Clifton College Prep Prospectus 23_24

What makes Clifton unique?

Aim high, stay grounded.

It is important to make the most of our time at school.

We encourage our pupils to embrace the exciting adventure that school represents.

Any good adventure involves challenges, fun, success,

risk and ambition and we encourage pupils to meet these head-on, and to follow three golden rules – to aim high, be kind and be brave.

It is our pleasure to support our pupils in exploring and developing their unique skills and talents as they progress through the school.

As part of this progression, we believe that it is key to develop

the whole person. In helping our pupils develop a range of skills and attributes, not least compassion, empathy and the ability to build lasting relationships, we aim to enable them to seize all the opportunities life has to offer and to go out into the world ready to make a difference.

Jim Walton Head of Preparatory School

Clifton’s Pastoral Care

Strong pastoral care is a fundamental asset in securing your child’s happiness.

Each day and boarding pupil is a member of a House which becomes their home from home. There are six Houses dedicated to children in Years 4 to 8, each a community in its own right.

The Houses give pupils a base during the day, as well as affording parents the opportunity of daily contact with pastoral staff, who get to know the pupils well and are a constant support.

Our Houses are run as families and we pride ourselves on the warm atmosphere and community spirit they each hold. Each House is run by a Housemaster or Housemistress, as well as a Matron and a team of tutors.

Wrap-around care is included from 8.00am to 6pm in Day Houses so that pupils can complete homework, spend time with their friends or join after-school clubs. Our wide array of co-curricular activities include judo, dance, creative writing, swimming, karate, swing band and lego club.

The school also offers holiday clubs that run each school holiday and provide an extensive range of fun and stimulating activities.

Deputy Head

Mr J Averis

Boarding & Day Houses

Boarding sits at the heart of the Preparatory School.

We are proud of the outstanding boarding experience on offer, not only for our full, flexi and occasional boarders, but for each of our day pupils too. Our Houses feature comfortable modern facilities in beautiful historic buildings where pupils can relax during the day and evening. Alongside spending time with friends and classmates, boarders also enjoy spending time with their younger and older siblings.

Pupils enjoy a wide range of activities after school, later in the evenings and at weekends. There are endless opportunities for the boarders, who benefit from having their own input to the choices they make with their free time.

Each House provides pupils with a common room and a study area in which to complete homework, as well as kitchen facilities where drinks and snacks are provided during a busy day at school.

Discover more about our Day and Boarding Houses in our new film:

Where friends become family

At Clifton, friends and housemates soon become family.

The bonds in each House are close and inter-House competitions form a fun and exciting part of College life.

Sporting competitions and the House Song Competition are some of the most anticipated events in the school calendar.

They provide pupils with the opportunity to represent their House and also bring the Houses together.

While pupils form strong friendships through their class, co-curricular activities and the many other shared activities in the school calendar, the friendships they form within their House are also a very valued part of their Clifton College experience.

Clifton College

Academic excellence

We offer our pupils access to first-class facilities and quality teaching, helping us to provide a worldclass education.

At every stage of learning, pupils are nurtured and prepared for life ahead. This includes not only the academic skills they need to pass examinations, but the knowledge, experience and attitude which will allow them to become successful adults.

Standards in literacy and numeracy, are maintained, well above the national average, whilst retaining a broad and rich curriculum geared to educating the whole child.

We aim to make the learning experience as hands-on and interactive as possible, from workshop sessions with visiting authors to rocketmaking in the Science labs, or dressing up for the History Department’s Viking Day. Pupils learn best if they are motivated, engaged and inspired.

Deputy Head

Mr P Clear

Enable, empower & support

We offer an allround education which nurtures the talents of each individual child.

Alongside academic subjects, there is a strong focus on arts subjects with a wide range of art, music and drama activities both within and beyond the classroom, including productions at the school’s Redgrave Theatre and informal recitals in the Joseph Cooper Music School. Pupils also enjoy a whole host of activities at our dedicated Forest School.

We provide a wide range of co-curricular activities to offer additional opportunities for pupils to explore and expand their knowledge.

