Clayesmore Preparatory School A GSG School
- Clayesmore Preparatory School
Iwerne Minster
Blandford Forum
Dorset
DT11 8LL - Head: Mrs Joanne Thomson
- T 01747 812122
- F 01747 811692
- E admissions@clayesmore.com
- W www.clayesmore.com
- A mainstream independent school for pupils aged from 3 to 13 with a linked senior school
- Read about the best schools in Dorset
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: Dorset
- Pupils: 150
- Religion: Church of England
- Fees: Day £13,764 - £17,595; Boarding £26,646 pa
- Open days: 23rd September, 24th February
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
- Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
- ISI report: View the ISI report
- Linked schools: Clayesmore School
What The Good Schools Guide says..
Art, ceramics and DT are a particular strength. We chatted to a group of enthusiastic year 7 and 8 pupils who were busy making a wind turbine in their spare time. The DT department even has a technology museum, complete with dial telephones, boxy computers and the first brick-like mobile phones. ‘Children are often in awe of how fast design technology has moved on in such a short space of time,’ says the school…
What the school says...
Clayesmore is a thriving, forward-looking boarding and day school, filled with warmth. We aim to develop the unique gifts of every pupil, encourage a life-long love of learning and build their confidence to adapt to an ever-changing world. Small classes and individual attention ensure speedy progress while opportunities for sport, music and drama, coupled with endless activities, mean the days your child spends at Clayesmore really could prove some of the happiest of their lives.
Academic results for a mixed ability school are impressive and the highly-regarded learning support department offers individual attention, exam strategies and effective study skills. Add to the mix some welcoming boarding accommodation, nurturing pastoral care and boundless opportunities to shine, it's clear that Clayesmore offers a winning combination.
Clayesmore's all-through provision means that pupils can make a worry-free step up to senior school and siblings can be together. It 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.
What The Good Schools Guide says
Head
Since September 2023 (as head of prep) and since 2016 (as head of senior school), Jo Thomson BA MBA. 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...
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Special Education Needs
Clayesmore Preparatory School has an excellent reputation for its provision of support for dyslexic pupils. Our Learning Support Department ensures that pupils have effective and targeted teaching, either individually or in very small groups, to meet their specific needs. Pupils are withdrawn at carefully selected times during the school day to attend their specialist lessons. They may also benefit from the support given by LS Teaching Assistants, who work alongside the teachers in some mainstream lessons. All Learning Support Tutors are fully qualified teachers with additional qualifications in teaching pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties. Mainstream teachers are empathetic with the needs and difficulties of some of the children in the mainstream classes and differentiate accordingly. The school is registered with CReSTeD. 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 | |
| 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 |
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