Open all
Our View of Claremont Fan Court School
‘How can we enable pupils to be great, to be brilliant and to be themselves?’ is how Claremont approaches every day and every pupil. A co-ed day school just outside Esher, it wants to mould global citizens with good character – and it’s this kind of big-picture thinking that is cementing its flourishing reputation. Pupils are ‘empowered to be the best they can be, allowing them the space and time to flourish in the things that excite them,’ says head William Brierly. ‘There is a sense of warmth in all we do here; we are not a hot house, but we are not a cold house.’ And with
Claremont Fan Court School’s nursery and junior school offering the same holistic,
all-through education from the age of two, it’s no wonder more and more families are lining up for places.
Where is Claremont Fan Court School?
The 100-acre grounds (designed by Capability Brown, no less) are magnificent with manicured gardens, woods and parkland. It feels more like a country boarding school and it’s hard to believe you’re within the M25, let alone this close to London. An 18th-century Palladian mansion sits splendidly at the centre, with a breathtaking Georgian interior that houses a number of classrooms and offices. In 2019, the state-of-the-art
Sydney Camm Science and Technology Centre was opened, an inspirational building with eight labs, D&T workshop, textiles studio and food tech space.
Children come from all over south-west London and Surrey, and some 40 per cent of pupils make use of the brilliantly run, comprehensive bus network. There is also a school bus to and from Claygate station which is on the Waterloo-Guildford line.
School Headmaster
The inspirational William Brierly has been head of the senior school since 2018 and overall head since 2021. An impassioned leader, he pours himself into the role and sets a tone of positivity which is infectious. ‘The ethos here is limitless potential,’ he tells us, ‘which leads into the principle of there being no glass ceilings and for pupils to not be afraid to do better and have no fear to improve.’
Mr Brierly was previously senior deputy head at King’s College Wimbledon and before that he was head of economics at Whitgift, so knows all about rigorous academics and single-sex education. At Claremont, he’s embracing a very different vision, championing
co-ed (the school is assiduous about maintaining a 50:50 balance of boys and girls) and celebrating a far broader approach to aspiration. He says he wants to ‘shift the dial towards real aspiration and inspiration’ and alongside deputy head academic Huw Jones has created an individualised curriculum with unrivalled choice.
Claremont Fan Court School Admissions
The school is gently selective and invites as many prospective pupils as possible to the
interview stage.
They’re looking for character and potential, so a face-to-face is more important than an academic snapshot. Having said that, as the school’s popularity has risen, so has the academic threshold. Year 7 is the main entry point, with around 50 per cent of pupils coming from the prep leaving 50 per cent available for external candidates. Large numbers come from south-west London, and many from state primaries.
Some 20 places are available for the sixth form, with a minimum of eight GCSEs with an average score of 6 needed. For chosen A-levels, higher grades are expected. Year 12 hopefuls sit an assessment and are also invited to an interview.
Academics and destinations
The wide and inclusive curriculum has aspiration at its core, not just academic, but excellence as set by the individual. Children set their own targets and learning is highly bespoke. There is no spoon-feeding or prepping for exams. In Years 7 to 9, many subjects are on a carousel so pupils get a taste of everything, from textiles and computer science to dance and food tech, which means they have an opportunity to discover where their passions lie. Digital literacy is a free-standing subject in Year 7 aimed at teaching pupils how to use technology effectively, and in Year 9 they do a mini EPQ to start building critical thinking skills early. A two-term competitive application programme in Year 10 helps pupils foster ambition. It involves project-based work, putting together an academic portfolio with problem-solving, critical thinking, debating and oracy all covered, and entering external competitions.
GCSE choices are incredibly flexible with 21 different subjects that include everything from languages and humanities to media and citizenship. Pupils are free to ‘find the route to be you’, says Mr Brierly, and their five options are unrestricted. And, he adds, ‘The three-year GCSE programme means the pupils can enjoy, not endure, the subject.’ Here, it’s all about preparing young people for life and not just exams so the school wants them to be able to play to their strengths. ‘We want to empower children to be the best they can be,’ says Mr Brierly.
