Senior School highlights book 2021-2022

CONTENTS

Head’s welcome................................................2

Exam

Community,

The

Christmas

Gala

The

Successes

WELCOME | WILLIAM BRIERLY

It is my pleasure to introduce you to some highlights of 2021/22. Our school community has enjoyed a more typical year following the disruption which a worldwide pandemic brought in the last two; a joyous return to normality.

We had been told to expect a drop in A level and GCSE outcomes in line with national trends, but our hardworking students bucked the trend in triumph. We proudly say farewell to an upper sixth who really demonstrated Claremont character qualities of courage and endeavour in order to achieve their university and career goals.

It has been wonderful to see so many Senior School pupils getting involved in competitive sports with notable success in national competitions and performing to audiences in music and drama. The rewards of success can be seen on our pupils’ faces in this booklet. Throughout the year, I have been delighted in the pupils’ enthusiasm for all they have been involved in beyond the classroom. All performances – from the ingenious adaption of Alice, to the delightful performances at the musical teas, have showcased our pupils’ extensive talents to appreciative audiences.

I could not be prouder of each and every pupil and staff member for making the year such a success and for throwing themselves into each and every opportunity presented. We have swiftly renewed our confidence in making the most of the enrichment trips, and outreach opportunities which enhance the school experience. I hope you enjoy looking at this booklet. It really captures some fantastic memories of a wonderful year which have made me smile so broadly!

EXAM RESULTS

A LEVELS

Many congratulations to our brilliant upper sixth leavers who celebrated record breaking A level results on Thursday 18 August. An outstanding 62% of grades were A*-A and 85% of grades were A*-B. The average grade profile of a student was AAB which is fantastic news. We are particularly excited for the quality of university and career destinations our students are now moving onto, with a large number of Claremont students heading to Russell Group universities including Bristol, Durham, KCL and Exeter, and others taking up much sought-after apprenticeships at companies such as Meta and Barclays.

- SIXTH FORM PARENT

“From Year 7 to Year 13 he has had an amazing time,met wonderful people and the teachers have been inspiring.We couldn’t have asked for more…He has got everything hewants, which is brilliant because the school has helped him do that.”

GCSE RESULTS

Congratulations to all our pupils who received GCSE results in August! With 82% of results graded 6 or above, and 59% graded 7 or above, they had a great deal to smile about. 37% of exams were graded 8 or 9 (previously referred to as A*), surpassing even the results awarded over the Covid-years, and at all levels our pupils’ performance was well in excess of preCovid outcomes. Headmaster William Brierly commented ‘After significant disruption over the past two years I am so proud of our GCSE pupils. Their results match, and in some cases exceed, those of 2021, even though Ofqual has downgraded results nationally. This really shows just how hard our pupils and teachers have worked and how much they have achieved.’

HEAD STUDENTS AND PREFECTS | SIXTH FORM

A big thank you to our school captains, Ollie Trotman and Jess Foster, along with our team of prefects and senior prefects, who represented the school admirably. Their enthusiasm was unwavering throughout the 2021-22 academic year. They have remained fantastic role models for Senior School pupils throughout, and have conducted some excellent fundraising efforts this year too.

PEACE WALK FOR UKRAINE

On Friday 25 March, the whole school walked for Ukraine with the aim to walk as many miles collectively as it is from Esher to Kyiv. We are proud to say that our fund raising made over £10,000 for War Child. Thank you to all the students who walked and to all who donated.

CAMPAIGN | ALL YEARS

On Friday 8 October, Claremont Fan Court School invited pupils and staff to wear yellow to raise awareness around mental health and to support the vital work of Young Minds UK. The day was a wonderful success and it was fantastic to see so much yellow on show throughout the school, from yellow wellington boots in Nursery to smart yellow ties in the sixth form. We managed to raise approximately £700. A huge thank you to all those who donated!

PRIDE

The Pride month of June was jam packed here at Claremont. In the run up to Pride month, students participated in a ‘colour in the flag’ activity in the mansion. The equality alliance held a cake sale for the charity All Out. A Pride assembly took place in June where the history behind the Stonewall protests was explained so students could better understand why it is so important to keep educating ourselves. It was wonderful to see the Pride flag flying high next to our mansion.

