My first insight into the true spirit of Claremont began on a hot summer’s day in July. It was Claremont Day and my first ‘official engagement’ as the future head of the Prep School.

1. Nursery & Prep

2. SCHOOL NEWS
3
GAVIN BUNKER, HEADTEACHER
SCHOOL NEWS
From Mr Bunker
My first insight into the true spirit of Claremont began on a
hot summer’s day in July. It was Claremont Day and my first
‘official engagement’ as the future head of the Prep School.
From previous visits I knew Claremont School was an
incredible learning environment where the children clearly
thrive however, I hadn’t appreciated the extent of the
talent and skills that the children at Claremont possessed.
Academic and sporting skills were clearly evident but their
core values, respect and manners also shone through.
After the awards ceremony on Claremont Day, it was lovely
to witness the parent and staff relationships. It was clear that
the teachers were well liked and appreciated by parents
and that they had clearly developed excellent relationships,
which is paramount.
I quickly learnt that the children and staff at Claremont
never fail to perform! On a cold rainy day in November we
participated in the ‘Race for Life’ fundraising event for Breast
Cancer, raising in excess of £3000 for this incredible charity.
Against the sheeting rain, wind and mud, both children and
staff ran with sheer determination and carried smiles on their
faces from start to finish. It was a truly fantastic event.
Once again this year, there has been a real focus on how
Claremont functions from an environmental and eco-friendly
perspective. We are incredibly lucky to have our very own
determined “Eco-Warriors” who continue to introduce new
initiatives. They have created a new ‘recycling zone’ where
families and staff recycle all their dental care products,
contact lenses and stationary. In association with the
Terracycle scheme all usually, non-recyclable items are then
collected, recycled and made into other items. This project
then allocates funds to donate to nominated charities. Our
Year 7 and 8 Eco-Warriors also opened up what we believe
to be the first UK School run Eco-Store! With a very kind
donation from the Friends of Claremont, the store started
with some refillable bottles and just three household refill
items. After a hugely successful first few weeks, the profits
were quickly reinvested in more refillable products and a
wide variety of plastic-free alternatives. Each week with
their profits they have planted trees. This project has not
Contents
SCHOOL NEWS
only helped the environment, educated parents, staff and
pupils about plastic free alternatives but has also been an
educational journey for all pupils involved. And they have
learnt how to start up and maintain a successful business.
They have been an inspiration and we are so proud of them.
The Harvest festival was again an example of the kindness
and supportive nature of our community. There was a huge
collection of food which was distributed to local charities to
support the vulnerable.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas period, listening to the
children perform in various guises in the Winter Warmer,
shopping at the Christmas Bazaar, and for the first time this
year we invited elderly members of the community from St
Michaels Hospice and White Gates Care home to a carol
performance. It was a lovely performance by the students
and greatly appreciated by the audience, as was the mulled
wine!
All of these acts emphasie the warm and generous nature of
Claremont and I am privileged to be part of the team.
SCHOOL NEWS
Headteacher Introduction 3
Mrs Edmunds Acts Up 4
Friends Indeed 5
Nursery News 6
Eco School 8
Eco Store Open for Business 9
Pre-Prep Year Round Up 10
Happy Birthday Arrow 12
Totally Dahlicious 13
Race for Life 14
Children in Need Week 15
ACADEMIC
A Question of Maths 16
Spectacular Science Week 16
The Wonderful World of STEM 18
Modern Languages Update 19
Virtually a Lesson in Reality 23
National Poetry Day 23
CO-CURRICULAR
A Year in the Forest 24
Year 2 Visits Bodiam Castle 26
Pre-Prep gets Lost in Space 26
Life’s a Beach 27
Paradise Park 27
Bedgebury Calling 28
In Search of Buried Treasure 29
White Rock Theatre Trip 29
Fundraising Week 30
Claremont Slopes Off 32
Year 6 to the Rescue 33
Club Classics 34
CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS
Musical Highlights 36
Back to the Drawing Board 39
Young Art Exhibition 40
Practically Perfect in Every Way 42
The Inn Crowd 43
Step Back in Time 44
The Greatest Show 44
Key Stage One Nativity 45
Christmas Dinner 45
SPORT
Girls’ Sport 46
Boys’ Sport 49
Crawley Country Athletics Meeting 52
In the Swim 53
Cross Country Report 54
In Pursuit of the Dobson Trophy 55
Sports Day Round-Up 56
Year 8 Sets Sail for France 58
THE LAST WORD
Thank you and Goodbye 60

3. CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
SCHOOL NEWS SCHOOL NEWS
4 5
Mrs Edmunds Acts Up
It was difficult to believe how quickly we reached the end
of another academic year and it was time to say goodbye
to our wonderful set of Year 8 pupils, the largest group of
Year 8 pupils we had ever had at Claremont. It was such a
joy to see their friendships grow stronger throughout their
final year together at prep school, and their excitement to
explore new pastures.
Although the Summer term culminates in the end of year
exams, the children were extremely calm and collected
throughout. It is always interesting to see how the children
naturally rise to the challenge of exams when we do not drill
them and simply ask and hope that they will do their best.
And they certainly did!
Over the summer months, we continued to raise money
for various charities including the Dementia Revolution
and the Fairtrade Association. Sport played a prominent
role throughout, on the cricket pitches, in the swimming
pools and in the lead up to and during a very sunny Sports
Day. Further afield there were also some fantastic athletic
successes at both county and national level. Of course the
U13 Boys’ football team being crowned the ESFA national
champions put a smile upon all of our faces!
Our second Claremont Day in June continued in the spirit
it was created for - a relaxed and joyous celebration of
achievements and everything that makes Claremont so
special. Mr Perrin entertained us with his usual animated
storytelling and our prize giver and new Headteacher, Mr
Bunker proved to be a hit with all the children. 38 stalls
organised by the children, once again brought out their
infectious, entrepreneurial talents. I heard that some of
the children made a significant amount of money! The
enjoyment of everyone was evident throughout the day and
we were so fortunate to be blessed once again by glorious
sunshine.
STEPHANIE EDMUNDS, DEPUTY HEAD (ACADEMIC)
The production of Mary Poppins did not fail to raise the roof
of the O’Byrne theatre and proved a fitting end to a year
filled with amazing achievements and collaborations from
the creative and performing arts team. Pre-prep and Nursery
entertained us with some wonderful assemblies and there
wasn’t a dry eye in the house during Badgers and Foxes’
graduation day.
We were sad to be saying goodbye to Mrs Casto who
decided it was time to retire after a fabulous 23 years of
teaching at Claremont. Mrs Castro is truly one of a kind,
she looked after the adults just as much as the children
and we came to rely on her home-making skills, feeding
us, mending our clothes or bringing in chilli plants. Many
children who have been through her class will remember
the cosy afternoons listening to a story tape whilst learning
to sew or subtract with the ‘naughty Teddy bear’. Children
and staff wished Mrs Castro a very happy and healthy
retirement and we look forward to hearing all about her new
adventures.
We also said farewell to Mrs Featherstone who has taken a
sabbatical year to care for her husband who is very ill. Father
Featherstone has been associated with the school for many
years and has led many of our services so we will be thinking
of them both during the difficult times ahead.
Finally, I would like to say a huge thank you to everybody
who supported me throughout the summer term. It was a
privilege to have spent some time as the Headteacher of
this wonderful school.
Farewell Year 8
It has been a busy year for me and all the committee
members; The FOCS uniform shop has done a roaring trade
all year round but since the Easter break, it was the Pre-Prep
and Prep School Sports Day, a very sunny Claremont Day
and the performances of Mary Poppins that kept myself and
the committee the busiest.
My favourite event is always
the Pre-Prep Easter Egg
Hunt and this year was no
different. All the children
were so excited and eager
to meet the Easter Bunny,
all looking extremely cute
with their faces painted
with egg hunting bags and
baskets at the ready. We will
be holding a whole School
Easter Egg Hunt in Easter
2020. So watch out for that.
Some people ask me what
motivates me to chair
the Friends committee,
particularly as it takes up
much of my spare time.
Simply, the committee
members and I do it
because we love the
school and we want to
give something back.
All the funds we raise
go directly back into the school and it always makes us
proud when we are able to see the difference we have
made first hand. Funds raised help to buy essential school
equipment and to offer financial assistance to students
who would otherwise be unable to take part in some
school activities, such as residential study trips abroad.
This year we have been able to support the Music and Art
department and buy equipment to enhance the students’
learning experience. We were pleased to continue helping
the Learning Support department and Forest School, and in
the Spring term we received a letter from the ECO Warriors
asking for funds to buy more flowers to plant around the
school. The letter was sent by the students - how could we
say no to that? We enjoyed seeing them all in bloom.
This year the weather sadly hampered the
traditional turnout for our Build a Bonfire event, but
George and his team did a sterling job in creating
what looked like a giant game of Jenga with
discarded wooden pallets. Although also a very wet
and cold Bonfire Night a few days later, it certainly
didn’t deter Claremont families and friends from
coming down to warm themselves near the bonfire,
feast on some extremely delicious hotdogs and
beefburgers (prepared on the barbeque by Chef Ian and his
team) and of course enjoy the fabulous fireworks that, every
year, seem to get bigger, brighter... and louder! It was a real
wintry crowd pleaser as was our Christmas Bazaar which
transformed the O’Byrne Theatre into a colourful, festive,
stocking filling, bargain hunting shopping extravaganza.
What a great end to the year.
Thank you to all the committee members, who have once
again given up their time to ensure we can support as many
school initiatives and events as possible. I would also like to
say a big thank you to Victoria Staley, our Treasurer. She has
worked hard to manage our books and ensure all accounts
are up to date - not an easy job, I can tell you.
This year we allocated funds to the purchase of new
ukuleles, a printing press, a Chemistry in Action workshop,
Christmas books and wrapping paper, online learning
support, Christmas disco and nativity props, a Roman
workshop, Forest School kit, Newspaper Club, Gardening
Club resources, a mud kitchen for the Nursery, a virtual
reality history workshop, a projector screen as well as
ongoing financial support to the Pestalozzi Students to
enable them to take part in all the wonderful school trips
and events across the year.
Friends Indeed
TRICIA EDWARDS, FOCS CHAIR
FRIENDSOF
CLAREMO
N
TSCHOOL

4. SCHOOL NEWS SCHOOL NEWS
76 CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
HOLLY NEWTON, DEPUTY HEAD OF NURSERY
Nursery News
As the seasons changed through the year, our wondrous
grounds once again set the scene for many a learning
adventure. Always on the lookout for signs of Spring
and the forest creatures waking up from their wintery
slumber, the magical Easter egg hunts in the garden and
woodlands saw the Nursery children out in force with
painted bunny noses and determined expressions as
they went about scouring the flowerbeds and bushes for
chocolate treasures. Quite a contrast from the ‘Ice Age’
experiment that found Foxes chiselling and banging
away at jungle animals encased in big ice balls to see if
and how long it would take for the ice to melt to expose
the hidden animals.
Whatever the weather, the Nursery always has a story
to tell. One week Badgers decided to spend time
designing their own underpants and aliens before
incorporating them into their favourite story, whilst
Foxes, in homage to ‘Aliens in Underpants save the
World’, transformed their ‘role play’ area into ‘outer
space’ with dazzling silver, solar systems and an
impressive spaceship. Recycled cardboard craft, cooking
for parents and carers, discovering just about every
colour in the rainbow with paint, and the construction
of many a themed sensory tray ensured the youngest
members of our Nursery continued to learn through
play. Games of Bingo, the creation of ‘walk in jungles’
and maintaining the quality of accommodation in the
Fairy Garden have for the older children made the
process of numberwork and making sense of the world
around them an endless journey of possibilities.
The Summer term gave us the
perfect excuse to spend as much time as possible outdoors.
As part of their ‘Growing’ project, the youngest members
of the Nursery enjoyed potting plants and investigating the
sights and sounds of the increasingly abundant vegetable
patch in the Jubilee Garden. They learnt that vegetables are
great for painting with as well as eating (not in that order!),
and that yoga with Anja is always a great way to unwind
during a busy day. Sunflowers were planted in little pots
to take home, purple playdough was made from scratch,
games of shadow chasing were enjoyed in the sun and we
spent many a happy day on the Headmasters lawn. In Forest
School all the children enjoyed cooking up woodland treats
in the mud kitchen, seeking out hiding places for insects
and creepy crawlies and honing climbing techniques on our
many visits to the adventure playground. Mrs Willard and
the children’s crazy grass heads (made by stuffing tights with
sawdust and grass seed before shaping them into faces)
proved extremely popular, as were trips to the Peace Park
for quieter, more contemplative moments. The new Mud
Kitchen, kindly funded by the Friends of Claremont, was the
scene of many a culinary creation and where all the children
enjoyed playing, whilst Mothers and Fathers’ Day gave the
children the perfect excuse to get crafty and creative. In
June, our Nursery trip to the White Rock Theatre to watch
The Hungry Caterpillar was a very exciting ‘grown up’ day
for many of the children whilst a stroll down to the pier to
enjoy a packed lunch in the sunshine reminded us all how
lucky we are to be so close to the seaside.
Graduation day for the oldest members of the Nursery
came on a glorious July afternoon during which the children
reminisced and told an audience of adoring parents what
they wanted to be when they grew up, before everyone
headed outside for a tea party on the lawn. It was a joyous
occasion filled with laughter and many tears as we reflected
on another fantastic year and looked ahead to the future.
As a new year of learning began, the leaves quickly turned
from green into gold, the Forest floor changed once again,
the puddles and wellies made a welcome return and the
vegetable patch in the Jubilee Garden was cleared as the
autumn days brought a hint of the cold to come. Pumpkin
carving, leaf printing, selling cakes for Children in Need,
getting messy with the edible mud and constructing
icebergs using flour and water soon gave way to
preparations for bonfire night and endless excuses for fancy
dress. Before we knew it Christmas had arrived and with it, a
whole new Nursery adventure...with bells on!

