The Chronicle - April 2025 by claremontfancourt

Spring 2 - 2025

STUDENT FUTURES

With more universities represented than ever!

WIN FOR CLAREMONT! in SATRO Problem solving final.

ADVENTURES NEAR & FAR

Fantastic ski trip in Wagrain, Austria.

SPORTING HIGHLIGHTS

Proud of all our super teams!

HELLO & WELCOME

Following the publication of a very positive and complimentary ISI report, we approached this half term with a spring in our steps. As always, there has been a lot of energy and much to celebrate.

THE HALF TERM IN VERSE!

With six weeks since half term, it’s hard to believe, it won’t be long before study leave.

With mini tests over, next GCSE, Sixth formers are prepping for a short mock or three.

Our SATRO design was the build of the day, such use of wind power blew Surrey away.

Concerts, recitals, a great Shakespeare cast, by novels our English staff dressed to the last.

When throwing and kicking, we’ve played quite a lot, our archery tournament sure hit the spot. You said of boys’ sport “we want to see more” and this Easter we taking a Barça sport tour.

Uni offers brought smiles to all of our faces, for medical, financial and science places.

Our reputation grows thanks to your kind cheer, in spite of the best efforts of Rachel and Kier.

Launching a portal and this format for news; we try to adapt when we hear parents’ views.

We might ditch the rhyming - please don’t blame me, as this didn’t feature in my economics degree.

Whether it’s study or travel you do, the break gives a chance for us all to renew.

Two weeks on Tuesday, we get back to school, I wish a great break to one, and to all!

William Brierly HEAD

PUPIL

VOICE

STUDENT LEADERSHIP IN ACTION

Every week, the senior prefect team meet in Mr Brierly’s office to present ideas, give feedback and discuss everyday school life from a student’s perspective. This means as a senior prefect or school captain, we have felt that we’ve had the platform to shape the school in a variety of ways. The meetings are fairly casual and definitely a friendly environment where everyone has felt comfortable to express their opinions this year. Some meetings have been more general, while others have focused on specific topics brought up by either students or senior staff members such as Mrs Rixon or Mr Stanley, who also frequently attend. Some of the topics we have covered

include exams, co-curricular activities, support throughout the school and any concerns we may have had.

Aside from the meetings, we have had countless opportunities to represent the school, often allowing us to build on our own practical skills. We worked with Mrs Heard to change the structure of the school council, holding meetings and reporting back in whole school assemblies. The focused committees have had many successes, such as the foreign languages video, which welcomes students whose first language is not English, and the student panel hosted by senior prefects to support younger students in choosing GCSE/Alevel options.

To the senior prefect team next year, my advice is to be creative, realistic, and confident with your ideas, starting projects early in the year to ensure you have enough time to see them through, as Year 13 passes quickly. While making major reforms within a single year can be challenging, we hope we have contributed to the gradual improvement of school life for everyone. Personally, I have really enjoyed my role as School Captain and feel privileged to have had the opportunity to support and advance Claremont based on my experience here.

Maya Richards SCHOOL CAPTAIN

STUDENT FUTURES UPDATE

Alex Elbourn HEAD OF STUDENT FUTURES

The annual student futures evening was held just before half term and was as busy as always. With more universities represented than ever before in the great room, talks about Oxbridge, law and medicine running together and a special UCAS session for all Year 12 families, we really enjoyed hearing such a lot of experts. Thank you to everyone who supported this event.

CRITICAL THINKING CLUB

Our Year 12 students have been given the opportunity to attend a critical thinking club, extending their ability to breakdown questions and put them back together. This is providing them with excellent preparation for interviews and small group learning at university level. In addition to this we are organising an Engineering session every Wednesday aimed at Year 12.

CAREERS LUNCHES

This half term we have hosted three careers’ lunches to help pupils gain a better insight into different pathways and sectors. These have included presentations and Q&A sessions from Ellie Wood about her career in the film and television industry, Sarah Hemingway who is a human rights barrister and Dr Farzaneh Harraf, a consultant doctor from Kingston hospital. We are planning to continue this programme into the summer term with speakers already arranged from the world of telecommunications, sport, business and architecture. These events continue to inspire pupils as they start to consider thier futures beyond Claremont.

ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS WITH PUPILS

The student futures team have been busy offering one-to-one guidance for pupils from Year 8 upwards, including advice about university, apprenticeships, sports scholarships and discussing GCSE options.