This year we introduced wellbeing week in February with the aim to encourage our students to look after their mental and physical health. From having a boogie to let off steam, to using calming mindfulness techniques to control anxiety, the week was all about helping our students live and think more positively. We explored five different ways to boost wellbeing over the course of the week. This included categories such as ‘connect’, ‘be active’, ‘keep learning’, ‘give’ and ‘take notice’ all designed to build confidence and improve self-esteem.

BIG BREAKFAST

In March, our sixth form and some staff members were up extra early to cook a delicious breakfast as part of the ‘Big Breakfast’ charity fundraising scheme. The chosen charities were WWF and Macmillan Cancer Support. Students and staff alike enjoyed a full English breakfast of sausages, bacon, eggs, hash browns, beans and bread rolls!

CLIMATE CREW CAKE SALE

The climate crew hosted a cake sale in March to raise funds for the environmental charity JUST ONE Tree. They raised over £380! The charity reached out to us to show their gratitude. Well done to our students who bought in or made some delicious cakes!

CLUBS

Our ever expanding list of co-curricular clubs have inspired students to discover new hobbies this year. Ranging anything from astronomy to Lego, jazz club to archery, there is something for everyone at Claremont.

STEM CLUB | ALL YEARS

STEM club have been having fun all year learning about anything from solving CSI mysteries, to battling a zombie apocalypse! It has been fantastic to see a growing number of girls and boys so engaged and interested in the exciting world of STEM.

CHESS CLUB

DIGITAL DRAWING CLUB

TRAVEL SHOW | YEAR 7

The annual travel show involved Year 7 marketing a different region of the UK to their parents. Pupils worked in teams to research their chosen region and then creatively presented information about it. There were flags, kilts, Cornish pasties, cups of tea and even deep fried Mars bars on offer. A big thank you to all of the parents who came along and supported the event.

YOUNG ENTERPRISE | YEARS 10 AND 12

Claremont Fan Court School’s Young Enterprise teams kicked off the festive season by taking part in the Walton Christmas Fair on Saturday 20 November. Both teams sold Christmas gifts and decorations. Our Year 10 team were out promoting their product “Paw Pacs”; a very handy bag for dog walkers to take on their walks with all their dog essentials. The Year 12 team were showcasing their innovative light shade designed by a Year 12 student. It was a very successful day providing valuable experience for all those taking part and raising funds to help both teams to develop their businesses further.

THE ARTS

ART, PHOTOGRAPHY AND TEXTILES EXHIBITION | YEARS 11-13

Parents and teachers were very proud to see the excellent art and photography work produced by Year 11 and 13 students this summer at our exhibition.

There were a range of artworks on display from drawing, collage, print making, painting, sculpture, photography, installation and digital art. We were delighted with the quality of art work and photography pupils achieved considering their experiences of working from home at times through the pandemic. We wish all of our pupils every success for their future and look forward to welcoming a number from the GCSE course back to study A level art and photography.

A number of our A level artists and photographers are going on to study art related degrees at university next year and we look forward to hearing how they get on!

SPIRITED ARTS COMPETITION

Our spirited arts competition returned this year. It is designed to encourage students to use multiple materials to make an art piece that combines creativity with theology. We had many impressive entries but the theology department could only choose one winner. Congratulations to Orla MC who came first place with her 3D whale interpretation piece! A special well done to Yael M, Maya K, Poppy B and Camilla T who came 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. Well done to everyone who entered.

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION

Well done to all who took part in the wildlife photography competition. We had fantastic entries for all the categories which were ‘life in the garden and in the water’, ‘up high and down low’, ‘sunrise and sunset’ and ‘blooms and bugs’. The winners, with the most eye-catching entries were: 1st: Reaching for light by Zac H; Joint 2nd: Flowers of Paradise by Ellis A and Sunbathing, by Isobel P; 3rd: Frog with a flower on its head by Amy G.

TEXTILES

The Textile Design exhibition of GCSE and A level work was exhibited in the mansion for parents, friends, families and teachers to enjoy this summer.

The A level students exhibited their personal investigations, which explored a wide range of diverse themes of their choice including: ‘Greek Mythology’, ‘Human Anatomy’, ‘Mental Health and the ‘Planets’. They constructed exceptional outcomes which included dresses, a jacket, a corset, a screen, and an installation. Some students are extending their skills further and pursuing degrees in fashion and textile design, and others are undertaking arts foundation courses next year.

