St Christopher School, Letchworth
St Christopher School is a boarding and day co-educational independent school in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, England. Established in 1915, shortly after Ebenezer Howard founded Letchworth Garden City, the school is a long-time proponent of progressive education. Characteristics. St Christopher is noted for a lack of any formal school uniform and the freedom and encouragement to address teachers by their first names. The school has entirely vegetarian diet for both boarders and day pupils (a condition of receiving initial sponsorship from the Theosophical Society). The school established a system of self-governance with Major  Officials (the St. Christopher term for a prefect) being nominated and elected by their student peers. School meetings allow students and staff alike to propose, vote and implement new and amended rules and policy, but with the headmaster reserving the right to veto any he deems unworkable or unacceptable. The system was temporarily in turmoil during the mid-2000s, but a move back towards this ethos has recently been restored under the leadership of current Head Richard Palmer who has held the post since 2006. The school offers a number of annual trips including Ladakh, Kosovo and Rajasthan, along with some  DoE (Duke of Edinburgh Award) expeditions. These are generally (but not always) taken as part of a short programme of activities at the end of the Summer Term known as the Late Summer Programme. History. The school was founded in 1915 by Dr. Armstrong Smith. In 1919, Beatrice Ensor and Isabel King assumed joint headship following Smith's retirement the previous year, but both women left to found Frensham Heights in Surrey in 1925. The School in its present form developed under the guidance of Lyn and Eleanor Harris (1925–1953) and their son Nicholas (1954–1980). Following Nicholas's death in  a road accident on the Maltese island of Gozo, the governors hired Colin Reid, essentially to carry on his work. Colin Reid was Head Master from 1981 to 2004. The headmaster for the next two years was Donald Wilkinson, who made many changes to the running of the school during his short spell. He announced his resignation from the post on 28 September 2006, citing personal reasons. The Chairman of Governors thanked him for his contribution to the development of the school and in particular for the raising of exam results both at GCSE and A level. He was replaced  by Richard Palmer who had taught at the school in other capacities before and by then was heading up the Junior School. Palmer left in 2020 to be replaced by Emma-Kate Henry who had served as Deputy Head 2008-13. Old Scholars. The Old Scholars club, officially The St Christopher Club, runs an annual meeting in July open to all former St Christopher pupils and staff no matter what year they left the school. The Old Scholars club also hosts Matches Day for sports in the Spring. As well as reunions, the club also holds archives of old materials , from photographs of school buildings being constructed, to 'Green Cuisine' recipes.