Chronicle January 2021

6 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Centre of Excellence Head of Communications Tracy van der Heiden talks to the man behind the name of the new Christie Centre, David Christie, who was Warden of St Edward's from 1988–2004.

What had you done before joining St Edward’s as Warden in 1988? I didn’t follow a conventional career path. I looked for interesting jobs in different educational environments. I worked in Sweden, Scotland, Luxembourg and England, each with a distinctive educational system. I taught in very large schools, small schools, in Higher Education, highly selective schools, schools with a broad intake, single sex and co-ed, state and independent. What made you apply to St Edward’s? I had an idea, distilled from my experiences, of what an excellent school would feel like. It would educate the whole child (hence a boarding model), be located in the midst of everyday life. It would not be bound by centuries of tradition; it would be as free as possible from national or local authority

control; and be well governed and financed. I felt that St Edward’s was as perfect a fit as it was possible to find, and I never saw any reason to leave. Of what are you most proud, professionally and personally? In my first year at St Edward’s, Barclays decided to phase out the excellent Goodenough and Barclay Scholarships which were open to children of staff at all levels in the bank. We sometimes had upwards of thirty on full fees – over £1.2m in today’s money and, importantly, they brought many qualities to the School. Replacing these very able pupils from a wide social background became imperative. You cannot have an “all round school” if the top end of academic ability is thin and if your pupils are drawn from too narrow a

background. It took a few years, and a lot of work, but we managed it. Going fully co-ed, of course, was an important step; and I was pleased with the effectiveness of the transition. That was a real team effort, involving teachers, Bursar and Governors, to achieve great change in our practices and infrastructure. Throughout my time, there was marvellous

David and his wife Elsa on the West Sands in St Andrews near their home