Clayesmore School A GSG School
- Clayesmore School
Iwerne Minster
Blandford Forum
Dorset
DT11 8LL - Head: Mrs Joanne Thomson
- T 01747 812122
- F 01747 813187
- E [email protected]
- W www.clayesmore.com
- A mainstream independent school for pupils aged from 13 to 18 with a linked junior school
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: Dorset
- Pupils: 400; sixth formers: 147
- Religion: Church of England
- Fees: Day £27,756; Boarding £37,824 pa
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
- Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
- ISI report: View the ISI report
- Linked schools: Clayesmore Preparatory School
What The Good Schools Guide says..
The teaching we saw was genuinely exciting, including a class of intrepid year 9 pupils dissecting a deer’s heart, liver and lungs in a biology lesson – a first for this Good Schools Guide writer of 20 years. Led by an encouraging teacher, they took it in their stride. Parents are full of praise for the support given by teachers. ‘It’s a very good all-rounder school,’ said one mother, slightly puzzled that it isn’t better known. Another spoke of her delight at the way the school had built her daughter’s self-esteem...
What the school says...
Clayesmore is a thriving, forward-looking boarding and day school where both prep and senior pupils share the same idyllic setting. Clayesmore's all through provision means that pupils can make a worry free step up to senior school accompanied by a sense of familiarity, but with a change in staff, timetable and buildings that marks a new stage in their education. It also means siblings can go to school together; an added advantage much appreciated by busy parents.
n. A wide range of activity, both in and out of the classroom, gives the school a real buzz and provides a wealth of opportunity. Academic results for a mixed ability school are impressive at all levels and the highly regarded learning support department offers individual attention, exam strategies and effective study skills.
When you add to the mix some welcoming boarding accommodation, nurturing pastoral care and boundless opportunities to shine, its clear that Clayesmore offers a winning combination. Clayesmore's range of A-level subjects is also expanding and it now offers Psychology and Photography as well as new BTECs in Hospitality, Sport and ICT. Along with these impressive improvements, the majority of students also get into the university of their choice.
Providing a seamless education from 2-18 years, Clayesmore is a flourishing school offering excitement, opportunity and a confidence boosting family atmosphere. ...Read more
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Other features
All-through school (for example 3-18 years). - An all-through school covers junior and senior education. It may start at 3 or 4, or later, and continue through to 16 or 18. Some all-through schools set exams at 11 or 13 that pupils must pass to move on.
Sports
Fencing
What The Good Schools Guide says
Head
Since 2016, Jo Thomson BA MBA (early 50s). Previously senior deputy head for eight years at Christ’s Hospital in West Sussex. Educated at The National School (now the National Church of England Academy) in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. Read English at the University of Warwick, where she captained the first XI hockey team and qualified as a teacher. ‘I always knew I wanted to go into teaching,’ she says. ‘I love my subject and I wanted to continue my passion for it.’
First job was at Repton Prep, where she taught English, coached sport and became an assistant housemistress. ‘I had the happiest time there,’ she says, ‘but after three years I wanted to go back into a secondary environment and teach GCSE and A level.’ She moved to Aiglon College in Switzerland,...
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Overall school performance (for comparison or review only)
Results by exam and subject
Subject results
Entry/Exit
Special Education Needs
The Learning Support Centre is an integral part of the school's academic provision. We work sensitively to develop academic abilities, enabling pupils to grow in self-esteem and achieve optimum results in exams. All pupils who receive learning support follow a mainstream academic programme, taking both GCSE and A level examinations in due course. Therefore, individual learning plans are tailored to developed the unique gifts of every girl and boy, enabling them to be proud of their talents and achievements. We are a CReSTeD school, category DU, that is we have a dyslexia unit that provides specialist tuition on a small group or individual basis, according to need. Nov 09.
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder | |
| Aspergers | |
| Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders | |
| CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia | Y |
| Dyscalculia | |
| Dysgraphia | |
| Dyslexia | |
| Dyspraxia | |
| English as an additional language (EAL) | |
| Genetic | |
| Has an entry in the Autism Services Directory | |
| Has SEN unit or class | Y |
| HI - Hearing Impairment | |
| Hospital School | |
| Mental health | |
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty | |
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment | |
| Natspec Specialist Colleges | |
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability | |
| Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| PD - Physical Disability | |
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty | |
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health | |
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication | |
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty | |
| Special facilities for Visually Impaired | |
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| VI - Visual Impairment |
Who came from where
| School | Year | Places | Scholarships | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryanston Knighton House | 2021 | 4 | Music Scholarship (1); Sport Scholarship (1); Art Scholarship (1); Drama Scholarship (1) | |
| Dumpton School | 2021 | |||
| Hanford School | 2022 | 1 | 1 Art Scholarship | |
| Walhampton School | 2022 | 1 | 2 | Sports Scholarship; Music Scholarship |
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