Claremont School
Claremont School
Bodiam, England
Claremont Senior School is located in the historic village of Bodiam and was founded a hundred years ago. Yet it is a refreshingly modern, down to earth school, far from the hustle and bustle of big city life and just around an hour and a half from London. The school enjoys an excellent reputation for visual and performing arts and especially for football, thanks to its prestigious football academy. At Claremont, however, great importance is placed on balance, so not only are football dreams realised, but academic success is also carefully supported.
The Details
The Academics
Claremont School offers GCSEs and A Levels – with consistently strong results. Although the school is non-selective, exam performance is impressive: in 2024, 44 percent of pupils achieved an A or A* in their A Levels. Particularly notable were results in mathematics, business, chemistry, dance, drama and politics. At GCSE level, 78 percent of pupils earned grades of 6 or higher.
Languages Taught
German, English as a Foreign Language, French, Spanish and Mandarin.
The Boarding
Around 30 percent of pupils live in boarding, spread across two recently renovated houses located off the main school campus. Getting to school is straightforward: a school bus takes boarders to school each day in about 20 minutes.
The girls and younger pupils live in Pyke House, right in the historic village of Battle and just five minutes from the train station. Older boys from Year 9 upwards are housed in Clyde House – just a short walk from the sea. Both houses offer modern facilities and a true sense of home.
Weekends are packed with a varied programme of outings, sports and cultural activities, making boarding life lively and exciting – there is no room for boredom here.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
Claremont School is an especially friendly and supportive school where our pupils feel at home very quickly. The relatively small size of the school, along with the very warm and helpful staff, plays a major role in this.
Clearly, football is a real strength here. Claremont has its own football academy with 12 boys’ teams and one girls’ team. The school maintains excellent links with Premier League club Brighton FC. Particularly impressive is the fact that graduates of the football academy regularly go on to join clubs all across England and Europe.
The performing arts, including music, dance and drama, form another strong pillar of the school. Not least for this reason, the school was awarded the “Independent School of the Year for the Performing Arts” in 2021.
Weaknesses
The boarding accommodations are located off campus. This might not suit every family.
Location
Claremont Senior School and its boarding houses are set in the beautiful countryside of East Sussex. Vineyards, castles and historic mansions surround the school on England’s south coast. Yet London is just an hour and a half away.
London Gatwick - 1 hr 30 mins by car
An absolutely charming school, especially well suited for creatives and football enthusiasts.
The boarding accommodations off campus should not put you off. Our pupils there appreciate the distance from the school!
Take a look at similar schools
Ackworth School
Kent College, Canterbury
Bournemouth Collegiate School
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