Christ's College (formerly "Grindon Hall Christian School") is a
free school located in
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
, in the
North East of England
North East England is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. The region has three current administrative levels below the region level in the region; combined authority, unitary authority ...
. It is non-selective and includes a Primary Department and a Secondary Department. This arrangement allows the incorporation of students from 4 years old to 16 years old. It is a family-run school, based on
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
, although it welcomes children from other faiths. There are approximately 540 children in the school as of 2013/14.
Grindon Hall was originally a
manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...
. It became a
sanitorium
A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...
and later Fulwell Grange Christian School, which became Grindon Hall Christian School in the year 2000.
Fulwell Grange Christian School was founded by Elizabeth Gray in 1988. Her son, Christopher Gray, became head teacher following her retirement. She has since become a school governor.
Previously a
private school
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
, Grindon Hall became a
free school in 2012 and is now state-funded and free to attend.
In September 2019, the school was renamed as part of its transition to join the
Emmanuel Schools Foundation
The Emmanuel Schools Foundation (ESF) is a charitable trust which has been involved in education since 1989.
ESF currently run six schools. The four original members of the ESF are: Emmanuel City Technology College in Gateshead (opened 1990), Th ...
Buildings and grounds
The school comprises a number of different buildings. One is the original Grindon Hall building, and this is used for the Secondary Department. An extension was added in 2001–2002, called the T-Block, which housed changing facilities and two classrooms. The
Grade II
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
listed Stable Block was converted in order to be used as the Primary Department, along with 2 modular buildings. The Nursery Department is one modular building.
There is a front field which incorporates a rugby pitch, and in addition to this, there is a back yard, for use in wet weather and before school. The size of the estate is approximately .
Since becoming a free school, Grindon Hall has undergone various changes to its buildings which were completed for the 2013–14 school year. The aforementioned T-Block has been demolished, and in its place an extension, comprising a sports hall, changing facilities and dining hall. The extension also includes a 14-classroom primary school, replacing the Stable Block as the Primary Department. The Stable Block is now used as additional classrooms for the Secondary Department. Sixth Form, which was located in the T-Block, has been relocated to a modular building, comprising a study area and common room.
Academics
Grindon Hall used to host an annual Awards Evening at
The Sage Gateshead
Sage Gateshead is a concert venue and musical education centre in Gateshead on the south side of the River Tyne in North East England. Opened in 2004 and occupied by North Music Trust it is part of the Gateshead Quays development which include ...
where pupils from both lower- and upper-school were recognised for achievement in various areas of school life. Since around 2016 this has been held in the school sports hall.
House system
Pupils are assigned to one of the school's two (now three, as of 2017) house teams when they join the school. Pupils can gather points for their house team throughout the year by performing well academically, participating in organised house events, and from collecting praise points from teachers.
In the final term (Trinity term), a Sports Day is held at
Gateshead International Stadium
Gateshead International Stadium (GIS) is a multi-purpose, all-seater venue in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. Originally known as the Gateshead Youth Stadium, the venue was built in 1955 at a cost of £30,000. It has since been extensively r ...
where pupils in each year group compete against classmates in track and field events in order to gain points for their House team.
Notable former pupils
*
Sammy Ameobi
Samuel Oluwaseyi Jesutoromo Ameobi (born 1 May 1992) is a professional footballer who played most recently for Championship club Middlesbrough, although he has since been made a Free Agent. He is the younger brother of fellow players Shola and ...
, football player
*
Shola Ameobi
Foluwashola Ameobi (born 12 October 1981) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
He spent 14 years at Newcastle United, making 397 official appearances and scoring 79 goals, and received a winner's medal when the ...
, football player
Other Emmanuel Schools
References
External links
Grindon Hall Christian School website
{{authority control
Secondary schools in the City of Sunderland
Primary schools in the City of Sunderland
Educational institutions established in 1988
1988 establishments in England
Educational institutions established in 2000
2000 establishments in England
Christian schools in England
Free schools in England
Emmanuel Schools Foundation
Sunderland