Public school in Powys, Wales From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Christ College, Brecon, is a co-educational, boarding and day independent school, located in the cathedral and market town of Brecon in mid-Wales. It currently caters for pupils aged 4–18 years.
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2012) |
| Christ College | |
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| Location | |
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| , , LD3 8AF Wales | |
| Coordinates | 51.9462°N 3.3954°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public school Private day and boarding |
| Motto | "Possunt Quia Posse Videntur" ("They achieve because they believe they can") |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Anglican |
| Established | 1541[1] |
| Founder | Henry VIII |
| Local authority | Powys |
| Department for Education URN | 401984 Tables |
| Head | Gareth Pearson |
| Staff | c. 70 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Age | 4 to 18 |
| Number of students | 400 |
| Houses | St. Nicholas (boys and girls aged 4–10) Alway (boys and girls aged 11–12) Donaldson's (girls aged 13–18) Orchard (boys aged 13–18) School (boys aged 13–18) de Winton (girls aged 13–18) |
| Colour(s) | Green and gold |
| Publication | The Breconian |
| Former pupils | Old Breconians |
| Website | www |
Christ College was founded by Royal Charter in 1541 by King Henry VIII.[1] The school still uses the medieval chapel and halls of the Dominican friary which was closed during the Dissolution of the monasteries. The buildings were restored by John Pollard Seddon in the 19th century, and again by W. D. Caröe in the 20th, and are a Grade I listed structure.[2]
The school has been ranked in the top three of UK independent schools in terms of "value for money" by the Financial Times newspaper.[citation needed] In December 2017, Estyn (HM's Inspectorate for Education & Training in Wales) assessed Christ College's performance as "excellent" across all five inspection areas – the highest grade that can be awarded. In 2024, the overall pass rate at A Level was 100% and 60% of results were at A*-A, with 100% A*-A in Further Mathematics and Physics.
In January 2025, former pupil Dylan Thomas was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 19 years, for murdering his childhood friend. https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/24882396.pie-company-heir-dylan-thomas-jailed-life-murder/
There are five houses in the school. There are: two senior boys' boarding houses, Orchard and School (age 13-18); two senior girls' boarding houses, de Winton and Donaldson's (age 13-18); and Alway House, for boys and girls aged 10–12. The Prep School is located in St Nicholas House and admits day pupils from age 4, with boarding available in Alway House from age 10.
The first recorded match held on the college cricket ground was in 1888, when the college played Llandovery College.[3] During the West Indies 1991 tour of England the ground was used to host a limited overs match against Wales, Brian Lara scoring 82. In use for the entire 20th century, the ground was used by Glamorgan for a List A cricket match against the touring Zimbabweans.[4] The Glamorgan Second XI used the college ground for Second Eleven Trophy matches, firstly in 1996 when they played the Somerset Second XI and secondly in 1997 when they played the Hampshire Second XI.[5]
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