The GCSE pupils displayed a brilliant range of amazing textiles, garments, and wall hangings which were the result of their hard work over the last two years.

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY/ PRODUCT DESIGN

Design and technology and product design students have produced amazing coursework which was displayed in the Sir Sydney Camm building. Their final piece themes ranged from aeronautical inspiration, to environmental awareness.

DRAMA

SIXTH FORM PANTO

Sixth form students certainly understood the panto brief this year, with a hilarious performance of Aladdin. With many costume changes and props prepared, the students took to the stage in December to perform a matinee performance to an audience of adoring Year 6 pupils, followed by an evening performance to friends and family. It was wonderful to hear so much laughter in the JGC, and we congratulate them on their hard work in making the performance such a success!

SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

The Shakespeare Schools’ Theatre Festival is a cultural educational project that supports young people to perform abridged Shakespeare plays in professional theatres. This year, Claremont Fan Court School were delighted to perform at one of the most outstanding regional venues in the South East, The Rose Theatre, Kingston.

Over 20 Year 9 pupils took part in the festival. These pupils spent months learning lines and rehearsing during lunch, after school and at weekends, culminating in an exhilarating adaptation of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’.

Audiences were transported to Wonderland this summer in the Senior School production of ‘Alice’. This adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, written by Laura Wade, was a different take on the story that we all know and love. In this version, the story follows the adventures of Alice, a young girl from Walthamstow, whose brother Joe had died and, in her grief, suddenly finds herself in another universe. With advice from the white rabbit, she must “Get to the Heart”, to find her way home. Wade has crafted a highly original and witty text, which a cast of over 50 pupils from Year 7 to 10 brought to life in a fantastical way. Breathing fresh life into a much loved story about rabbit holes, pocket watches and talking caterpillars, Claremont Fan Court School brought audiences Wonderland like no other.

TALENT SHOW

In March, pupils from all year groups starred in an absolutely brilliant display of singing, musical performances, dancing and acting for the Senior School talent show. We were very fortunate to have award-winning actress and singer Martine McCutcheon and theatrical agent Gemma Hamilton on the judges panel, along with our very own headmaster, Mr Brierly. The standard of performance was incredibly high from all acts and the judges found it very hard to choose the winners. However, they eventually chose in 1st place, Sebastian F and Theo H with their ‘Famous PMs and Presidents’ skit combined with Sebastian’s rendition of ‘Telly’ from ‘Matilda’, Isabella L was placed 2nd with her amazing rendition of ‘Maybe this time’ from ‘Cabaret’ and the highly commended prize was awarded to Charlie Ford playing ‘Scotland the Brave’ on the bagpipes. Many thanks to the sixth formers involved in organising the event, raising more funds for the sixth form charities WWF and Macmillan Cancer Support. Well done to all who participated and a special thank you to our guest judges.

MUSIC

MUSICAL TEAS

Throughout this year we held whole school music tea events for parents and visitors. Music scholar, percussion, singing and string teas were all held in the Great Room in front of audiences. It was a delight to see pupils from across all three schools participate and celebrate music through their individual talents. Many congratulations to our gifted students, who continue to be inspired by our skilled peripatetic tutors.

MUSIC COMPETITION

What a celebration of musical talent we enjoyed on 16 March at the grand finale of the Senior School music competition concert! The music school was buzzing throughout the day with so many talented students. The standard of the competition was first-rate; with the overall winners and runners up of each musical section playing fantastically. There was a concert featuring the winners later that day in the evening for friends and family celebrate their talents.

Aoife C - passed Grade 3 Piano Exam (Performance Grade) with Merit.

Ben SL - passed ABRSM exam.

Molly C - passed ABRSM exam

Ella W - passed ABRSM exam.

Ella G - passed ABRSM exam with merit.

Victor I - passed ABRSM exam.

Eleonore GF - passed ABRSM exam.

Rebecca N - passed ABRSM exam with merit.

Isabella MC - successfully completed ABRSM prep test.

Lucas S - passed ABRSM exam.

Molly C - passed ABRSM exam.

Luca L - passed ABRSM exam with merit.