5. SCHOOL NEWS
MARGARET PERRY, ECO LEADER
CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
Eco School
It’s been a busy year for the Eco Warriors! Recycling of
paper, card and plastic has been ongoing, with the recent
addition of tubs for recycling batteries. Beach cleans
alongside the Marine Conservation Society and litter picks
around the school grounds have now become a regular
part of ‘warrior work’, and our ‘Switch off’ week encouraged
everyone to turn off electrical appliances when not in use
both at school and at home. At the end of March, Pupils
from Year 3 to Year 6 were treated to hands-on workshops
from ORCA, the charity that works for the conservation of
whales, dolphins and porpoises around our shores. A Mufti
Day to support ORCA subsequently raised £170. In the same
month we also joined the Big Spring Clean, with particular
emphasis on the dining room.
Pollinator friendly planting continued in the Jubilee Garden
and the patio, as we responded to further concerns about
declines in pollinating insects, and plans continued for our
wildflower meadow. The Eco Warriors, with the help of the
Friends of Claremont, donated some lavender and other
bee-friendly species to the gardens. A hard working group
from the Eco Committee also added colour and interest
to the patio area by potting up a variety of bee-friendly
plants including Penstemon, Geranium and Tumbling Ted.
Violas, Antirrhinum and tomatoes were then added to the
existing planters. The children’s hard work coincided with
International Bee Day, and it wasn’t too long before the
first of our furry, winged friends came to visit us - attracted
by the sea of blue, scented flowers. On behalf of the Eco
Committee, I would like to say thank you to the Friends of
Claremont for helping to fund this important venture.
SALLY BUNKER, ECO STORE MENTOR
9
Ground Breaking Launch
of the School Eco Store
Another year of the children learning about the devastating
impact of plastic on our environment and sea life, and
seeing it for themselves during their beach cleans at
nearby Hastings, prompted the children to think very
carefully about what more we could do. So pupils from
Year 7 and 8 decided to open the very first school Eco
Store, to sell environmentally friendly products directly
to parents. Believed to be the first of its kind in a school,
and truly groundbreaking, the children chose the products
themselves, priced them accordingly, made labels, created
adverts and wrote promotional emails before the grand
launch. They also decided that for every £10 taken, they
would plant a tree and having researched various charities,
chose to work with a project in Kenya.
In week one we planted 10 trees and reinvested the
profits by purchasing new stock in the form of bamboo
“truthbrushes” and bamboo toilet paper brilliantly named
“bumboo”. In week two, we planted 17 trees and reinvested
our profits into soap bars, reusable face pads and more of
the increasingly popular “truthbrushes”. Our stand at the
Friends of Claremont annual Christmas Bazaar helped the
children show the wider community that when it comes to
saving the planet, Claremont was definitely open for business.
It has been a pleasure working with this group of incredible
students. The ‘eco warriors’ are passionate about the
environment, enthusiastic and a joy to be around. They
have loved the learning process in the lead up to our
grand opening, telling customers about their new product
lines and selling face to face. It is a worrying time for our
environment and the children are well informed of the
challenges that we face, but this project has been more than
a learning experience, it has empowered the children to
take positive action - something they are extremely proud
of. They know that in doing their bit, they are helping better
protect the earth for generations to come.
If children
ruled the
world …!
Eco issues have
been addressed
in a number of
different subject
areas, including
Science, Art, Maths
and French where
a residential trip
included a visit to the Nausicaa Sealife Centre in Boulogne
where children learnt more about the problem of plastic
pollution in our oceans. Pupils in Years 6 and 7 researched
the world of Fairtrade as part of their Geography curriculum
and our Claremont football stars helped to deliver a
Fairtrade Assembly alongside the Eco Warriors and Year
7 pupils, whilst also showing off some nifty footwork with
Fairtrade footballs! Our Fairtrade Cake Bake and Mufti
Day were both a huge success, raising over £300 for
the Fairtrade Foundation - an
important organisation that
works to ensure better prices,
decent working conditions, local
sustainability, and fair terms of
trade for farmers and workers in
the developing world. After such
a busy year the Eco Warriors
earned a well deserved day of fun and finding out about
wildlife in the woods at Mallydams.
After receiving the Bronze Award earlier this year, we
proceeded to Silver and as a school, we are now well on
our way to achieving a Green Flag Award. This alone would
have been a fitting end to a very busy year as an Eco School
were in not for the launch of our fantastic Eco Store in
November.
SCHOOL NEWS
Eco Store in
the news

6. 10 11CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
RACHEL POTTER, HEAD OF NURSERY & PRE-PREP
Year Round Up
2019 proved to be another super busy year in Pre-Prep.
We worked hard developing our Forest School spaces
to give the children plenty of new areas to explore and
lots of opportunities to get even closer to nature. In June
the children invited their dads and carers in for a forest
school session to celebrate Father’s day. They went on
an adventure through ‘Claremont Island’ which involved
sliding down muddy banks, trekking through the woods,
and building waterproof shelters. We enjoyed visits from
vets and authors, and a Samba drumming workshop as part
of our ‘Colour Carnival Day’, it had us all dancing to a Latin
beat. Pre-Prep children also showed their charitable side
this year, by learning all about important causes and the
work of a variety of different charities. For Red Nose Day, we
dressed in red and participated in an exciting treasure hunt,
wore ‘mufti’ clothes for Dementia UK and held a cake sale
for Fairtrade, managing to raise over £400 for these three
amazing causes. November brought Children in Need day
and another opportunity for the children to play a part in
raising money.
Throughout the year we ventured further afield on some
fabulous school trips to include visits to Herstmonceux
Observatory, Paradise Park, The Jerwood Gallery, White
Rock Theatre and The Rare Breeds Centre to name but
a few. Clubs proved as popular as ever with over two thirds of
Pre-Prep children taking part in Mr Cook’s football club,
and tennis club proved an invaluable addition to our extra
curricular activity programme, with the children keen to
improve their racket skills. Riding club, The Great Outdoors
club and gymnastics were also a hit for the children. Sunny
days allowed us to have break times on the playing fields
with hazy afternoons spent under the ‘big tree’ playing
parachute games, both of which the children loved. We
had fun practising for our Sports day, when on another
glorious summer afternoon, the children took to the
athletics field to take part in egg and spoon races, leaping
over hurdles and throwing bean bags into hoops, often
with amazing precision. We continued to award our ‘star of
the week’ certificates, with all areas of academic excellence
and personal development being recognised. Some
children earned their blue badges after gaining 30 stickers,
something they were extremely proud to receive. There
were also awards for some of the children who reached a
momentous 50 stickers.
As Year 2 neared the end of their time in Pre-Prep, they
enjoyed some lovely transition activities with the boys and
girls from Year 3 and their teachers. They shared some
playtimes, drinks and snacks and they particularly liked it
when Year 3 visited their classrooms to share a humorous
take on main school rules. A return visit to Year 3 gave the
children a further opportunity to ask more questions about
their move up to Prep School in September and talk about
what they were looking forward to. Needless to say, there
was a lot to discuss!
In the Autumn term, we welcomed our new Reception
children into ‘big school’ and as the leaves turned orange
and gold, we found plenty of opportunities to venture into
the woods to see how the plants and wildlife were coping
with the changes in temperature. Then, before we knew it,
Christmas sneaked up on us, and with it preparations for the
Nursery children’s Christmas sing-a-long and two fabulous
Nativity performances. The children worked so hard to learn
all of the songs and their lines, and I think it’s far to say that
we discovered many a hidden acting talent along the way.
All performances were heartwarming and joyous affairs - the
perfect way to say goodbye to 2019.
Pre-Prep are ready
for take off...
SCHOOL NEWS SCHOOL NEWS

