The Head's Perspective
BY DR ALEX PETERKEN
"What makes Charterhouse so special?"
If you were to ask our current parents this question, they would say that there is a superb balance between, on the one hand, academic rigour, outstanding teaching and an ambitious learning environment and, on the other hand, seemingly unending opportunities to experience different activities, sports, music, creative arts, clubs and societies.
In addition, our unwavering focus on developing genuine future-readiness in each of our pupils, throughout every element of their School lives.
They would also say that our children are happy and well-nurtured, and that they enjoy a strong collective sense of wellbeing and belonging.
I am confident that we offer the very best all-round education in the UK: an immersive learning experience which is full of academic ambition, opportunity, excitement and fun. Our ethos centres on ensuring that each pupil becomes as future-ready as possible during their time at School and leaves prepared for the challenges and opportunities that they will face within our rapidly evolving society.
All of this is achieved from within the inspiring architecture and landscape of one of the most remarkable and beautiful school campuses in the world which includes over 250 acres (or 1,000,000 square metres) of green space.
Charterhouse treats children like responsible human beings and they are expected to rise to the challenge. It creates balanced and well-rounded young people, who are charming company.
TILLY, A CURRENT PARENT
A strong academic focus is our starting point, but this is not the end of our ambitions for our young people.
We are committed to ensuring that each child performs to their own personal academic potential, supporting and nurturing each individual every step of the way. But pupils are also blessed with an endless variety of opportunity, both in and out of the classroom, which ensures that no two Charterhouse educations are the same.
Such breadth ensures that every pupil has the chance to find their unique passions, often in the most unexpected of places, which will be carried with them into their later lives.
We aim to make Carthusians amongst the most future-ready young people in the world. The School’s FutureU activities are a central element of the Charterhouse experience, aimed at ensuring that pupils develop the transferable skills, knowledge, experiences and mindset required to thrive throughout their later lives. Our sixth form professional qualification in Applied Entrepreneurship is the first of its type anywhere in the world.
Our pupils grow up in a community of openness, tolerance and shared values. Kindness – our most important core value – sits at the heart of everything we do. Both boarding and day pupils benefit hugely from the relationships they form within their House, which becomes a home from home for each of them. Indeed, our shared sense of belonging is central to life at Charterhouse.
Each child leaves us as respectful and respectable young adult, with a strong academic grounding and an understanding of how to learn as well as what to learn. They are mindful of their responsibilities to others and to society, and they take with them a core set of lasting values to guide them throughout their life.
There really is no substitute for seeing the School first-hand and so I very much look forward to welcoming you to Charterhouse soon.
We know we’ve succeeded when a Charterhouse education leads not only to academic achievement, but also to a lifetime of personal, professional, and social fulfilment.
The impact of a Charterhouse education lasts well beyond exam results, it stays with you for life.
ALEX PETERKEN, HEAD