UCAS OFFERS

This is an exciting time of year as students at the top of the school continue to receive university offers. Many have attended offer holder days, during which they have been able to attend taster lectures, workshops and seminars.

JOYCE GRENFELL PROGRAMME (JGP)

Andy Pinks HEAD OF JGP, ENRICHMENT AND SCHOLARSHIP

As part of the JGP Programme of super curricular enrichment for the pupils, this term the Inspire and Aspire talks have gone from strength to strength.

“ PUPILS ENGAGED WELL WITH THE SPEAKERS AND WERE INSPIRED BY THEIR WORK.”

INSPIRE (YEAR 11 -13) TALKS

We have been fortunate enough to have had three very varied and fascinating Inspire talks this term. Rick Findler packed out the Great Room with Claremont pupils who loved hearing about his work as a war photographer and how he literally had been dodging bullets working in places like Afghanistan and Libya. Helen Pankhurst also commanded the room later this term as she discussed a wide range of issues on human rights and the role of women today with the pupils. Finally, Luca Vigano spoke to the A level English and Computer Scientists about his work as head of the Cyber Security Group and AI at Kings College London. He discussed the idea of how fairy tales can help explain some more complicated concepts in cybersecurity. Pupils engaged well with the speakers and were inspired by their work.

ASPIRE (YEAR 7-10) TALKS

Teachers have hosted a series of inhouse talks this term. All pupils have been invited to delve deeper into some specialist topics that have been held at lunchtime. These have included wildfires in LA (Mr Pinks), piracy in the ancient world (Mr Gardner) and the profiling of offenders (Miss Afsar). These super curricular talks allowed the pupils to broaden their understanding of these issues, and they thoroughly enjoyed learning more about some truly fascinating topics.

Pupil panel with Luca Vigano, Cyber Security Expert

ADVENTURES NEAR & FAR...

SKI TRIP FEBRUARY HALF TERM 2025 - WAGRAIN, AUSTRIA

The Senior ski trip was based at Wagrain, part of the Ski Amade region in Austria. The pupils and students experienced the full range of weather during the week, from cold, cloudy and poor visibility to warm, sunny and clear blue skies. Snow conditions were good throughout the week, made better by recent snowfall on the first day.

Excellent progress was made by all of the ski groups who managed to access the three main skiing areas of the resort. Lunches were taken out on the slopes taking advantage of the mountain restaurants with their spectacular views and culinary delights. The highlight being the restaurant that specialised in filled donuts for a mid morning snack.

A special mention must be made to the beginner group who were competently skiing on blue and gentle reds on day two, being able to join the whole party for lunches and forming an excellent relationship with their instructor.

Evening activities included ice skating, swimming as well as an excellent pizza night in addition to the annual talent show which ended up being an impromptu karaoke session. The pupils also took advantage of the hotel facilities which included table tennis, air hockey, sports hall and also a cinema room.

The pupils enthusiasm and commitment to the skiing and all of the other activities was superb. They returned having made new friends, experienced new activities and made lots of memories that will last a long time.

“ PUPILS ENTHUSIASM AND COMMITMENT TO THE SKIING AND ALL THE OTHER ACTIVITIES WAS SUPERB.”

TWICKENHAM STADIUM

TRIP Year 8 experienced an informative and enjoyable trip to the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Wednesday this week. They learned about sustainability in sport and how the RFU is working to reduce the carbon footprint of the stadium. One of the highlights of the day was the stadium tour; pupils were able to run out onto the pitch and sit in the royal box. Back in school they will evaluate all that they have seen and put together a proposal for further improvements to the stadium’s green credentials.

YEAR 8 ROMAN BATHS TRIP

Our Year 8 classicists enjoyed visiting the beautiful city of Bath. They toured the Roman baths and enjoyed finding out about the shocking things that went into Roman wine and mouthwash. They then studied some Roman inscriptions and got to know about the inhabitants of the city from the objects and artefacts left behind. One final stop to pick up some handmade fudge and they were on their way back to Claremont.

“ LATIN AND CLASSICAL STUDIES COMES ALIVE FOR OUR PUPILS IN BATH!”

Stadium tour for Year 8

Meeting the Romans in Bath

A

LEVEL TEXTILES TRIP TO LONDON GALLERIES

A level textiles students embarked on an exciting day trip to London. Their day began at the Victoria and Albert Museum with the “Naomi in Fashion” exhibition, celebrating the iconic career of Naomi Campbell. The students then headed to the Fashion and Textiles Museum to explore the “Fashion Renegades of 80’s London” exhibition, which showcased the transformative fashion scene of the 1980s.