7. 13CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
CATHRYN KEMP, NEWSPAPER CLUB
12 CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
A Year of Celebration
fortheArrowNewspaper
Cathryn Kemp is a former national journalist, Sunday Times
bestselling author, ghostwriter, member of the Society of
Authors and driving force behind the Newspaper Club.
The choice of the front page story for The Arrow is usually a
hotly-debated subject – but for the summer term there was
no competition. Claremont’s crowning glory was the U13
boys’ football squad, who not only ended the 18/19 season
top of the SESSFA League, but were county and national
champions to boot. The team’s incredible achievements
were the obvious choice for our splash, the story that would
front-up the publication. Our roving reporter, sports-
mad Ollie, wrote the story, producing an engaging and
informative read, while the rest of the paper was packed
with other great stories, news and features.
Over the summer months, students were buzzing with
brilliant ideas for the newspaper, and The Arrow was
almost impossible to edit, such was the quality of work
produced by Newspaper Club members. Melanie’s strong
eco focus provided our environmental news, Mollie’s family
connections made a fantastic feature, while Leo’s Super
Sports Day story finished with some top tips about running.
Joseph wrote a piece about leaving The Arrow. He was our
longest serving member, having written for the Newspaper
Club since it started, more than three years ago. We had
contributing features and ideas from Molly, Maya, Honor,
Cutler and Nikolas as well. The summer edition of The
Arrow showcased the immense creativity and enthusiasm of
all the pupils involved, producing their very own magazine,
written by them and read by children across the prep
school. Well done Newspaper Club!
The Arrow published its first issue in Michaelmas Term 2016,
and has been printed 2750 times. This year, the Newspaper
celebrated its third birthday and 11 published editions,
by Claremont becoming an official BBC Young Reporter
School. This has meant that our roving reporters now wear
BBC press pass lanyards during their weekly Newspaper
Club sessions, write with BBC pens, and draw from a wealth
of online resources that encourage excellence in journalism
for young people. What an achievement!
In the autumn, reporters had the chance to question our
new headteacher, Mr Bunker, about his ambitions and vision
for the school in an in-depth interview conducted with
real professionalism. This was followed up in November
with our reporters securing an exclusive interview with Mr
Dickie, Head of the Senior School, about the fantastic new
Octagon Project. They grilled Mr Dickie on everything from
why the development was named the Octagon Project
to how much it all cost and what the benefits were for
students. Parts of this interview were used in Episode 2 of
the Claremont Podcast. Later in the year, reporters brought
their inquisitiveness and ability to ask bold questions, to the
annual Dobson Trophy Cross Country Challenge, where they
spoke to runners and parents about their experience. The
mud was certainly a talking point!
Never short of
a scoop, the
Newspaper Club was
also extremely lucky
to have global press
photographer, Mr
Rich Page, come in to
talk about his career
and for the children
to see some of his
images projected on
the big screen in the
O ‘Byrne Theatre. Our
reporters were given
a fascinating insight
into the makings of
the perfect press-
ready image and the
opportunity to quiz Mr
Page on his theory that
every photo tells a story.
As The Arrow goes from strength to strength, we look
forward to our fourth birthday, and how we can continue to
‘get better’, improve our interviewing techniques, sharpen
our stories and create even more interesting and engaging
stories about Claremont School.
Totally
‘Dahlicious’
This highly anticipated day in the school
calendar gave the children another
perfect excuse to do away with school
uniform and dress up as their favourite
Roald Dahl character. Willy Wonkers,
Oompa loompas, Sophies and BFGs
met Fantastic Mr Foxes, Mike Teavees,
Georges with their ‘marvellous’
medicines and many a Matilda.
SCHOOL NEWS SCHOOL NEWS

8. 14 15CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
CLAIRE WILSON, RECEPTION TEACHERCHRIS CATT, GAMES AND PE TEACHER
Children in Need Week
Pre-Prep had a wonderful time fund-raising for BBC
Children in Need this year. During a week of fundraising,
the children learned all about the work of the charity and
listened intently to stories of how funds were being used
to help those less fortunate than themselves. Nursery
helped recreate Pudsey with coins in our Penny Pudsey
challenge, held a cake sale and had some Pudsey themed
yoga sessions. In Pre-Prep, we discovered our inner Pru
Leith by rustling up a multitude of mouth-watering treats to
include rainbow cupcakes, cake pops, pizzas and ice cream
surprises! On the main appeal day, we joined thousands of
schools across the country in ‘mufti’ dress to take part in the
‘Big Morning Move’ led by ‘Body Coach’ Joe Wicks. Later
that day, we watched the ‘world’s most anticipated duck-
based fundraising event’. The Duck Race Sweepstake which,
just like the ‘morning move’, was broadcast live across the
nation. We loved cheering on our favourite duck!
What a busy week,
during which we raised
an incredible £383
across both Pre-Prep
and Nursery. A big
achievement for some
very little people!
Pupils Race For Life
On a very gloomy December morning, Claremont School
runners of all ages braved the wind, rain and the odd river
of oozing mud to complete a 5k Race for Life. Inspired by
loved ones lost, a will to affect change and unwavering
support for each other, the children battled the elements
and all the challenges the Claremont cross country course
has to offer on a normal day, and in doing so raised in
excess of £3000 for Cancer Research UK. Children as young
as 4 battled the elements as they ran and walked, laughed
and shrieked, wallowed in mud and splashed in puddles on
their way around the gruelling course. When tired legs set
it, the children picked each other up (sometimes literally),
encouraged their friends to stay focused on the task at hand
and to carry on all the way to the finish line.
Mr Bunker who also put on his running shoes said
“The spirit of Claremont was
certainly out in force today.
The grit and determination
the runners showed in pursuit
of the finish line was truly
humbling.”
On completing the course, Mrs Edmunds who is also a keen
marathon runner in her spare time added ‘When it comes
to the festive time of year, we realise how lucky we are in so
many respects. We felt that by putting on our own Race for
Life, we could give something back to society and help raise
much needed funds for Cancer Research. And the children
loved it!’
Well done to Lilirose H for designing the front
cover of this year’s carol service programme.
Congratulations to
Zoe W for winning
the Battle Abbey
‘Sustainable Us’ Eco-
Fashion competition
with her brilliant
upcycled dress.
You’re amazing!
Run Bunker
Run!
SCHOOL NEWS SCHOOL NEWS

