Claremont Fan Court School Sir Sydney Camm Building

Claremont Fan Court School is a co-educational

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British En ...

, for pupils from 2½ to 18 years. Situated outside

Esher Esher ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole. Esher is an outlying suburb of London near the London-Surrey Border, and with Esher Commons at its southern end, the town marks one limit of the Greater London Built-Up ...

, in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

, sixteen miles from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, it is located on the grounds of the Claremont Estate. It is a member of the Society of Heads, the Independent Schools Council (ISC) and the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS).

History

Claremont Estate (1708-1919)

The first house to be built on the Claremont Estate was Vanbrugh House in 1708 by Sir John Vanbrugh. In 1714 it was bought by the Earl of Clare (from which the name Claremont is derived) who later became the Duke of Newcastle. Many notable residents have lived on the estate since, including: Lord Clive of India, Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold, Princess (later

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

), King Louis Philippe and Queen Marie-Amélie, and the Duke and Duchess of Albany. The grounds too have been sculpted by several notable architects, including Vanbrugh, Capability Brown and William Kent. Throughout this period many changes were made to the buildings and grounds of the estate.

Claremont School (1922-1978)

In 1922, a school for girls began at Mrs Packers’ house (who later became the first principal of Claremont School). After moving to Clear View in Norwood in 1923 due to an expansion in pupil numbers the school moved again to Claremont in 1931 after acquiring 33 acres of the Claremont estate. By 1936 it was at full capacity with 85 pupils. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the school was evacuated to

Llandrindod Wells Llandrindod Wells (, ; cy, Llandrindod, /ɬanˈdɾindɔd/ "Trinity Parish"), sometimes known colloquially as Llandod, is a town and community in Powys, within the historic boundaries of Radnorshire, Wales. It serves as the seat of Powy ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, and Claremont was let to the

Hawker Aircraft Hawker Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer that was responsible for some of the most famous products in British aviation history. History Hawker had its roots in the aftermath of the First World War, which resulted in the bank ...

company, whose design team under the aeronautical engineer Sydney Camm produced the

Hawker Tempest The Hawker Tempest is a British fighter aircraft that was primarily used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the Second World War. The Tempest, originally known as the ''Typhoon II'', was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, intended to a ...

fighter. In 1946 the school returned to the Claremont Estate, purchasing White Cottage in 1949. By 1955 the stables had been converted to a junior school, thus allowing pupils to number 200, with half of these as boarders. By 1970 a new gymnasium, art rooms, dining room, kitchens and music block had been built.

Fan Court School (1932-1978)

In 1932 a preparatory school for boys was founded at a small house called The Lodge in Banstead, Surrey. The school briefly moved to Warren House before again moving to Fan Court, Chertsey in 1934, when it also received its formal constitution and was admitted to the Incorporated Association of Preparatory Schools. In its early years, only five pupils attended, hailing from South Africa, USA and England. This rose to 56 prior to the outbreak of World War II and up to 85 by 1956. The school magazine was called ''Vox Leonis'' (named after the lion on the school crest). The Old Boys’ Club and Friends of Fan Court were established in 1936 and 1947 respectively. A summer garden party called ''Fan Court Day'' was held annually to celebrate the school's community and included entertainments, exhibitions and speeches. During World War II the possibility of evacuating the school to Canada or the Bahamas was considered, however never occurred. The School planted a tree to mark the end of the war in 1945. In 1967 a junior school for boys and girls was opened at Fan Court. Girls were able to stay at Fan Court until the age of 10 when they became eligible for entrance into Claremont School. This further strengthened the connection between the two schools that had existed since Fan Court had been established. Other demonstrations of this link include: Claremont's financial support in 1955 for the construction of Fan Court's swimming pool, alternate-year joint parties beginning in 1964, a joint carol service in 1967 and joint meetings from 1967 onwards by committees and Friends of the schools.

