Retired... and not out! | Charterhouse School

Peter Price, who joined Charterhouse in 2008 as Head of Geography, transformed the department through curriculum innovation, outstanding results, and inspiring fieldwork and leadership grounded in pupil-focused excellence. 

Peter Price BH 2008-24

Peter Price joined Charterhouse in 2008 from Bradfield College as Head of Geography, into the unenviable situation of leading a team of geographers in which all the other members had previously been Head of Department themselves, with a combined service at Charterhouse of over a hundred years!

He set about innovating many areas of the Geography curriculum, introducing several new qualifications to the department in the form of IGCSE, Cambridge Pre-U, and the IB Diploma Programme, the latter including the Environmental Systems and Societies option for reluctant scientists studying that broader curriculum. Peter had an extensive network of contacts amongst fellow geographers across the sector (including hosting a large gathering of prep school Heads of Geography every June), and used these to make informed decisions about the best courses to pursue, always putting the interests of the pupils and their outcomes first. He was a strong advocate of the Pre-U, which survived in Geography at Charterhouse longer than it did in any other subject. This was thanks in no small part to the outstanding results of around 30% A* equivalent achieved by the department, at a time when our competitor schools were typically stuck in single figures of A* percentage at A Level. He ran regular fieldtrips to the Yorkshire Wolds and to the Cevennes Hills in France, along with a trip to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, as well as accompanying groups of Carthusians on a Biology trip to Borneo and a World Challenge expedition to Vietnam.    

During the last five years of his career, Peter served as IBDP Coordinator, a role which he relished, representing as it did an exciting new challenge. He provided unwavering support to pupils studying the IBDP, creating a clear sense of shared purpose and identity amongst the cohort that ensured they had a positive experience. Part of this was the introduction of the much-anticipated IBDP Second Year barbecue, an occasion at which the pupils’ gratitude and affection for Peter was always much in evidence. Peter’s strong belief in the merits of the IBDP could also be witnessed daily in Brooke Hall, where he could be found every quarter in discussion with heads of department, often negotiating the latest iteration of his legendary spreadsheet for deconflicting the Internal Assessment schedule.    

Outside of his academic commitments, Peter was a keen and effective football coach, most notably with the U14Bs. He produced a series of sides that were gritty and competitive, and well drilled in the basics of the game, always with a strict adherence to a 442 formation. I think it would be fair to say that his team’s style of football didn’t always bear as close a resemblance to the tiki taka, brought to his beloved Manchester City by Pep Guardiola, as he might have wished.

Peter was a committed and compassionate tutor, always advocating for his tutees and providing them with the careful blend of support and challenge that gave them the ideal conditions for achieving their ambitions. After two years in Bodeites and one in Duckites, he spent the remaining 13 years at Charterhouse as a tutor in Fletcherites under three different Heads of House.  He was a great advocate for the House, providing a constant presence as it underwent various changes from the School’s first and, to date, only sixth form day option to a fully-fledged 13-18 girls’ house. His daughter Melissa was herself a proud Fletcherite, whilst his son Ben spent five happy years in Saunderites, getting himself an IB diploma in the process.

According to Peter, the best day of the school year was always the 50 Mile Walk (Endurance Challenge), when he could be found encouraging pupils as dawn broke over Southwater or ensuring no one got lost turning off the South Downs at Tottington Barn, or run over crossing the ‘rat run’ at Tottington Farm.

Peter and his wife Sandy, who was a mainstay of our external invigilation team for public exams, are now enjoying a well-earned retirement in west Wales, though his volunteering at Lords in particular brings him back to the south-east quite regularly.

Return to News