This enriching experience is a vital part of the textiles course at Claremont and provides A level students with valuable

context for their coursework and insight into the world of fashion history and design.

The trip not only broadened students’ horizons but also ignited their creativity, leaving them inspired to push the boundaries for their own creations.

YEAR 9 SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

Congratulations to the Year 9 Shakespeare festival cast on performing a fantastic modern twist of Twelfth Night. With sparkling hats, songs and Josephine playing Abba tracks on her violin, it was a roaring success. All those involved should feel a massive sense of achievement. Well done!

WORLD BOOK DAY 2025

The English department marked this year’s world book day in style. They dressed up and ran a quiz for pupils who needed to guess what genre each English teacher represented. Our librarian, Mrs Roberts arranged for author Patrice Lawrence MBE to run a workshop for Year 7 pupils who were captivated by her engaging storytelling. Year 12 students studying English language A level visited both Reception classes in Fan Court to celebrate World Book Day. The Sixth Formers brought their own favourite childhood books, spending time reading aloud to the younger pupils, as well as talking to them about their favourite class activities and getting to know each child in their group.

HOUSE NEWS

Laura Wigley DEPUTY HEAD OF HOUSE

This term has been another busy and exciting one for house events, and it’s been fantastic to see so many pupils actively participating.

Across the senior school, over 80 pupils have earned their bronze house certificates through their engagement in house activities and academic progress. Additionally, a remarkable number have achieved their silver award by accumulating over 50 house points each. Their efforts have been celebrated in house assemblies at the end of this term.

Throughout the term, we hosted a variety of engaging competitions, including Bananagrams, a literary quiz, a pancake race, Minecraft building, a 250-piece puzzle challenge, and our annual Easter egg decorating and rolling competition. These events have seen great participation from pupils across many year groups, fostering teamwork and house spirit.

At the close of the term, the standings are as follows: Longcross is in third place, Banstead in second, and Norwood continues to lead with over 3,000 points. However, the race is still tight, and with the final term ahead, the House Cup is still up for grabs!

“ THESE EVENTS SAW GREAT PARTIIPATION FROM PUPILS ACROSS YEAR GROUPS, FOSTERING TEAMWORK AND HOUSE SPIRIT”

CLAREMONT CAKE AT BREAK WINNERS

Recent recipients have been:

26 MARCH

Sixth form guides who have been helping with recruitment of staff for next year.

Each Wednesday our amazing catering team create the prestigious Claremont Cake which is awarded to individuals or groups of pupils who have been nominated by their teachers for success and endeavour.

19 MARCH

Year 11 GCSE food practical exam students for their resilience, hard work and determination.

12 MARCH

U12 netball team for achieving second place in the Sisters in Sport national shield competition & Sixth form house assembly leaders for their active engagement leading to success in promoting a house spirit!

5 MARCH

Year 11 chemists. They have shown dedication which extends beyond the classroom, stepping up their commitment to improving test performances

26 FEBRUARY

Year 9 geographers – for full marks in their extended writing about volcanos. Great efforts on display.

WIN FOR CLAREMONT

SATRO PROBLEM SOLVING FINAL

From over 50 schools that initially entered, our incredible team—Hidde L, Felipe S, George W, Freddie G, Felix D, and Logan W—competed in the final at Surrey University on Thursday 27 March.

WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT CLAREMONT TOOK HOME THE TOP PRIZE FOR KS4!

“ A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR TALENTED STUDENTS FOR THEIR HARD WORK, DEDICATION, AND OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT!”

MEET THE TEAM

We wanted to introduce our wonderful PE team to you who work with incredible energy and enthusiasm come rain or shine to make sport such an important component of life at Claremont.

MISS HARFITT

STRATEGIC DIRECTOR OF SPORT

Area of expertise: Lacrosse

What is your favourite sporting team: Manchester United

Memorable Claremont sporting moment: When the current Y11’s (nearly) won the national schools Lacrosse tournament!

MR RIXON

STRATEGIC DIRECTOR OF SPORT

Area of expertise: Football

What is your favourite sporting team: Tottenham Hotspurs

Memorable Claremont sporting moment: Making history in fielding the first ever 1st XI girls football team against Charterhouse in 2024.