The wealth of activities available helps ensure pupils are happy, stimulated and inspired. The co-curricular provision includes archery, choir, horse riding, ski racing, creative writing, book club, programming, ballet and much more.

Pupils also attend school on a Saturday morning. Saturday school involves a variety of assemblies and lectures from inspirational speakers and a program of games. Year 7 and 8 pupils also take part in enrichment activities, which develop capabilities, such as cookery and bushcraft, that do not necessarily fit into the academic provision but are nonetheless important life skills.

Clifton College

The co-curricular programme

All clubs and activities run throughout week, during mornings, lunch breaks and after school.

In line with College’s philosophy of providing an excellent all-round education, the Prep offers a range of engaging and stimulating activities and clubs for pupils to choose from, whether it be playing chess, learning an instrument, beekeeping, knitting, playing golf, battling with your friends on the Warhammer terrain or learning to build and code with VEX IQ.

We hope all children experience a range of activities and develop skills beyond those in the core curriculum or core games and sports programmes. Hence, whilst composition varies seasonally, and reflects the interests and enthusisams of staff and students, this means pupils can indulge in their passions, or discover new ones and develop their creativity, imagination, leaderships skills and build their confidence, physical health, and general wellbeing.

We also run many trips and outings to compliment the curriculum, as well as the annual residential programmes and variety of trips abroad on offer, such as the Latin trip to the Bay of Naples, Ski trips and Racing fixtures to Italy and Norway and the Languages Enrichment trip to Spain and France.

On a Saturday morning, we run a series of workshops and lectures for our Upper Prep which includes a careers programme, to compliment the work covered within the PSHE curriculum.

If you want to know more about any part of the programme, we look forward to meeting you.

Deputy Head

Mrs

J Hambley

Clifton College

Spiritual development

At Clifton, we believe a first-rate education also caters for a pupil’s moral and spiritual development.

Our magnificent Chapel sits at the heart of the College and plays an important part in school life. It provides an oasis of calm in pupils’ busy daily lives and forms a powerful link between past and present. It is the place where we mark our milestones and celebrate our successes, where we come for quiet contemplation or spiritual guidance.

The College is of an Anglican foundation but pupils of all faiths are welcome.

For 160 years Clifton College has supported a vibrant

Jewish community within the school and is the only public school with its own synagogue. The school’s relationship with the Jewish community dates back to the founding Head Master, John Percival, and the establishment of a boarding house for Jewish pupils in 1878.

While there is no longer a separate Jewish boarding house at Clifton, an educational trust was established as an independent charitable organisation that provides means-tested scholarships and bursaries to Jewish children at the College. Jewish pupils are encouraged to celebrate and nurture their Jewish identity, not just for their own benefit but also to the benefit of the wider school community.

Clifton College

Sport at Clifton

The sports department’s aim is ‘sport for all’. We place equal importance on the benefits of health and exercise, as well as the new skills and interests that sport brings to our pupils.

The sports played across the three terms for boys are rugby, hockey, football, cricket and tennis; and for the girls are hockey, netball, football, cricket and tennis. Sport provides an environment where children can learn about teamwork, leadership, how to overcome challenges as well as how to be gracious in defeat and magnanimous in victory.

Pupils are encouraged to take part in an array of physical activities from a young age.

Through regular PE lessons and co-curricular activities, we offer pupils a wide array of sporting options including athletics, cross country, fencing, real tennis, sailing, golf, swimming and karate, as well as relatively recent additions such as girls rugby, which continues to grow in popularity.

As pupils progress through the school, they are encouraged to represent Clifton College through team fixtures at a range of ability levels.

Our pupil numbers mean that we can field a large number of teams in the main sports each term in fixtures against neighbouring and touring schools.

Sporting success

Clifton College pupils have gone on to play at national and international level in a range of sports.

A number of former pupils have gone on to represent their country in sports like rugby, hockey and cricket, including recent pupils who have played cricket for the

England Young Lions and hockey and rugby players who have played for England and Wales.

We have an experienced and dedicated coaching team and excellent facilities which help drive the standard of sport. We also organise sports tours and festivals for our pupils.

We take an U12 cricket tour to York every summer and in October 2023 took fifty

children to Edinburgh for hockey and rugby. We also compete at IAPS competitions across all sports throughout the year.

