- CCHS opened in 1907 with 76 girls on the roll. By 2025 this had grown to 1,276.
- Its motto, Vitai lampada ferimus (“We bear the torch of life”), comes from a poem by Lucretius.
- The school cites its seven key aims as citizenship, distinction, challenge, duty, imagination, enlightenment and diversity.
- A house system has been in place since 1925. New arrivals — including members of staff — are assigned to one of six houses, which are led by students.
- Houses compete to win points throughout the year in events that range from sports and karaoke to drama to baking.
- CCHS is a founding member of the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools (ICGS), a network of more than 550 schools in over 200 countries.
- Work has finished recently on new facilities, which include a science-focused teaching block, a modern sports hall and new tennis courts.
- Former pupils include the novelist and University of Essex chancellor Sarah Perry.
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