CLAREMONT FAN COURT (Secondary school)

[NoushieMin]

Can I please have some up-to-date feedback and opinions on Claremont Fan Court, preferably from people who currently have children there.
Thank you

Current parent. School seems to be going from strength to strength. Latest A level and GCSE results were impressive. Happy place - not pressurised. Head doing a good job. Would recommend

My daughter recently passed the entrance for Claremont primary. I really like the junior section, but I really didn’t like the secondary school - it had a completely different vibe. I was not impressed at all with the crumbling building - yes I know it’s a grand Manor House with a lot of history, but some of the rooms felt like a dungeon.

they are also very supportive of the charity Mermaids, which I find concerning from a child’s safeguarding perspective.

we decided against it and she now goes elsewhere.

Hi, current parent here. Very happy with the provision. Never heard any talk about the charity Mermaids from my child or school communication.
Previous reputation as “banker” school seems to be changing. My child is very happy. Feel
free to DM with any specific questions.

We had a genuinely awful experience at this school. My son is a sensitive, creative and gentle kid and he had a very hard time. They have huge expectations of the children in the junior school, and I know my son was not the only child who struggled in such a strict setting. We had issues with bullying and exclusion, and our son would cling to me most mornings in tears. To make matters worse, the mums are extremely cliquey and if you are not a ‘certain type’ of family you will not feel welcomed here. Children who do best at this kind of school are highly academic, boisterous and sporty. Some kids will do great here but it is certainly not for everyone. We found a school that was a much better fit for our son and he has been absolutely thriving there thank goodness but before we moved we had many unhelpful meetings with his teacher and the head. Overall it was an emotionally exhausting experience from start to finish. I wanted to share this perspective because I had looked on MumsNet before we sent our son to Claremont and there was not a lot of information out there. I would say approach with caution! Wishing you the best of luck.

Hello

We are considering sending our son to CFC for Reception and like you, I’ve been struggling to find opinions online.

Would you mind telling a little more about the bullying? Which year was your son in? It is of particular concern to me as we are ethnically East Asian and I worry about racism and exclusion.

I am really glad to hear that your son is now thriving. Which school did he move to?

Thank you

DC has been here for four years and loves it.

I don’t recognise Lady’s description at all.

I am going to be utterly unhelpful but had to comment, sorry! I didn't know Claremont still existed, my mother was there from about 1946-1951 and she loved it. My uncle was in the prep school bit from about 1937 onwards which I didn't know until now. My grandparents were Christian Scientists at the time, goodness knows why!

My DC is no longer attending the school. But these were my observations of the school.

There are always going to be cliquey mums or people anywhere or at any school in the world, so personally I don’t think that’s a problem.

I think the problem with the school is that it is far from being academic.
There are too many kids who have issues (eg mild autism or ADHD). Or the students couldn’t secure a place in other schools. So the parents are kind of stuck with this school and can’t move their children to other schools even though they are having problems. Also, the school can’t afford to lose any students, so the bullies are not dealt with more strongly.

My DC wasn’t bullied but I have heard of cases. And the bullies were not dealt with properly and they carried on as far as I know.

I heard some racist comments becoming issues but I don’t know how they were seriously dealt with. Given how they dealt with the bullies, the racist comments were not addressed with strongly either.

When you send your child to a certain school you also expect the relationships and bonds will carry into the future. But they do not seem to have the calibre of student you would expect from an independent school.

We realised it quite quickly and moved our DC to the current school.

Also, the facilities and extracurricular need a lot more investment. I have been saying only bad things but it is a good option if your child can’t secure a place in other independents.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Did your DC attend junior school?

My DC went to the secondary school, but one of the bullies and the children who were bullied were from the junior school.

I think the exclusions were happening due to the problems that were mentioned above. They were divided into two groups and if you have problems with the bullies or kids with a stronger character your child would be excluded.

I also know that racist comments were never dealt with

I wish someone could have told me about the school honestly before I sent my DC.

You don’t seem to have been closely involved and the senior and prep schools are pretty separate so how much is this based on gossip?

I understand you want to protect the reputation of your child’s school, but on who’s expense? Or are you a mum of the bullies?

I definitely would not recommend Claremont Fan.

Send your DC to ACS instead - you will not regret it.