Our aim is to enable our pupils to fulfil their sporting potential across a wide range of team games and individual sports. We believe that the key to all sporting success starts with enjoyment, and hope to lay the foundations for our pupils to enjoy lifelong participation in sport at every level.

Clifton College

First-class facilities

Our commitment to nurturing talent in sport is reflected by our internationalstandard sports facilities.

Specialised buildings, such as the Joseph Cooper Music School, the art studios and ceramics workshop, and the Redgrave Theatre, ensure our pupils have access to firstclass facilities that enhance

their educational experience. The school’s impressive sports facilities total 90 acres, providing pupils with international-standard indoor and outdoor sports provision. We are also lucky to have a water-based hockey pitch and 3G rugby pitch, accompanied by a range of traditional courts including rackets and real tennis.

The College has recently received a remarkable gift from Mr Lal Chellaram, an Old Cliftonian, and the Chellaram

Foundation, to build a new state-of-the-art sports complex at Beggar’s Bush.

The centre, which is to be named The Chellaram Sports Complex, will house an eight court hall for netball, tennis, basketball and badminton amongst other sports, as well as a 60 m2 indoor bouldering wall.

Creativity at Clifton

Music

― Music is an integral part of the rich cultural and academic life on offer at Clifton.

Our pupils are passionate about music and have regular opportunities to perform in concerts at events; both solo and as part of our music ensembles, and from school musicals to the annual House singing competition.

All pupils are encouraged to explore their musical creativity both within and beyond the classroom, whatever their level of ability.

Facilities in the Prep include the School Hall for performances, as well as a computer suite for music technology.

Pupils can take part in a whole range of co-curricular groups from Chapel Choir, Junior Choir and Orchestra, to Swing Band, Guitar, Brass, Woodwind, String ensembles and Pop groups.

Drama

Drama is just one of the ways we help instil quiet confidence in our pupils.

Drama also helps children to improve communication skills and express their emotions in a supportive environment.

Drama lessons form an important part of the school curriculum and there are numerous opportunities throughout the Preparatory School to take part in school productions as well as joining co-curricular Drama and LAMDA clubs.

The school’s Redgrave Theatre allows children the opportunity to perform in a professional environment and is a great backdrop for the fantastic performances given by our pupils. Recent shows have included Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Shrek the Musical and Sister Act.

There is a wealth of acting talent throughout the College and recent Clifton graduates have gone on to prestigious drama schools. Well-known Old Cliftonian actors include Sir Michael Redgrave, Sir Simon Russell Beale, John Cleese and Trevor Howard.

Clifton College

Art, DT and ICT

Art encourages children to think creatively, experiment and explore, and make discoveries of their own.

We have a very strong Art Department with first-class facilities in the Hornby Arts Centre.

To inspire our pupils’ learning, we arrange regular visiting artists. Recent workshops have included henna design and willow sculpting, and recent visiting artists have included Bristol-based Graffiti artist Rob Wheeler.

We also have an excellent Design and Technology Department with a range of facilities, such as a lasercutter, 3D printer and CAD software.

As well as studying Art and Design, pupils can also join our co-curricular Art and DT clubs and get involved with projects like designing, building and racing our own F24 car.

All pupils have Computer Science lessons an hour a week by specialist teachers and have their own network and Google Accounts. We use Google products extensively so pupils develop excellent ICT skills.

All pupils study programming, graphic design, animation and online safety as part of the curriculum. We also use VEX Go and VEX IQ and enter the national competition in Robotics.

Clifton College

Admissions information

To discover more and get a real feel for what’s on offer, we would be delighted to welcome you and your family to one of our Open Days, or for an individual visit on a mutually convenient date.

An individual visit will be tailored to you, based on your child’s interests, and will incorporate a campus tour with the opportunity to visit classrooms and see our facilities in action. Our Headmaster, Housemasters, Housemistresses and other relevant staff members will be available to meet with you during your visit, to answer any questions you may have regarding life at Clifton College Preparatory School.

To find out more, or to arrange a visit, please contact our Admissions Team who would be happy to guide you through the process.

