Campion School (Athens)


Campion School is an English-language private international school in Athens, Greece, that provides an adapted British educational curriculum to approximately 600 children of foreign residents, the Greek diaspora and local Greeks, from Nursery through to Year 13.

History

The Campion School was founded in 1970 in Athens, Greece, by American banker and philhellene Thomas Shortell, his wife Betsy Shortell, and American businessman and later diplomat Burke O'Connor, as an independent, non-profit Anglo-American school governed by a board of trustees.
The academic programme is based on the National Curriculum adapted to make full use of the location and culture of Greece. Courses lead to IGCSE and the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Class sizes are generally small, and children's progress is carefully monitored by a system of class teachers, advisers and Year Tutors. The school's IGCSE and IB results are consistently well above the UK and IB averages and the school has had three students complete the IB Diploma with a score of 45, the highest grade possible. Although most students aim at university education in the United Kingdom, preparation and guidance is also given to students wishing to apply to universities in the USA, Europe and Greece.
The performing arts are well represented both inside and outside the curriculum, and dramatic performances take place in each school at least once a term. Choral and instrumental groups meet on a regular basis, and individual tuition is provided in a variety of musical instruments. There is a wide range of competitive sports on offer, and students are encouraged to take part. Soccer, volleyball and basketball teams regularly play against opponents from Greece and abroad. Other activities include tennis, athletics, cross-country running, trampolining and modern dance.
The School is now located in purpose-built premises in the suburb of Pallini, 16km east of the city centre, where a full range of academic, sporting and artistic facilities has been constructed. A new sports facility which includes a professional soccer pitch, running track and changing pavilion was inaugurated in May 2012. Classrooms are equipped with interactive whiteboards and Wi-Fi. The school organizes a bus service covering many suburbs in the Athens area. Each bus has an adult supervisor in addition to the driver.
Campion is an accredited member of the COBIS, the ECIS, and the headmaster is an overseas member of the HMC

Staff

The majority of the staff are graduates of UK universities and all members of staff are dedicated specialists in their subject area. The current headmaster is S. W. Atherton, Michael Henderson is the Head of Seniors and Ms Kate Varey the IB coordinator. The Junior School headmistress is Judith Whitehead.

Former headmasters

1970-1973 Richard Forbes, MA
Each student is organised into one of the houses, which are named after the titans Atlas, Hyperion and Prometheus. The pupils are required to wear a uniform up to and including year eleven; students in years twelve and thirteen must adhere to a dress code.
The Campion school uniform has, since its introduction, always consisted of a combination of blue, white, and red. Boys wear navy blue trousers, a white shirt and a navy jumper, while girls wear navy blue trousers or a skirt, a white blouse and red or navy blue jumper.
The pupils are divided into Nursery, Reception, Junior and Senior divisions which, while previously housed at different locations, are now combined on the same premises but in separate buildings.

Notable alumni