Global Outlook

International Perspectives

St Chris has a long tradition of involvement in education from an international perspective and a practical commitment to global issues has always been a central value of the School.

Our students visit Rajasthan, Kosovo and Ladakh (Indian Himalayas) to work constructively with local communities and gain invaluable insight into global citizenship.

We celebrate international diversity across the age ranges and the curriculum and most importantly through our ethos of celebration and acceptance of the rights of all to be individuals with responsibility to our local, national and global community.

History of Internationalism

One of the aims of the School’s founders was to make pupils aware of their shared heritage as human beings rather than concentrate on their national characteristics.

Such an aspiration retains its resonance in St Chris today, and the School has continued to build upon its desire for pupils to gain a broader perspective on life.

You can find more information about the history of St Chris here.

Celebrating Difference

We feel that it is of vital importance for young people growing up in the 21st century to accept, appreciate and celebrate the fact that there are a wide variety of cultural, religious, social and artistic traditions around the world.

Knowing about these traditions enriches our lives and broadens our outlook. It makes it possible for young people to feel at home in a diverse world and to accept that “different” is never a value judgement.

Children learn about international festivals from an early age, they are exposed to different kinds of music, art and dance and they learn about different religious traditions and different lifestyles.

We do notice very clearly that our pupils are open and tolerant to differences. The groundwork towards becoming global citizens has to be laid very early.

A Broad Outlook

There is a strong focus on trying to understand the outlook and assumptions of people who live in other countries. This begins in the Nursery and runs all the way to the Sixth Form when pupils are able to participate in projects abroad.

In the Junior School different year groups are involved in term-long projects highlighting a different country or region of the world.

In the Senior School this global outlook is further widened. Besides our curricular concerns with promoting international perspectives, we have always encouraged pupils to travel, not just as tourists but as observers of what really goes on in other countries.

Trips and Visits

There are many opportunities for pupils to travel with the School through language exchanges, sports tours, and subject-related trips.

St Chris also has a tradition of charitable activities, and we maintain projects in Rajasthan and Ladakh which work with local people in an attempt to improve the quality of their lives while enriching the understanding and characters of our pupils. Pupils in the Senior School get the opportunity to travel to and work with these projects.

You can find further information about international trips and visits in the Senior School here.