Eva S - passed ABRSM exam.

Evie M - passed ABRSM exam.

Adeline I - passed ABRSM exam with merit

MUSICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

HOUSE DAYS

From Valentine’s Day love poems, to recycling competitions, from language showdowns to wildlife photography, this has truly been a year of variety for our houses! We were pleased to see good-old-fashioned house rivalry at the end of each term this year when students participated in a range of outdoor sports. As always, the fierce fight for house points escalated at the summer term house day to complete the academic year. As our students jostled with javelins, launched into long jumps and rapidly ran relays, a sea of red, green, blue, yellow and purple covered the front field in a battle for points. Congratulations to Stanmore who lifted the house cup for the first time! Now that Banstead are joining the party next year, it will be a six-way battle in 2022/23 for the all important house cup.

SPORT

NATIONAL QUARTER FINALISTS

We are very proud to say that our Year 8 lacrosse team made it to the quarter finals and were in the top 8 of schools in the national schools’ lacrosse tournament. Our Year 9 girls also played exceptionally at the same tournament, placing in the top 16! Our 1st team continued to go from strength to strength and played excellently at this event.

SURREY COUNTY LACROSSE CHAMPIONS

Congratulations to the U12 A team for winning the Surrey county lacrosse cup and the C team becoming the Surrey county bowl lacrosse champions! Our U13 lacrosse team also won the Abbot’s Hill lacrosse tournament in November, while our U14 lacrosse team won within their age category at the same tournament. We can’t wait to see what our lacrosse girls can achieve next year!

SOUTH OF ENGLAND CRICKET CHAMPIONS

Well done to our U13a team on winning the Society of Head’s South of England 8-a-side softball cricket tournament on the very last ball! Our Year 8 girls also competed at the same tournament and played excellently, which resulted in them placing as runners up.

GYMNASTICS TEAM FINISH 4TH IN NATIONALS

In March, the U13a gymnastics squad competed at the ISGA 4 piece national championships. With some fantastic performances on floor by Pearl T and vault from Annika, the girls managed to finish 4th overall nationally! This is a fantastic result for the girls and a reflection on all their hard work this year. The following week saw the U12 gymnastics squad compete at the Surrey school novice gymnastics festival at Priors Field. The girls performed fantastically considering for many this was their first gymnastics competition. Well done to all involved!

ARCHERY GOLD MEDALISTS

The school began a league during lockdown but this year has seen the school send teams to competitive archery shoots for the very first time, and yet our athletes were victorious with Sophie S, Jay D and Finn W taking gold medals and Monty S a silver.

FOOTBALL QUARTER FINALISTS

Congratulations to the Year 7 and 8 girls who made it into the quarter finals of the ISFA football U13 Girls Cup South East Qualifier at Alleyns School in May. The 1st XI boys football team also had their best ever season, winning a total of 6 games in a row in the Super 8 competition. They made it into the final but narrowly finished as runners-up.

GOLFERS COME 4TH IN UK SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT

In March, Max G, Tristan G and Cameron T participated in the UK schools golf tournament. This was the first time we have participated in this tournament, so we were delighted to finish in 4th position!

TRIPS AND VISITS

ENRICHMENT WEEK

The last week of June saw Senior School students from Years 7 to 10 head out on various enrichment trips and visits. The aim of this week is to make new friendships, work on team building...and have fun!

Year 7

Year 7 went on a residential trip to the Brecon Beacons, visited Kew Gardens to do some observational sketching and enjoyed the Year 7 geography travel show which showcased various locations around the UK.

Year 8

The Year 8 completed a residential trip to Norfolk for an activities and watersports adventure! One of the most popular activities was the stand up giant paddleboards. Great fun was had, new friendships were made and a massive sense of achievement was enjoyed on this trip to remember.

Year 9

Year 9 enjoyed a trip to Thorpe Lakes, cultural education at the Morden Islamic Community Centre, textiles tie-dyeing, science experiments and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.

Year 10

Year 10 had fun paint balling and team building, visited Portsmouth and went on a trip to the Imperial War Museum.. all in a week! The Year 10 geography students visited the River Tillingbourne as part of their GCSE studies.