Claremont Fan Court School (1978-present)

In 1978, Claremont School and Fan Court School amalgamated on the site of Claremont School to become a co-educational school for pupils from 2½ to 18 years. During the 1980s the Joyce Grenfell Centre was built (named after the former Claremont School pupil) housing a music school, theatre, computer suite and design and technology classrooms. A new junior school and principal's house (called Clearview after the former location of Claremont School) were also built. During the 1990s White Cottage became the Sixth Form centre and a new sports hall was built. In September 2019, the Sir Sydney Camm science and technology building opened. In January 2022 the school purchased West Acre, a significant adjoining property.

Notable events

* 1972 – Claremont School celebrated its Golden Jubilee with the construction of a new science facility. * 1979 (August) – HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother visited the Mansion after an opening ceremony at the Claremont Landscape Gardens. * 1996 – After repairs, the Belvedere was opened to the public for the first time to celebrate the centenary of the National Trust.

School life

Houses

On entering the school pupils join one of the following five houses: * Longcross (yellow) - named after the previous location of Fan Court School; the crest features the Longcross lion * Norwood (blue) - named after the previous location of Claremont School; the crest features the Claremont torch * Radnor (red) - named after the county in Wales in which Claremont School was evacuated to during WWII; the crest features the Welsh dragon * Esher (green) - named after the current location of Claremont Fan Court School; the crest features a crown for Esher's past royal associations * Stanmore (purple) - named after Warren House in Stanmore where Fan Court pupils were located to temporarily in 1933; the crest features a fan * Banstead Banstead (orange) - Banstead House is named after the original Fan Court School before it moved to Stanmore. File:Longcross House Crest.jpg, Longcross house crest File:Radnor House Crest.jpg, Radnor house crest File:Norwood House Crest.jpg, Norwood house crest File:Esher House Crest.jpg, Esher house crest File:Stanmore House Crest.jpg, Stanmore house crest File:Banstead house crest.jpg, Banstead house crest Various school interhouse activities take place throughout the year in addition to the House point system and sports day. These have included competitions in: singing, film creation, drawing, recycled fashion, engineering and cooking. Since 1933, Fan Court School has used a house system, starting with three houses (Cayley, Lings and Macgregor) followed by the addition of a fourth by 1936 (Cazalet). Cayley and Cazalet were named after benefactors of the school. Claremont School introduced its house system in 1928 with four houses (Normans, Saxons, Tudors and Stuarts).

Sports

Girls

In the Autumn and Spring terms girls play

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

and

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

, and in the Summer term they play cricket and

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

Boys

In the Autumn and Spring terms boys play

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

, and in the Summer term they play

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

and

Motto, crest and song

The motto, crest and song are all derived from those of Claremont Fan Court's predecessor schools: * The school motto is “Be Strong in Understanding” which recognises Fan Court School's original motto "Be Strong". * The school crest combines a lion and torch. This references the original crests with the torch from Claremont School and the lion from Fan Court School. * The School song is titled “Nisi Dominus Frustra” which was the original motto of Claremont School. The words are by Phyllis M. Cooper and the music by Fenella Farrar (Bennetts).

Christian Science

The school was founded by Christian Scientists, although it has no formal connection with the Christian Science Church. In its beginning, having a knowledge of

The Principia The Principia is an educational institution for Christian Scientists located on two campuses in the St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area of the United States. Principia School, located in Town and Country, West St. Louis County, serves st ...

inspired the founders as well. The 2007 Independent Schools Inspectorate Report details the School as Christian Science, however the 2011 Independent Schools Inspectorate Interim Report only states that the school was founded by Christian Scientists. The financial accounts for the year ending 31 July 2013 filed with the Charity Commission for England and Wales states that all members of the Foundation Council, from whom the Trustees and Governors are selected, must be practising Christian Scientists, and that senior staff are expected to have strong affinity with and understanding of Christian Science. In February 2021, Governors confirmed their decision to open membership of the governing body to members of all faiths and none. Pupils only receive religious education following the National Curriculum which encompasses studying a variety of religions and cultures. Pupils also have the opportunity to develop their understanding further, such as by visiting a mosque and holding a Japanese traditional culture day. There is no religious building on site nor does it employ a chaplain. A carol service, concert and nativity production often occur at Christmas.