Sixth-form choices are equally broad, with a plethora of A-level subjects including film studies, sociology, photography and psychology, as well as Level 3 diplomas in criminology and food science. A new study area has been created in the sixth form centre which also includes an interview pod. Head of sixth form Emma Wells is incredibly impressive and approachable, providing huge amounts of support and advice to students. The
Joyce Grenfell Programme means they can pursue further studies including EPQs, TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), LAMDA and English Speaking Board qualifications, and those aiming for medicine, veterinary science and Oxbridge are given specialist support (every year there’s at least one medic and one pupil heading off to Oxbridge). A dedicated futures advice and career coordinator organises talks and workshops, bringing in mentors as well as alumni, and students leave for a wide range of destinations – from Oxford and Cambridge to specialist higher education establishments and
apprenticeships.
Co-curricular at Claremont Fan Court School
The school is a big presence on the sporting circuit, especially in lacrosse (they always get to at least the quarter finals in the nationals) and gymnastics. There are acres of playing fields and pitches and a massive sports hall where pupils take part in everything from traditional sports and archery to badminton and trampolining.
The art department stretches across a warren of studios and photography rooms located in the enormous basement of the main school building. Bright white walls and lightwells create a characterful space and judging by the artwork on display, there are some talented artists at work. Textiles and D&T take place in the Sydney Camm building, and there’s also a great industrial space for D&T in the old pump building.Drama is popular and there are plenty of opportunities for pupils to perform and get involved backstage in the many productions staged every year, including the sixth-form panto, musical extravaganzas and the annual Shakespeare Schools Festival. Mr Brierly sees drama as a great stretch and challenge platform and encourages ‘the serious and the edgy, as well as the fun’. A new music centre opened in 2024, giving the choirs, bands, and ensembles a fantastic space to perform in.There are more than 60 extracurricular activities for children to get involved in, including the very popular gymnastics, Lego and DJ clubs. A double-length lunch break means there is plenty of time for clubs for pupils who take the bus home, and a co-curricular fair for Year 7 starters gives them a taste of what’s on offer. From Year 9, pupils can do
DofE and Enterprise Club for Year 10s and 11s is the school’s own version of Dragon’s Den, with some students getting selected to take part in the Peter Jones Tycoon challenge.
Claremont Fan Court School Community
The pastoral support hub sits in a lovely wooden-clad house set apart from the main school area. Staffed with two nurses and two therapists who offer free counselling four days a week, it’s surrounded by a peaceful garden which is used for yoga (as well as gardening club in the summer). The individual needs department is also here, providing a real sense of all-round care in one place. There’s a vertical tutor group structure, ensuring age groups mix and allowing older children to support younger ones. It creates a lovely atmosphere and means tutors really get to know their pupils over the five years they’re with them. There are lots of PSHE lessons and a solid focus on wellbeing; the staff even have their own wellbeing committee. Pupils we met told us how safe and happy they feel at school, and how brilliantly looked after they are. ’The community feel of the school is felt from day one,’ pupils tell us, and ‘there is a real bridge between the SLT and the students; they really listen.’ The head is clearly approachable – he hands out trays in the dining room – and the approachability of all the staff is palpable. ‘Pupil voice is really important,’ says Mr Brierly. ‘If pupils feel trusted, they will talk to you.’
There’s a great sense of the wider community at the school too, with lots of outreach with local schools and charities, and a strong alumni network – Claremont is clearly loved long after pupils leave. Parents are very supportive; most are two working parent families and there’s no elitism at the school.
And finally....
We love the laser focus on character development at Claremont, which expertly builds confidence, skills, passion and self-knowledge that allows pupils to go out into the world and thrive. As the head tells us, ‘Our job is to ensure pupils are exposed to risk and opportunities, and are in with more of a fighting chance to get them through the doorway.’ It’s a job the school does with no airs and graces, just a wonderful atmosphere of ambitious purpose.