Email: prepadmissions@ cliftoncollege.com

Telephone: (+44) 0117 3157 160

Online: www.cliftoncollege.com/ admissions

A guide to the process

At Clifton, we assess each individual child by considering their potential, their educational background and profile, including behaviour and attitude.

We want you to feel secure in the knowledge that we, at Clifton, will be able to educate and develop your child to the best of their ability so that there is every chance that they will benefit from the education provided.

The first step towards joining Clifton College is to contact our Admissions Team, with whom you will be able to discuss your child, arrange a visit and find out more about the process.

To register for a place at Clifton College, you will be asked to complete and return the Registration Form and pay a non-refundable fee of £150. We will require you to provide us with a copy of your child’s birth certificate, passport and a recent school report.

All pupils wishing to join Clifton College Prep School will be tested using the CAT4 diagnostic assessment. For more information regarding this assessment, please do not hesitate to contact our Admissions Team, who would be delighted to hear from you.

All applicants will meet with a senior member of staff, either the Head of the Prep School, a Deputy Head, or the Prep Admissions Lead on their visit to Clifton College.

Offers & scholarships

Offers

A place will be offered if we are confident an applicant will thrive in the Preparatory School. Once we have offered your child a place we will require you to accept the offer by completing an Acceptance Form and paying a deposit.

Scholarships

Clifton College offers Scholarships at 11+ for entry into Year 7 in Academic, Music or Sport. Scholarships are merit based and are assessed through examinations, audition or other appropriate assessment.

The Scholarship Programme runs alongside the meanstested Bursary Programme; those in receipt of a scholarship will be able to apply for a bursary.

For more information about our Scholarship Programme, the dates of assessment and how to apply please see our website www.cliftoncollege. com or contact our Admissions Team.

Email: prepadmissions@cliftoncollege.com

Telephone: (+44) 0117 3157 160

International pupils

As an English boarding school, Clifton College places a high value on the religious and cultural diversity brought to the College by its international pupils and we ensure they are fully integrated into the life of the College.

We are happy to receive enquiries from international families, either directly or through one of the many agencies with whom we work. The agencies can provide help with translation, entry tests and admissions procedures.

Pupils applying for a place who are resident overseas will be asked to sit the online CAT4 assessment and invited to a virtual meeting with the Head or Deputy Head of the Preparatory School. All other aspects of the admissions process remain the same.

Our legal partner, who we work closely with, will be able to assist and guide parents through the child student visa application process.

Information on residential courses, including language and academic preparation courses, can be found on our website.

A guide to fees

For details of all our fees, please visit our website at www.cliftoncollege.com/ admissions/fees

What’s included

The fees cover all the teaching that takes place in the ordinary course of education and all the expenses of practical work in the science laboratories etc.

The cost of providing Learning Support is not included in the standard fees. Some other costs, such as public examination fees (including re-marking) and any other reasonable charges, will also be passed on to parents.

There are some additional charges associated with House, co-curricular and other activities, such as certain games, trips and theatre outings.

Reduction for siblings

A reduction of the net school fee (but not extras) is currently provided to parents who have two or more children at Clifton College, excluding the Nursery. The reductions, which are applied to the younger children, are 5% for the second child, 20% for the third child and 50% for the fourth and subsequent children whilst they all simultaneously attend the school. This discount remains the subject of annual review.

Bursaries

Bursaries are means-tested awards and are made at the School’s discretion. In accordance with the Charities Commission guidelines, Bursaries are made following the completion of a Grant Application Form (GAF) that includes a ‘Confidential Statement of Financial Circumstances’. Bursaries may, in exceptional circumstances, be awarded up to 100% of the fees.

HM Forces

Clifton College is proud of the support it provides to the children of parents in the British Armed Forces. We hope this strong military tradition will continue to thrive, and we recognise that the financial support we offer our families is key to this success.

In an effort to make this process simpler for families we have streamlined the system for support. This will make it easier for families to know what fees need to pay each term. If you claim Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) for your child to take a full boarding place at the College, the amount that you will personally pay from 1st September 2023 will be fixed at a flat rate per term.

For further details see our website www.cliftoncollege. com/admissions/forcesfamilies