal have-a-go culture among Churcher’s College pupils. In particular, the school has excellent participation rates for pupils completing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme.

The Combined Cadet Force is popular in all three sections – Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. And there’s plenty of character-building junior and senior overseas expeditions for budding explorers with past trips including Iceland, the Norwegian Fjords, Peru and Bolivia, Africa, the Amazon and Ecuador.

Extra-curricular clubs here include everything from Brain Games to Indoor Climbing, Gaming Club, Backstage Club, STEAM Robotics, Science Club, Greenpower Club (electric cars), Digital Photography, Mandarin and Martial Arts.

ISI REPORT

Churcher's College Petersfield Hampshire

The latest ISI report was published in January 2023, covering every aspect of the school from the Nursery and Reception in Liphook to the Senior and Sixth Form in Petersfield. The whole school Inspection rated the quality of the pupils’ personal development including academic and other activities as excellent.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

Mobile phones may be brought to school but for First to Fifth Years (Years 7 – 11) they cannot be used between 8.30am and 4pm and must be locked using a Yondr pouch system. Mobile devices can be used by the Sixth Form students in the Sixth Form common rooms.

TRANSPORT

Pupils come in from a wide catchment area of around a 30 miles radius of Petersfield by train, car and the extensive school bus network.

FEES + SCHOLARSHIPS

Fees are currently £6,650 per term, comparative with other well-known independents in the area. For 2025, see the website here. Academic Scholarships, Music Scholarships and Music Exhibitions are awarded in recognition of academic or musical excellence and exceptional contribution to the community of the school and/or the wider community of Petersfield. Exhibitions may also be awarded to those whose involvement in activities within the school is at an exceptionally high level. Means-tested Bursary Awards are also available.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Pupils at Churcher's College Petersfield Hampshire senior sixth form independent

Churcher’s College has a longstanding academic and all-round reputation. It tends to attract a totally different type of family to Bedales, the other big-name independent in the area. Local parents like the fact that there’s ‘something for everyone’ in terms of opportunities in sports, academics, arts and extra-curricular activities. They also point to strong pastoral care, all qualities that are echoed by the friendly Sixth Formers I speak with.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: Parents that expect high academic standards but also want their kids to try new things and pursue talents and interests in an inclusive, supportive environment. Churcher’s College regularly welcomes just one or two children from different schools in a wide catchment, which means many new starters without existing friendships all being in the same boat. Access to one of only two Sixth Forms in Petersfield adds to the appeal.

Not for: Churcher’s College requires quite high academic expectations from the off, which won’t suit every child. The fees reflect the calibre of teaching and opportunities here but might be a stretch for some parents.

Dare to disagree? Be my guest! The next open events are on Wednesday 16 October and Tuesday 12 November 2024. There is a dedicated Sixth Form Open Evening on Wednesday 9 October 2024.

Churcher’s College, Ramshill, Petersfield GU31 4AS. Tel. 01730 263033.

Churcher’s College, Petersfield

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