Claremont fan court school

It is people on here who are saying other schools are more academic hothouses, not me. I am all about finding the right fit of school for the child and wouldn't look down on a school just because it wouldn't suit my own DC. However, there seems to be a fair amount of the reverse going on there. But yes, we took the decision that Claremont was not academically challenging enough for our DC at the time. There is nothing wrong with that.

Why do you assume that your child is more academic?

Why is it assumed that schools which are just more academic are hot houses? My DC attend schools near Claremont that are constantly called hothouses, often by parents whose DC aren't academic enough for them. My DC are sailing through and haven't been hothoused at all. They are thriving. I appreciate that you don't like the undercurrent of negativity by some posters but some of you are also reciprocating with your clichéd hothouse snipes.

My child is currently at Claremont and they have a lovely group of friends, the year is an exact 50/50 mix of boys and girls who are pushed academically, but not hot-housed. We turned down other schools mentioned on this thread for this particular school, as did other parents we have met. People should visit schools and do research before sharing opinions, because some on this thread are very outdated, incorrect and downright offensive: the school has no religious affiliation, pupils must be above average in order to pass the entrance exam, the new head is having a positive impact and new appointments are being from esteemed private schools with the wider area. And finally, some schools which seem great on paper may not feel right for your child when you visit: your child will do best if they are happy.

Of course make up your own mind about schools but leavers' destinations is always worth a good look even if you don't think a cohort who joined seven years ago is that relevant. It tends to tell quite a bit about the ethos of a school.

The OP asked for views about the school NOW. What it was like 10 years ago or 5 years ago doesn't matter at all. As already mentioned - the new head and leadership team have made a big impact and the schools reputation is on the up. Their results are good but parents need to visit and discuss things with teachers and current students/parents to get a proper insight.
The summer camps are run by Barracudas and have nothing to do with the school other than being on site.
@guinnessandblackcurrant my DC just left too and they'd be very entertained by this thread.....
In my DS's year (before Brierley) a good number of boys left for Tiffin sixth form so if your child turns out to be v academic and needs extra stretch or different subjects then there are options at 16+

The year 9 fees for Epsom college are £9562 per term and for Claremont they are £6805 per term.

It's cheaper than most local schools. Reeds, Hampton, St Georges etc are all pricier.

I'm just telling you what the perception was when I was there. It's not an academic school and it is a lot more pricey than other more academic options nearby.

Also I think you need to take my comment within the context of the way privately educated teens talk about eachother too. Thick and rich, whores on the hill, etc etc etc.

A stars

To be fair to @Ohwellwhateverthen , ten years ago the school did have the reputation of being a safe bet for less academic children and they might try for more academic ones and have Claremont as a fallback option. Times have changed though and I have heard that the school now caters more to a wider ability range. Another friend's older son went there because he got a bit stressed and underperformed at eleven plus. I think it was confidence more than anything else. They nurtured him well and he has just graduated with a First from Exeter.

@Ohwellwhateverthen I think calling children thick is really rude and unpleasant. It does have a much broader intake than some other schools. There will be some children there who will have worked hard to achieve grades 5,6 &7s (A,B&Cs), there will also be other children who leave with handfuls of 8s & 9s (As) . 37% of all grade last year were 8s & 9s (As). 82% were B and above.

I live very close the school and have DC at sixth form stage now .For boys, there is a definite pecking order locally and you have KCS/RGS/Hampton/KGS then Reeds/Epsom/St John's then St George's/Halliford/Claremont. However that is just looking at it from the slant of academics. I have a friend whose DS was able but quite shy, not sporty and very into drama. They chose Claremont over Reeds (too sporty) as they felt the fit was better for their son and he has been very happy there.

It was a happy popular school back then too! But not very rigorous academically, and very expensive. That's still the truth as far as I can tell from this thread.

@Ohwellwhateverthen , that is such an unhelpful comment. The school has completely changed since then. They run a mini bus route that starts at Mortlake train station in East Sheen - that shows how large the catchment now is. I'm not a parent but it's a really happy popular school.

I'm 10 years out of school but I grew up in the area and Claremont was definitely in the "rich and thick" category back then.

There is misinformation on this thread - might be best to read the school website (e.g. re A level results and Christian Science), and go and see it for yourselves, rather than speculate

@BleuNoir I'm afraid I don't know, my child isn't there any more. They said the biggest classes when they were there were probably psychology, history and biology.

@guinnessandblackcurrant Congratulations to your DC. That's an amazing set of results!!

Could you confirm something? A friend looked round recently and said 18 children were doing A-Level PE. She was quite surprised by this.

Would that be the case - is that really true that many people study PE at A-Level there?

If children are doing Art, PE and Art History for instance - that's quite a different set of A-Levels to Maths, Further Maths and Physics.

I've just shown your comment to my child who is even prouder of their A*AA at A Level now knowing they were too thick to get into anywhere else 🤣
Pretty impressive 'valued added' from Claremont too, to get such great results from such poor beginnings 😜

Oh yes holiday camps run by an external company.

Are the governors at Claremont and senior staff still expected to be practicing Christian scientists / have an affiliation with Christian Science?

Some years ago a fellow dog walker told me that she had taken her DD out of Reed's, (they only took girls in the sixth form then, ) because the boys were so dreadful, marking the girls out of ten every morning and generally being misogynistic.

@Berrylina what are the camps? Is that holiday camps?

thank you.

I’ve been for the camps recently. Since there’s a new head I would definitely suggest you follow the other advice. I know one child who has gone there recently if it helps. They seem happy.