Alumni

Notable pupils

* Joyce Grenfell, OBE, English actress, comedian, monologist and singer-songwriter *

James Hamilton, 4th Baron Hamilton of Dalzell James Leslie Hamilton, 4th Baron Hamilton of Dalzell (11 February 1938 – 28 September 2006) was a British Conservative Party hereditary peer. Early life Hamilton was the elder son (and second child) of John Hamilton, 3rd Baron Hamilton of Dalz ...

(1938–2006), stockbroker and Conservative peer *

Anthea McIntyre Anthea Elizabeth Joy McIntyre, (born 29 June 1954) is a British Conservative Party politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands from 2011 to 2020. Career Born in London, the daughter of David Scott McInt ...

, Conservative Member of the European Parliament *

Miles Millar Miles Millar (born 1967) is an Australian-British screenwriter, showrunner, producer and director. He is known for co-creating the long-running Superman prequel television series ''Smallville'' and the Tim Burton Netflix ''Addams Family'' spin- ...

, screenwriter and producer *

Anne Sebba Anne Sebba (''née'' Rubinstein, born 1951) is a British biographer, lecturer and journalist. She is the author of nine non-fiction books for adults, two biographies for children, and several introductions to reprinted classics. Life Anne Sebba ...

, British biographer, writer, lecturer and journalist *

Kate Staples Katharine Joanna Staples (born 2 November 1965) is a British female former pole vaulter. In 1992, she became the first British woman to vault over three metres. She went on to win the 1993 UK Championships, the AAA Championships three times (1993 ...

, British female former pole vaulter and star of '' Gladiators'' *

Michaela Strachan Michaela Evelyn Ann Strachan (born 7 April 1966) is an English television presenter and singer. Early life Born in Ewell, Surrey, Strachan grew up in Hinchley Wood and attended Chadsworth Stage School, then Claremont Fan Court School, both in ...

, television presenter *

Alastair Willis Alastair Willis is a Grammy-nominated conductor and music director of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. Willis is the brother of Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German o ...

, Grammy-nominated conductor and music director *

Sarah Willis (hornist) Sarah Elizabeth Peel Willis (born 23 February 1968) is an American-born British-American French horn player. She is a member of the Berlin Philharmonic, and is a presenter of TV and online programs about classical music. Early life Sarah Willi ...

, a British

French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...

player and TV presenter * Angela Conner FRSS - Leading English sculptor. * Robin Denys Gill, KCVO - Retired British businessman, investor, and television and charity executive. Founder of the Royal Anniversary Trust, subsequently served as Chairman of Executive and Chairman. * Graham Fawcus - British Army Major General * Matthew Needham - Actor * Mary Malecka - Leading mediator barrister * Victoria Carter (businesswoman) - Chairman of Global Capital Solutions, International for Guy Carpenter Company Ltd. Deputy Chair of Lloyd’s of London, Freeman of the City of London and a Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Insurers. *

John Huxtable Elliott Sir John Huxtable Elliott (23 June 1930 – 10 March 2022) was a British historian and Hispanist who was Regius Professor Emeritus at the University of Oxford and honorary fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, and Trinity College, Cambridge. He p ...

FBA - British historian and hispanist who was Regius Professor Emeritus at the University of Oxford * Sophie Matthew - Actor *

Giles Stille Giles Kevin Stille (born 10 November 1958) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder in the Football League for Brighton & Hove Albion. He went on to coach and manage in Sweden. He is the current manager of Swedis ...

- English former professional football player and current manager of Swedish club team, Assyriska * Moorad Choudhry - formerly Head of Business Treasury, Global Banking and Markets at Royal Bank of Scotland * Virginia Lovell JP DL - Magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire * Bernard Richard Weatherill QC - A Queen’s Counsel * Henry Bruce Weatherill - Chartered accountant and Chairman of The Wimbledon Foundation * Christina Dixon - Environmental campaigner *

Christiana Figueres Karen Christiana Figueres Olsen (born 7 August 1956) is a Costa Rican diplomat who has led national, international and multilateral policy negotiations. She was appointed Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNF ...

