Claremont Fan Court School

Esher  |  893 pupils  | 2.5 – 18 years

Claremont Fan Court’s core value and motto is to ‘Be Strong in Understanding’. It’s embedded in the culture, a way of teaching and learning that sets them apart from other schools, not just an inherited phrase from their long and varied history.

The world has changed, and Claremont Fan Court School has changed with it. The school is growing both in size and reputation – pupil recruitment is up 55% in the last two years to date – despite the pandemic. They continued to deliver excellence during lockdown through a full, live virtual learning experience, and will continue to build on what they’ve learnt, whatever the future holds.

The pandemic has actually allowed Claremont Fan Court School to demonstrate their core value and motto to ‘Be Strong in Understanding’. It’s embedded in the culture, a way of teaching and learning that sets them apart from other schools, not just an inherited phrase from their long and varied history.

The school believes that when pupils truly understand both themselves and the world around them, they can achieve what perhaps seemed impossible. If a pupil says ‘I can’t do it’, it’s our mission to add a ‘yet’ to the end of that statement. This critical positive thinking creates a robust strength of character to take them through into the adult world, and embracing all the challenges that come with it.

So when the school took their entire teaching experience online to ensure all pupils continued to learn and be supported throughout lockdown, both the staff and pupils dived willingly into the unknown. They knew the experience might be challenging. They just hadn’t mastered it. Yet.

That’s because at Claremont, there is a space for every kind of individual to find their niche and thrive within it. The school invests in pupils’ character, so they can unlock potential they didn’t even know they had and explore subjects, sports and activities they’d never tried before. Both staff and pupils flourish in an atmosphere of respect, courtesy, love of learning and the value of friendship held dear at Claremont.

In practice, their teaching philosophy links academic rigour with a character education. Each month, the school has a focus on a different character quality, such as confidence, courage or responsibility, and incorporate it into everything from assemblies, discussions, activities and curriculum work. The academic programme then ensures that pupils attain the highest qualifications of which they are capable. The pastoral curriculum includes three weekly assemblies, discussing the importance of contributing positively to school and home life, and weekly PSHE lessons. Behavioural standards are high and pupils develop and value respect for peers, teachers, the school and greater society.

They do all of this within 100 acres of stunning, historic landscaped grounds to offer a wide range of fully co-ed sports, a brand-new science and technology building with outstanding facilities and a broad curriculum of arts, alongside over 60 co-curricular activities with everything from dissection, dragon’s den, yoga and Lego clubs.

To see what being strong in understanding could mean for your child, visit the website to access virtual tours, or sign up for one of the open events.

www.claremontfancourt.co.uk