DUKE OF EDINBURGH OVERVIEW

During enrichment week over 30 Year 10s made their way to the Surrey Hills to complete their practice expedition for Silver DofE. They showed great resilience and maturity and were a credit to the school throughout. Two pupils even celebrated their birthdays whilst out on this expedition so there was cake aplenty!

Alongside the silver group, over 100 Year 9s completed their bronze award, successfully navigating the area around Leith Hill. Just two days later, the Year 10s were out again for their qualifying expedition, this time in the New Forest. Encountering many ponies, donkeys and cows along the way, the group all passed with flying colours.

YEAR 12 GEOGRAPHERS EXPLORE SWANAGE

In June, Year 12 geographers had a fantastic week visiting Portsmouth and Swanage. The pupils were collecting ideas and data for their non examined assessment. The incredible weather allowed them to witness the splendour of the Jurassic coast in all its glory, including Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove. Weymouth, Poundbury and Portsmouth provided excellent urban backdrops to investigate regeneration, ‘clone towns’ and environmental quality. Having not been on a residential for some years, the pupils thoroughly enjoyed learning outside the classroom again. A big thank you to Mrs Ridings and Mr Pinks for organising and leading the trip.

SUCCESSES

1. Rishi B recieved a score of 95/100 distinction in his grade VII for violin and has been placed as a first violinist for the Thames Youth Orchestra.

2. A level students Charlotte C, Jess F, Millie W and Ellie S won the Media Magazine Film competition at BFI.

3. Year 7 poets were invited to attend a Poetry by Heart celebration at the Globe Theatre.

4. Sophia R played lacrosse for Spain at the Eurolax ‘sixes’ tournament in Portugal. Sophia was the youngest member of the Spanish team.

5. Lucas DLT became Surrey javelin club champion. In addition, Lucas along with Genevieve L were selected for the national Prep School athletics finals.

6. Over half of our LAMDA students received distinctions.

7. Year 8, Damir T was voted MVP for for Kingston Lions Basketball Club when they became Surrey champions.

8. Jinny P became u14 pairs champion at the GB karate open as well as the u12 silver medal winner.

9. Ruby MG became a four times national championship dressage qualifier and won her first championship class.

10. Year 7, Mia B, was selected to represent the London Region at the National Acrobatic Gymnastics Championships.

11. Upper sixth student and head girl, Jess F was selected to attend the lacrosse home internationals as part of the England Lacrosse U20s squad.

12. Jasper S qualified for the ‘Pink Kangaroo’ after being in the top 25% of the national ‘Kangaroo’ maths challenge.

13. Gabriel R made his debut in London & SE U18 vs the South West U18 at London Irish.

CHRISTMAS CAROL SERVICE

It was wonderful to be able to celebrate the arrival of the festive season with our annual Christmas carol service at Christ Church in Esher on Thursday 9 December. A morning service took place for Years 7 to 10, followed by a second service for Years 11 to 13 and parents. The congregation were treated to some fantastic performances from our Senior School orchestra, choir and soloists, together with some readings from both pupils and staff.

GALA DAY

Gala Day was a wonderful way to round up our fantastic summer festival. Thank you to all the students, parents, alumni and teachers that came along and joined the fun on Saturday 2 July. Be it sports, performances, music, arts, media or even a jubilee themed bake off, we had a blast. All that’s left to say is… we can’t wait until next year!

THE FUTURE OF CLAREMONT

We continue to improve our facilities for our students throughout the school, and over the last year we have undertaken a number of projects around our 100 acre site.

The care centre and individual needs centre are both important facilities for our pupils and have undergone a significant upgrade over the summer.

We are close to completing the reconfiguration within the JGC, to create a new dining area in the space formerly used as music practice rooms. Our new music practice rooms relocated into a fully refurbished Stable Court.

In September, a brand-new facility transforming a storage space in the sports hall to a fitness suite will be introduced, including cardio and strength and conditioning equipment.

Our fantastic contractors have repurposed existing office spaces in the mansion basement into two additional classrooms. This year we also refurbished the toilets in the mansion basement, adding in a gender neutral facility too.

At the start of the year we announced the exciting news of the purchase of the adjoining West Acre property. The school is now exploring options to utilise this site.

We are continuing to progress the development of an all weather sports pitch and are delighted to appoint S&C Slatters, the UK’s premier sports pitch specialist, to build this much needed facility.