– Environmental campaigner, former UN and Costa Rican diplomat, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change * Gillian Packard - Leading female jeweller of the 1960s, first woman to become a Freeman of the Goldsmiths Company * Peter White (author) - Author of ''With the Jocks: A Soldier’s Stuggle for Europe 1944-1945'', a first-hand account of World War II * Karen de Groot - ''Top Pops'' journalist, researcher and scriptwriter * Emma Thornton - Founder of TRUE skincare and contestant on ''Dragon’s Den'' * Alice Arnold - Broadcaster and journalist *

Clare Francis Clare Mary Francis (born 17 April 1946) is a British novelist who was first known for her career as a yachtswoman who has twice sailed across the Atlantic on her own and she was the first woman to captain a successful boat on the Whitbread ...

MBE - British novelist and yachtswoman * Charlotte Lomas - former England international lacrosse player * George Brooksbank (accountant) - Chartered Accountant, Property investor. * Nigel Brown OBE - Founder of NW Brown Group Ltd and former High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire * Malcolm Erskine, 17th Earl of Buchan - Peer of Scotland and member of the House of Lords * Colin Cullimore CBE - Served in the Royal Scots Fusiliers and Head of Dewhurst Butchery. He was a past master of the Worshipful Company of Butchers. * John C. Wilkinson - Emeritus Fellow of St Hugh’s College, Oxford University in Islamic Studies * Archibald Gavin Hamilton, Baron Hamilton of Epsom, PC - Conservative party politician and Minister of State for the Armed Forces (1988-1993) * Ian Todd - former British alpine skier who competed in the 1968 Winter Olympics * Clarissa Campbell Orr - Author and visiting research fellow at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. * Ruth Packer- English operatic soprano. * Adam Kirley - Actor and Assistant Director

Notable staff

* Violet S. Hay, hymnist, was involved in founding the schoolHodgson, Peter J. (2005) ''Violet Hay''. Longyear Museum Press. p. 45 * Jemma Rose (1992), English footballer who played for FA WSL club Arsenal, winning her first senior cap for England in November 2015 *

Debra Searle Debra Louise Searle MVO MBE (born 8 July 1975), née Newbury, later Veal, is a British adventurer, businesswoman, author and keynote speaker. In 2002, Searle rowed across the Atlantic alone after her then husband and rowing partner, Andrew Vea ...

(1975), adventurer, television presenter, and author *

Hayley Tullett Hayley Tullett (née Parry, born 17 February 1973) is a Welsh former middle distance runner who mainly competed over 1500 metres. She won a bronze medal in the 1500m final at the 2003 World Championships. She also competed for Great Britain in ...

(1973), Olympic middle-distance runner * Eric Bole - England rugby player * Michael Basman - English chess player, chess author and International Master.

National Trust

The

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

acquired of the Claremont estate in 1949. In 1975, with a grant from the Slater Foundation, it set about restoring the eighteenth-century landscape garden. Claremont Landscape Garden displays the successive contributions of the landscape gardeners who worked on it:

Sir John Vanbrugh Sir John Vanbrugh (; 24 January 1664 (baptised) – 26 March 1726) was an English architect, dramatist and herald, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restorat ...

, Charles Bridgman,

William Kent William Kent (c. 1685 – 12 April 1748) was an English architect, landscape architect, painter and furniture designer of the early 18th century. He began his career as a painter, and became Principal Painter in Ordinary or court painter, bu ...

and

Capability Brown Lancelot Brown (born c. 1715–16, baptised 30 August 1716 – 6 February 1783), more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English gardener and landscape architect, who remains the most famous figure in the history of the English lan ...

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Independent schools in Surrey Christian Science in England