9. 16 CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
MRS A STOAKLEY, HEADMISTRESS
ACADEMIC
17
STEPHANIE EDMUNDS, HEAD OF MATHS
A Question of Maths
In March, Henry W and Immi L joined two Year 9 pupils to
represent the school at the United Kingdom Mathematics
Trust (UKMT) team challenge. It was certainly an experience
in solving problems on multiple levels. Pupils in Year 7 and
Year 8 received their results from the UKMT Junior Maths
Challenge and all did extremely well. A special mention
goes to Reuben D in Year 7 who won a Gold award and
finished top in the school. Silver awards went to Eddie C
T and Joe L in Year 7 and Janina C, Tadi T, Ania M, Immi
L, Meade R, Amelia M, Samuel O, Rohan S, Rowan B-D,
Rosie B and Ivan D gained Bronze certificates. Well done to
everyone who took part.
We always encourage creativity in Maths and our super
cross-curricular projects inspired by the theme of ‘Journeys’,
were completed to a very high level and certainly kept
the children busy during Science Week. It was great to
see the children’s work displayed around the school - the
3D model of a ship on the sea by Tino and Eadie in Year
8 was particularly noteworthy and perfectly illustrated the
Archimedes principle.
Ten minutes of work a day can really help to improve
Maths fluency, so my weekly trawl through the Mathletics
data often fills me with great pleasure. It is fantastic to
see how competitive the children become when they are
trying to earn their different awards and this year has been
no exception. The ever popular ‘Maths baking’ has also
continued to keep our senior bakers on top of their weights
and measures, making problem solving (and lessons) that
little bit sweeter.
Spectacular
Science Week
In the Science Department, our primary aim has always
been to develop a love for our subject and in doing so see
our pupils work harder and more independently as they go
about making sense of the world around them. The school
animals have been well cared for by the children in Zoology
Club this year and we have enjoyed looking at all the weird,
wonderful (and sometimes downright disgusting) things
the children have brought in to share with us in the lab this
year; all in the name of Science! I believe that this and all
the wonderful work the children have produced throughout
the year, (to include during Science Week) demonstrates
that when it comes to developing a love of Science in our
children, we are definitely on the right track.
Concerned by recent news around the loss of biodiversity
and particularly pollinating insects, Years 4 and 5 pupils
considered ways to encourage more insect life to our
school grounds. Soil samples were taken from a variety of
locations and tested for pH to assess suitability for lavender
and wild flowers. Across the two year groups pupils were
involved in a variety of activities, including studying which
species of insects were under threat, and which plants
would be attractive to them. Lavender seeds were sown
and in the forthcoming weeks, nurtured, and finally planted
in the Jubilee Garden. Overall, the week provided many
opportunities for collaborative group work, creative learning
and of course, ‘fun!’
‘Play is the highest form of research’ - Albert Einstein
16
CELIA ACKERLEY, HEAD OF SCIENCE
During Science Week, Year 7 and 8 pupils attempted to
make a steam powered engine that would create enough
force to turn a turbine. Pupils made numerous prototypes,
challenged by the similar boiling point of water to the
melting point of glue. Things didn’t always go to plan for
but the children persevered and through trial and error,
began to finely tune their designs. A special mention must
go to Austin R, who went the extra mile by working both at
home and school to produce the most efficient engine of
the week.
Science Week ended with the always eagerly anticipated
Science Fair. This event never fails to inspire staff and
remind us why we became teachers, and this year was no
exception.
For weeks leading up to the Fair itself, pupils relentlessly
researched answers to scientific questions they had set
themselves. In the face of obstacles and challenges when
research and presentations threw up more challenges, all
the children showed great resilience as they went about
rethinking and reshaping their investigations. In a diverse
and sometimes explosive range of demonstrations at the
Fair, the children dispelled myths, created chemical reactions
and answered some very curious questions from every
corner of the science world. From volcanic eruptions to hair
raising electricity, and from explaining how people dream,
to learning how to communicate with rabbits, there were
numerous opportunities to roll up sleeves and ‘experience
science’ first hand. Visitors young and old were left wide-
eyed and full of wonder as they dabbled in magnetic forces,
changed water into gas, used dough to light a bulb and
watched water ‘walk’. The final frontier was represented with
explanations of UFO sightings and suggestions for what
space might look like in a million years time.
The enthusiasm of the young scientists created a tangible
energy in the O’Byrne theatre as they talked through their
work and answered a multitude of questions from visitors to
their stands. Science Week provided another opportunity
for the children to decide what and how they wanted
to connect with science this year, and amazing things
happened as a result!
ACADEMICWell done Dylan!

10. 18 19CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
ACADEMICACADEMIC
MADAME HOOD, HEAD OF FRENCHSTUART WARE, SCIENCE TEACHER
The Wonderful World of STEM Nous aimons le français!
Monaco, Silverstone, Monza... Claremont! As part of
our Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (STEM)
investigations this year, Year 6 children experienced the
challenges posed by the Maths in Motion programme,
which saw the first floor of the prep school transform into
more of a pit lane than a school corridor.
Perhaps, initially, sceptical about how Formula 1 really
links into work carried out for our Year 6 pupils, they soon
learnt that to succeed they needed to show skills relating
to measurements, percentages, timings, fuel consumption
- and to a much lesser extent the incredible choice of
overall colours and car livery. Working well in small groups
the hunger to produce the fastest possible lap times to
qualify in pole position soon led to a swath of emails in the
evening, demanding more practice laps be loaded onto the
system, as those previously rationed had been devoured
with those last precious hundredths of seconds still evading
the teams. The enthusiasm shown, combined with the
logical processes seen across the teams, was brilliant for
staff to witness, beaten only by the emotion and facial
expressions as the race was finally run. In the end Zoe and
Darci sat atop the winners podium, following something of
a tortoise and hare analogy where faster more aggressive
teams saw cars overheat and retire mid-race.
The Maths in Motion software has also been used in our
after school club which made a return to the club list in
September. Allowing the children to access the software in
between club meetings enabled them to continue their race
preparations and share their work with friends and family.
A special mention has to go to Henry in Year 3 who threw
himself into the initiative with such gusto that he secured
the April prize for the fastest lap time across all participating
schools - across many nations around the world. Will we see
any monthly winners in 2020?
Further afield, Year 7 pupils were able to further extend
their science experience on their trip to St. Omer in
Northern France. Whilst only visiting for the day, their trip
to the second world war bunker complex, La Coupole,
also included a visit to the on-site planetarium where the
children were thrilled to experience an immersive film about
space travel and the planets within our solar system. Thank
you to Madame Osbourne for ensuring our trip had such a
great variety of activities.
Reflecting upon the recent terms as a whole it has been
wonderful how we have seen so many year groups take full
advantage of the wonderful grounds that we have at our
disposal at Claremont. We have seen Easter egg hunts - that
then turned into modelling compounds with the bounty
found; planting of lavender; linking to measuring length
and area; tree identification; as well as wildlife surveys using
infrared cameras set over night and parachute launches
as part of our study of Forces. Combined, our teachers
and pupils really have shown how our STEM studies can -
and should - extend beyond the classrooms and into our
grounds. Long may this continue.
Back in the classroom and a new academic year upon us,
our STEM studies quickly took us to the investigative world
of speed and distance, motion sensors, teeth types, circuits
and electricity, plant cell structure and evolution. Year 5
looked into the feasibility of building bridges out of rice
pops, creative mathematicians designed their own board
games and Year 7 welcomed Katie from Rampion Offshore
Wind for a workshop focusing on renewable energy
generation and how to site wind turbines for maximum
benefit. Christmas had our 3 Houses working hard in a
competition to create the ultimate Christmas tree display
inspired by re-used or recycled materials. A great way to
end a very busy, more environmentally aware 2019.
We’ve been super busy in the French department this year
with pupils taking part in various cross-curricular events to
celebrate cultural diversity and improve language skills.
First up was the ‘Galette des rois’ celebration and ‘les
bonnes resolutions for 2019’. ‘Le Nouvel An Chinois’ was
followed by making cards for people we love. Year 7 and 8
Common Entrance students had a chance to improve their
conversational skills by taking part in role-plays linked to
everyday life. We celebrated Books in French and great
inventors during la Fête de la Science. Many thanks to
Mrs Cassleton
(Honor’s and
Aubrey’s Mum)
who came in
specially to read
us a story and
to talk to Year
4 about her
life in France.
Year 3 acted
out beautifully
‘Les trois Petits
Cochons’ story
and Year 5 had a fantastic time working in groups talking
about problems in ‘Au Café’. Year 6 children learnt about
protecting the environment and how grateful we should be
for the clean water in the world.
In March, we celebrated Astérix’s 60th anniversary by
making some funny descriptions of Astérix and his friend
Obélix, whilst 130 years since the Eiffel Tower was
erected in Paris was a stimulus for some animated
conversations and an opportunity for pupils to
attempt to construct their own!
French, History and Science were also high on the agenda
during the Year 7 trip to France in May with a visit to
the second world war bunker complex, La Coupole and
planetarium.
“The French Trip was an amazing experience. We
all loved it because it was so action packed and
interesting and our French really improved in the short
time we were there. We learnt so much about the
German occupation of France and saw first hand the
devastation that the Germans inflicted on its people. It
really opened our eyes to the hardship the French had
endured throughout the war.
It was incredible!
The 3D planetarium was one of our favourite parts of
the day, but it made our heads spin. At times it was
quite scary as it felt as if you could touch the objects on
the screen. The ‘timeline of flight’ was phenomenal and
how even earlier than Leonardo da Vinci’s time, man
was already thinking about building flying machines.
Thank you to Madame O, Mr Ware and Mrs Alexander
for taking us on this amazing trip. We will remember it
for a very long time ...as well as the shopping at Auchan
which was superb!”
Modern Languages
Update...
Rosie and Samuel said...

