From Mr Dickie

It has been a year like no other. A year when the sports fields fell silent, where the language of blended learning, Kahoot and Zoom entered our vocabulary, where lockdowns kept us apart, often indeterminate periods and where masks and ‘social’ distancing shaped our interactions when we were together. Like any year there have been highs and there have been lows yet, for all of the challenges that the pandemic period has thrown at us, there has been a steely determination from all in the community to push on through, a resilience amongst the student body and unstinting commitment from staff. I am absolutely sure that we are considerably stronger as a school, as learners and as facilitators of learning, than we were prior to March 2020. It has been humbling to see the way in which we have collectively addressed these challenges together, often struggling and striving as we have tackled new things, been endlessly creative and open to experiences and technology we have not faced before. The successes of the year have often been of that nature, moments when individuals or the community have exceeded what anyone thought possible. While individuals are mentioned on occasion, the reality is that the year has been a collective success that all in the community can draw pride from. It has been 10 years since the doors of Claremont Senior School opened. Starting a school has its undeniable challenges, banana skins to negotiate and doubters to persuade. Success in the classroom is a currency which has considerable value and Claremont has made extraordinary strides in this respect. While we are not, and never will be, an academic ‘hothouse’ what we can now claim is that every student has the opportunity to fulfill their potential, regardless of their abilities. The academic progress for the school is clear for all to see and this has been one of the real highlights of this year. Despite the obvious challenges of time away from school, students and teachers have been determined and unified in their desire to maximise their opportunities. A Level & BTEC results were the best the school has ever had with 81% of all grades coming in at A*-B. It was particularly pleasing to see the success of BTEC qualifications where an astonishing 88% of results were graded at Distinction* or Distinction (the equivalent of A*/A). Over the past few years the academic team have looked to expand the offering in the Sixth Form to reflect the diverse nature of our student body. BTECs in Creative Digital Media, Sports Science, Dance and Business have offered assessment routes that have allowed students to access some of the top universities and courses in the land. Student outcomes remain the most important measure for us as a school and this year 89% of students are heading to their first choice institution. Students such as Grace de Wilde and Charlie Saunders, stalwarts of the school for many years, head to Loughborough University. Lucy Owen will be studying Film at Leeds University, Naomi Sinclair and Lea-Lyne Rongier both

head to Exeter to study Psychology and History respectively while John Langridge heads to Queen Mary to study Politics. These are just a small sample of the wonderful range of destinations that even included a football scholarship in West Virginia and an ESports degree in Staffordshire! For the first time we also saw students heading for degree level apprenticeships, a new addition to the scene that looks destined to become increasingly popular. Harvey Monk heads to a Construction apprenticeship while Emilia Suggit was accepted onto a Civil Service apprenticeship. We are hugely proud of every member of this cohort who, together, represent so much that is good about our school. GCSE results were also some of the best in the school’s short history as the Year 11 cohort overcame the immense challenges of the past eighteen months. By every measure there were advances with the top end results seeing the most significant rise. Close to half of all results were graded at 9-7 ( A**/A*/A in old currency). Again, our school is showing itself capable of getting the very best out of all of our students. Students such as Elizabeth Staley, Lekan Ibrahim, Rachel Waters, Tom Liggett and Toby MurrayBrewster all achieved above and beyond their predictions and one could name many, many others in the same breath. We speak often at the school about ‘good’ struggle and this cohort are the living embodiment of this, showing resilience and persistence in the dark months of lockdown and emerging in the summer with what was due to them. Again, our pride for their achievements runs deep. Working with technology has been a theme throughout the year and departments have been hugely creative in their utilisation of a variety of tools. The Performing Arts department in particular were incredibly active, producing online concerts, dance shows and radio dramas as they continued to show themselves to be capable of producing material of the highest quality. A particular highlight of the year was the Claremont Extra podcast, a weekly addition to the life of the school which showcased an assortment of talent. I looked forward to a weekly visit from the podcast team to record my ‘quote of the week’ and keenly anticipated the latest installment of the radio drama. These innovations did not distract the Performing Arts team from still putting on some fantastic moments in the Space Theatre, to include some extraordinary devised pieces of original drama. My enduring memory of the year is one that embodies some of the great strengths of the school, and points to an exciting decade ahead. In May the school’s entry for the ISP Film Festival was released.‘Betcha’ was a short film produced and created by three incredibly talented students: Tino T, Lucy B and Bella G. A gripping and dark tale of revenge, it tackled difficult subject matter with style, intelligence and bravery. Themes of diversity, equality and the burden faced by young women have been dominant in society and our school in the past year. This film showed how to tackle difficult issues in a way that was engaging and provocative. Up against more than 30 films from schools across the world, ‘Betcha’ claimed one of the major awards. It was a great moment. This sort of initiative represents the forward thinking, deeply creative and intellectually demanding activity that can define the School as we move forward.

It is probable that the pandemic will forever cast something of a shadow on the successes of the past eighteen months. Yet the Claremont community can be proud that it has, ultimately, not let the dark days obscure the huge progress made by so many individuals in the school during this time. The future is bright and it is in the hands of a generation who have emerged bolder and more ambitious from the experiences they have gone through. Claremont has never been stronger, buoyed by its partnership with ISP and looking ahead with confidence and anticipation.

Ed Dickie

Senior School Headteacher

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Claremont Extra Podcast has proved to be a huge success. Each episode is student led and they are responsible for all elements of the radio show, from scheduling, planning and recording interviews to creating jingles and soundbeds.

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