MR MAWSON

HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL SPORT

Area of expertise: Cricket

What is your favourite sporting team: Lancashire CCC

Memorable Claremont sporting moment: Claremont U15s cricket team winning Society of Heads South School’s Cup.

MISS BEAMAN

LACROSSE COACH

Area of expertise: Lacrosse

What is your favourite sporting team: Northampton Saints (a great post-game song)

Memorable Claremont sporting moment: A great first year with Claremont lacrosse teams including Senior tour to Prague!

MR BEAVIS

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH / RUGBY COACH

Area of expertise: Rugby

What is your favourite sporting team: Bristol Bears rugby team (I played with the youth academy linked to the club)

Memorable Claremont sporting moment: Coaching the senior 1st rugby team in their final game v Donottar last season.

MISS CHANDLER

TEACHER OF PE

Area of expertise: Lacrosse

What is your favourite sporting team: Sale Sharks (best chant in the league)

Memorable Claremont sporting moment: When the U13A made it to final 8 at Lacrosse Nationals!

MISS CHASE

SPORTS ASSISTANT

Area of expertise: Football

What is your favourite sporting team: Arsenal FC (watching sparked my passion for football from a young age)

MISS EDMUNDSON

TEACHER OF PE AND GAMES

Area of expertise: Netball

What is your favourite sporting team: Manchester City FC (my home club)

MR ELBISHLAWI (MR E)

FOOTBALL AND SPORTS COACH

Area of expertise: Football

What is your favourite sporting team: Chelsea FC

Memorable Claremont sporting moment: It’s hard to beat Marcus R’s volley in this year’s floodlit game v Donottar!

MR FAWCETT

SPORTS COACH

Area of expertise: Rugby & cricket

What is your favourite sporting team: British Lions rugby (epitomising rugby’s camaraderie, once every four years!)

MR FERGUSON

TEACHER OF PE

Area of expertise: Rugby

What is your favourite sporting team: Middlesbrough FC (it’s home)

MR GILLETT

SPORTS ADMINISTRATOR (JUNOR SCHOOL) AND COACH

Area of expertise: Swimming Team: Liverpool

Memorable Claremont sporting moment: Sports Days are always special, with pupils and staff fully involved, and I love our development tournaments, where progress matters more than results. Celebrating with the pupils and sharing their excitement makes it all worth it.

MISS GREEN

TEACHER OF PE AND GAMES

Area of expertise: Gymnastics

What is your favourite sporting team: London Mavericks- Super league netball team (the only professional team to be exclusively female owned)

MISS HASEEB

TEACHER OF PE

Area of expertise: Netball

What is your favourite sporting team: Loughborough Lightening Netball Team

Memorable Claremont sporting moment: Reaching the Sisters N Sport national final with the U12 netball team in 2025.

MR ISBERG

SPORTS COACH

Area of expertise: Cricket

What is your favourite sporting team: New Zealand cricket (The Blackcaps)

MR KHAN

SPORTS COACH

Area of expertise: Cricket

Fav team: 2005 England men’s cricket team who won the Ashes after 18 years.

MISS KYDD

TEACHER OF PE AND GAMES

Area of expertise: Gymnastics

What is your favourite sporting team: UCLA Gymnastics team (2019)

Memorable Claremont sporting moment: The U13s winning the ISGA National 4-piece competition in 2023

MR MCKILLOP

TEACHER OF PE AND GAMES

Area of expertise: Football

What is your favourite sporting team: Chelsea (my dad showed me the light!)

MRS NICHOLLS

PITCH SIDE FIRST AIDER

Area of expertise: Pitch side first aid & Return 2 Play

What is your favourite sporting team: Nottingham Forest (where I was born!)

MRS O’FLAHERTY

SPORTS COACH

Area of expertise: Tennis and golf

What is your favourite sporting team: Springboks

Add Memorable Claremont sporting moment: ISTA Championship and Surrey Festival for Tennis. The School Golf Nationals too!

MRS RIXON

TEACHER OF PE I/C A LEVEL PE

Area of expertise: Netball & A level PE

What is your favourite sporting team: London Pulse Netball (with lots of exciting England Roses now and in the future)

Memorable Claremont sporting moment: Lacrosse Nationals. 2022 when GHS started the match without us, but the U13 girls sprinted onto the pitch and worked so hard to win and reach the final 16. I lost my voice that day!