11. 20 21CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
ACADEMIC
MADAME OSBORNE, FRENCH TEACHER & MADAME HOOD, HEAD OF FRENCH
ACADEMIC
SEÑORA OSBORNE, HEAD OF SPANISH
Language Celebrations of International Proportions
“Guess the teacher” had some of the children foxed as
Form groups had to decide which teacher spoke a specific
language, had lived or worked in another country or had
had some rather unusual experiences whilst overseas. Full of
eye openers and plenty of intrigue, the children embraced
the challenge but had to wait a whole weekend to find out
the winning Form and identities of some very talented and
interesting members of staff.
The week was rounded off with the production of ‘Le Bistro
de Dan Roro’, by the very talented, one man ‘Compagnie
Tête-à-Tête’. The children were entertained for 75 minutes
by the humorous yet educational production which centred
around Dan Roro, an eccentric café owner who invited
everyone to join him while he prepared his bistro for
opening. Memorable moments included laying tables and
counting spinning plates (in French of course!), learning
about English words that derive from French, preparing
the meals (the menu consisted exclusively of omelettes)
and a delightful puppet called René who sang some
lovely French songs for us all. The production was highly
interactive with many opportunities for the audience to
take part and practise their French words and phrases. It
was very touching to see pupils and staff led by Mr Bunker,
help Monsieur Dan Roro to load his van (not to mention the
great opportunity to take a closer look at Monsieur Roro’s
amazing unicycle!) before we all waved ‘Au revoir!’ and ‘Bon
Voyage’ to our special guest.
We are so proud of our pupils for being such good sports
and for sharing their experiences, languages and cultures.
Thank you to everyone for making this another memorable
annual celebration, to Ian and his team of chefs in the
Claremont kitchen for their culinary delights, to FOCS for
funding our visit from ‘Compagnie Tête-à-Tête’ and to
all the teaching staff for their brilliantly international
lesson plans.
September brought about our annual celebration of
Languages, and this year it had a much more International
feel. Walking through the corridors and into classrooms,
you could hear a whole host of different languages being
spoken as children up and down the school took part in
activities galore, sampled scrumptious world cuisine, tackled
quizzes and challenges and even the Rugby World Cup
made an appearance with England taking on the USA.
Throughout the week the focus was on celebrating our rich
cultural diversity here at Claremont and the Independent
Schools Partnership family. There was an international buzz
from the word go, starting in the first school assembly of the
week when we learnt all about the power of language and
how to sing a hymn in French. We were reminded of what a
brilliantly multicultural community we are when some of our
own pupils taught us some new language skills to include
Turkish, Japanese and Russian. French café-style delicacies
certainly drew the crowds at break-time whilst Chef Ian
and his catering team spoilt us all week with a delicious
European menu – we felt like we were on holiday near our
own Michelin star restaurant.
In the classroom, special activities were in abundance. In
Spanish classes, we took part in a treasure hunt themed
European passport activity with Madame Hood always on
hand to deliver some informative insights into everything
European. Children in the Pre-Prep once again flew the
“Language flag” as they took a learning trip around the
world, Monsieur Drinkwater “oozed” French charm in his
attire and it was hard to resist the mouth-watering French
croissants made by our Year 1 bakers. Across the school the
children really got into the spirit of the week by donning
European accessories and bringing in souvenirs and
keepsakes from their holidays abroad.
Viva la cultura Española!
On a sunny Friday in June we held our first Year 8 post CE
and Pre-Prep Spanish day. A lot of planning went into this
ambitious event but I am pleased to report it was a roaring
success, with every corner of the school being taken over by
Spanish dancing, talking and cultural activities. Some of our
Year 8 pupils became teachers for the day and introduced
some key Spanish phrases to younger pupils in Pre-Prep - it
proved a nostalgic trip down memory lane for some ( and
even staff) who had started their Claremont journey in the
Pre-Prep! It was also a wonderful transition experience for
our Year 2 children who were moving up to the main Prep
school in the autumn. I was very impressed
with Year 8’s lessons, (there are certainly
some budding future teachers amongst
them) and it was fantastic to see the Pre-
Prep children (who always love a visit from
‘big school’), impress with their vivacious
“have a go” attitude, as being linguistic
sponges, they picked up some key phrases
really quickly.
A Tango and Spanish language workshop in the afternoon
saw us welcome Spanish workshop company “Calena Fina”
who performed and presented a cultural extravaganza
of drama, music and dance. We were transported to the
streets of Buenos Aires in workshops that helped break
down barriers and stereotypes, strengthen self-esteem
and encourage creativity and teamwork. Year 8s also had
plenty of opportunities to hone their already impressive
Spanish language skills. As the guitarist strummed the tango
classic ‘La Cumparsita’, the Chapel was later transformed
into a Latin dance masterclass,during which the children,
with great humour and determination, found a partner
and put their best foot forward in a bid recreate the
steps… counting in Spanish as they weaved across the
floor. Even Mrs Kerman on photography duty, was caught
downing tools for a sneaky 5 minute tutorial with the
pro! To maintain the Latin flavour, we all enjoyed a truly
magnificent authentic Spanish lunch of paella, churros,
patatas bravas, sangria (non-alcoholic of course), tortillas
and much more, cooked by Señor Chef Ian and his team.
Just a week later, ‘Calena Fina’ returned to Claremont for
our Year 5-7 Spanish Salsa Workshop, for which we were
whisked away to Cuba and Colombia and the streets of
Havana and Bogotá . With much excited talk still in the air
from the previous week’s Spanish antics, it was wonderful
for younger children in the Prep school to also get a taste
of some vibrant Spanish culture. Our Colombian workshop
leaders for the day were Lucia and Javier and they really put
the children through their “linguistic and creative paces”.
I was so impressed with the courage, openness and
exuberance of our children during both days as they
embraced every activity with “gusto” and a willingness to
try their hand at anything. It was a perfect and joyous way
to end the academic year in the Spanish department and
CE week for our Year 8s. A big thank you to all staff who
took part and helped make the workshops such a fantastic
success. I look forward to many more similar events in the
future.“Viva la cultura española!
Reception quotes...
“I liked learning to count in
Spanish.” Annie-Rose
“ I liked learning the colours, my
favourite colour is ‘rosa’” Bess
“It was fun having the year 8s
teaching us” Elizabeth
“It was so much fun, because we
had lots of different teachers all
helping us” Lyla

