The Making of Our 300th Anniversary Photograph

You are invited to watch and enjoy this short film which gives a behind-the-scenes look at how our 300th anniversary photograph was created in September.  

The image features 1,234 pupils from Nursery, Junior, Senior and Sixth Form together with 240 staff to create an enormous 300 on the rugby pitch. This logistical challenge was possible thanks to excellent teamwork from all our pupils and staff, combined with a sprinkle of sunshine to produce the wonderful end result. 

The Junior School and Nursery children had the added excitement of a coach ride from Liphook to Petersfield for the occasion, the Senior School and Sixth Form pupils were able to simply stroll across our expansive and green campus to get to the meeting points. The children’s enthusiasm enabled a seamless and steady stream to join together on the pitch over the course of 90 minutes before all were in place for the final shot.      

In the film pupils and staff share thoughts on what this event and the anniversary mean to them:  

“It feels amazing because every single part of the Churcher’s family is united together to be in one place taking one photo” explains 10-year-old Peter. 

“It feels like we are part of history…not many schools can say they can trace their roots back 300 years, so it’s quite special” adds 17-year-old Amy. 

The 300th anniversary photograph was taken by a drone 48 metres high, it took 90 minutes to set up, and many weeks to organise but the result will last for a lifetime as a unique moment in Churcher’s history. 

Churcher’s College Tercentenary 

Churcher’s College was established in 1722 following a bequest of £3,000 from Richard Churcher in his will to provide an education for ten or twelve boys from Petersfield. Continuing in our benefactor’s footsteps, the school set up the Richard Churcher Foundation to provide bursary awards to families whose children would otherwise be unable to benefit from a Churcher’s education.  

In this 300th year of celebration, there will be several events which will raise funds for the Richard Churcher Foundation to continue the philanthropic beginnings of our school.