12. 22 23CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
ACADEMIC
KATE ALEXANDER, HISTORY TEACHER
SEÑORA OSBORNE, HEAD OF SPANISH
ACADEMIC
Day of the Dead
celebrations were
“fue fantástico”
Year 8 pupils celebrated ”Día de los Muertos“, or Day of the
Dead, by making their annual pilgrimage up to the Senior
School to join forces with their fellow students in Year 9.
The morning was filled with Mexican themed workshops
and competitions with plenty of opportunities for everyone
to practise their Spanish speaking skills. It also provided
the perfect opportunity for the Year 8s to catch up with last
year’s leavers and meet new Year 9 joiners ahead of their
own transition to Senior School next September.
The day started with two of our Mexican students delivering
an entertaining introduction to the human skeleton with a
‘Body Parts’ lesson in Spanish (much to the amusement of
their peers). This was followed by a creative session during
which students spent time designing and decorating their
own iconic Día de los Muertos skulls.
The fun was rounded off with a visit to the fabulous Space
Theatre for a screening of ‘The book of Life’– a film about
a young boy who is torn between fulfilling the expectations
of his family and following his heart. Based in the Mexican
town of San Angel, the tale encourages us to celebrate the
past while looking forward to the future; a perfect message
for our students!
One Year 8 pupil summarised the day by saying:
“The morning was amazing
and I really hope we can do this
again next year when we are in
Year 9. Thank you so much to
the staff for organising this, we
all benefitted from it.”
Virtually a Lesson
in Reality
Thanks to the wonderful generosity of FOCS, children in
the Prep School were able to take part in some spectacular
learning experiences during our Virtual Reality Day. We
know that excellent teaching has the greatest impact on
pupil progress, but we also know that students only progress
if they are engaged in their learning.
To help them with their volcano project, children in 7A
‘jetted off’ to Yellowstone National Park to ‘see’ one of
world’s most famous Supervolcanoes, just as pupils in
7W were immersing themselves in the trenches of WWI.
Plunging a group of children into the depths of the oceans
or blasting them into outer space as virtual astronauts also
provided endless opportunities for creative writing and
artistic expression as those learning about the Romans
‘flew off’ to Rome for a tour of the Colosseum, whilst others
secretly watched tomb raiders in ancient Egypt. Year 4
was lucky (or unlucky) enough to be shrunk to the size of a
raspberry! They were then eaten by a seemingly enormous
mouth and sent on a journey down the oesophagus, into the
stomach and through the small and large intestines!
We know that experiencing or seeing something first hand
is hard to beat, but by harnessing the power of virtual reality
we were able to bring the outside world into the classroom
to inspire some amazing artwork, scintillating science
thinking and some passionate poetry...and as you can
imagine, the children loved it!
Keeping with the National Poetry Day
theme of Truth this year, Prep school
writers put pen to paper in search of
the truth about our ailing environment.
Inspired by Simon Armitage’s poem,
Ark, (thank you Ms Crossley) the children
created some inspirational verse focusing
on one very topical subject matter. Here
is Rowan B-D’s about the effect of global
warming on our environment and what we
need to do to preserve our planet. The
pen that day was most certainly mightier
than the sword!
MICHELLE HARPER, HEAD OF ENGLISH
Carbon sours ocean
Fires choke the lungs, hurts life
The earth will leave us
Hear desperate lungs cry
Choking
Teach the ways of the wind
Gasping
The sounds of the sea
Suffocated
The outcry of the ocean
Oppressed
National Poetry Day
inspires once again…
TRUTH
The sky was clear, a dazzling blue
But now is choked by CO2
The sea was calm and quite untouched
Now filled with plastic and disgust
Trees, they towered high above
Their leaves all well, alight with love
Birds they chirped happily and unseen
Now paper joins pollution’s team
Plastic, rubbish, carbon emission
This cloaks our land and sky, imprisoned
The climate, it is rapidly rising
Whilst monkeys and animals are swiftly dying
The fish they die their bellies happy
But really it’s just our plastic they carry
For they think the pollution is to be eaten as well
And really they are just killing themselves
The earth can’t sustain this, the day is coming
When the earth plays a card and the card is
cunning…
Rowan B-D, Year 8

13. 24 25CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
RACHEL HOLMES, FOREST SCHOOL LEAD
CO-CURRICULAR
A Year in the Forest
‘If we want the next generation to save the planet, we must
first of all get them to engage, connect with, love and care
for the bit of the planet just outside their front door’. I read
this somewhere and it really struck a chord with me as it
summed up another wonderful year of learning in Forest
School.
Having watched the seasons change together, it has been
so rewarding to see the many different ways our children
have connected with nature as well as broaden their social,
creative and technical skills in ways that have amazed them.
In the autumn, Forest School made its way onto the Year 5
and 6 curriculum for the first time, bringing with it a whole
new group of curious young people keen to explore our
many ‘outdoor classrooms’.
In the early part of the year, Year 4 children were cooking
up some fantastic feasts over an open fire. They learnt how
to source and collect their own ‘happy snappy’ fuel, build
and light a ‘waffle’ fire, prepare pizzas hygienically and cook
safely for the whole hungry year group. Year 3 spent some
time thinking about how creatures survive in the winter
and the workings of food chains. Warm up games such as
Fox, Bird, Worm (a bit like Rock, Paper, Scissors) always
energised groups ahead of animal tracking expeditions, and
universal tracking symbols in February, led some children
to a Story Telling Tin where they discovered cuddly forest
creatures hidden inside. Laying a track for others to follow, I
was pleased that all creatures were found and made it safely
back home to the tin! Following their success with pizza
cooking, Year 4 chefs stepped it up a gear by cooking their
own bread on the open fire. During this process they learnt
a valuable lesson about the difference between green and
dead wood and how both have their place in the cooking
process. There was also a chance to apply some knowledge
of fractions to the task when it came to dividing the dough;
some of the group were happy with their assigned portion,
others less so! With obligatory marshmallow toasting later in
Lent term, it was clear that Forest School had ignited a love
for cooking in the outdoor kitchen.
Pre-Prep children also looked at building and lighting fires
using a stick pyramid before adding cotton buds and hay to
get it started. They loved using the flints and steel and even
the nursery children enjoyed lighting their own fires too. We
spoke about the importance of putting them out and how
to conduct ourselves around the fire so we could stay safe.
They learnt how to use secateurs, sheaf knives, bow and
loppers and were able to use their tools to make games of
Noughts and Crosses with the loppers and secateurs being
used to cut back overhanging bushes or brambles. The new
addition of hammocks was the scene of many quieter, more
reflective moments.
Towards Easter, Year 3 and 4 began studying Owls and what
amazing creatures they are. They were fascinated to find
out that owls don’t have a sense of smell, their ears are set
in the facial disc which acts a bit like a satellite dish, they
don’t build their own nests, there are over 200 different
species and they swallow food whole and regurgitate the
bits they can’t eat as pellets (always a crowd pleaser!) The
children practised in pairs using bowsaws to cut ‘rounds’ of
wood safely. They enjoyed decorating them with the faces
of different woodland creatures to create a beautiful hand-
crafted game of Memory Pairs.
In the Summer, the forest became the perfect place to
make the most of the glorious weather, with craft activities in abundance mixed in with more meditative moments
under the canopy. We took on numerous challenges,
adventures and journeys, understanding that everything we
do has a process and that each day is part of our journey.
The younger members of Forest School made bug hotels,
constructed dens, made towers so they could watch the
birds in the trees, created an enchanted Fairy kingdom as
well as the more fearsome ‘Dinosaur Island’. We embarked
on quests through the woods, in search of mini beasts,
created clay tree guardians, trekked through the streams
and splashed our way through the mud. When the weather
was less kind, we made full use of some amazing natural
mudslides. Favourite woodland games included forest ‘Hide
and Seek’ using the natural surroundings for camouflage,
burying ourselves in leaves and jumping into the nearby
bushes. Our Father’s day Forest School was a huge success
(apart from the discovery of a hornets’ nest) with the
children particularly enjoying the process of testing just how
watertight their dens were (cue the bucket of water).
In September, Year 3 discovered that elves had moved into
the forest. It all began with the tinkling of bells after we sang
our forest school song to ask the woodland’s permission
to come and play. To encourage more elves to visit, the
children made a few ‘friends’ for them and constructed
some fantastic elf houses.
We always say that wet weather looks worse through a
window, so Year 6 made the most of the change in seasons
and their first sessions in Forest School by using the natural
clay mixed with a drops or rainwater to create some fantastic
models of Nottingham castle - a nod to the story of Robin
Hood we had been enjoying. Later, they learnt how to be
‘Risk Assessors’ in the great outdoors and enjoyed working
together on the new climbing course before constructing
and testing out their own ‘zip wire’.
During ‘Mindful’ Week in November, we thought about
those who had given their lives in war and conflict. The
children collected fallen red leaves to make poppies and
we also discussed the role of the forests in weapon and ship
building for wars of old. We talked about the age of trees
and guessed which ones might have even been standing tall
when the Battle of Hastings was raging just down the road!
To quote a Year 4 pupil “We LOVE forest school because we
don’t have to learn anything!” Little do they know….
We love Forest
School!
CO-CURRICULAR

14. 26 27CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UKCLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
RACHAEL POTTER, HEAD OF NURSERY & PRE-PREP
CO-CURRICULAR
Pre-Prep gets Lost in Space
In March, Pre-Prep children were treated to a day of discovery
amongst the domes and telescopes of the world famous
observatory at Herstmonceux. They learnt about the inner
workings of the telescopes and even studied some of the images
they produce. The children were wide-eyed with wonder as they
watched the observatory roof open and spin! We enjoyed the
many ‘hands on science’ activities,
learning more about the mysteries and
magic of Space, electricity, forces, light
and colour to name just a few of the
topics covered! The children were able
to test their scientific knowledge and
teamwork skills in a fantastic bridge-
building exercise, whilst Year 1 enjoyed
a workshop as part of Tim Peake’s
‘Principia’ mission to educate schools
about astronaut life. All of the children
behaved impeccably and were a real
credit to Claremont. What an ‘out of
this world’ day out!
Adventurers ‘in medieval mood’.
Year 2 visits
Bodiam Castle
TESS SCHOFIELD, YEAR 1 TEACHER
CO-CURRICULAR
Life’s a Beach for Year 1
Mr Drinkwater
ponders ‘blue’
at Jerwood
Gallery
Back in June, Year 1 had their first
trip out to the seaside in the brand
new minibuses to enjoy the Jerwood
Contemporary Art Gallery in Hastings
Old Town, the RNLI station and some
fabulous bracing sea air! At the
Jerwood gallery, the children enjoyed
a workshop led by local artist, Jaynie
who told them all about the power
and scope of art. Enthusiastic about
all they heard, the children expertly
noted the lines and perspectives in the
John Carter exhibition ‘Sight lines’ that
was on display. Jaynie (and I) were very
impressed! Afterwards the children
returned to the workshop to design a
piece of 2D/3D art and so in keeping
with our topic for the term ‘Home’,
we took our inspiration from Hastings
seafront, picking out icons to create
amazing representations of the beach.
For lunch, our plan had been to enjoy
a traditional feast of fish and chips
on the beach, but the gallery kindly
invited us back inside to eat our lunch
in the warm as the good old British
seaside drizzle and wind put a halt to
that idea! With more exhibitions to
explore in the gallery, we walked off
our lunch before leaving just as the
clouds parted and the sun put his hat
on again.
In the afternoon we paid a visit to the
Hastings lifeboat station, where we
got to see the brand new all-weather
lifeboat ‘Shannon’. We walked along
the fishing beach, where we saw
the boats, tractors and nets, before
heading to the Fisherman’s Museum
to read up on our local history. The
children loved exploring the the deck
of the last Hastings sailing lugger
Enterprise built in 1912, as well as the
model village of the seafront and all
the fascinating artefacts on display in
Shipwreck Museum nearby. With very
tired legs, we hopped back on board
the minibuses and travelled back to
school. What a busy but brilliant day of
exploring for the children ...and right
on our own doorstep!
Year 2 in Paradise
Back in the Summer Term, Year 2 explorers made a trip to
Paradise Park in Newhaven. During the day we were taken
back millions of years in the Planet Earth Exhibition where
we learnt all about our planet’s history and how our world
was formed.
The life-size moving dinosaurs, fossils, minerals and
crystals certainly captured the childrens attention, as did
the spectacular collection of flora in the Planthouses. On
the Sussex History Trail we walked among an impressive
collection of handcrafted Sussex landmarks beautifully
recreated in two acres of gardens, which then led us into
the Dinosaur Safari with its fearsome, life-size dinosaurs
towering over our heads at every turn.
RACHAEL POTTER, HEAD OF NURSERY & PRE-PREP

15. 28 29CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
HOLLY NEWTON, DEPUTY HEAD NURSERY & PRE-PREPJACKIE SMITH & MARIE PATEL, YEAR 3 TEACHERS
CO-CURRICULAR
Bedgebury Calling
On a lovely day in June, Year 3 children jumped on the
minibuses and made their way to Bedgebury Pinetum. There
we enjoyed our focused trail through the forest collecting
seeds and cones for our memory sticks. When we got back
to school we spent time discussing and comparing lots of
different pine cones from trees found all around the world.
“I loved the whole thing” Milo (3S)
“It was really fun and we learnt about different types
of trees and cones. We also talked about pollination,
germination and photosynthesis.” Henry 3S
“I think Bedgebury is fantastic
because it’s about wildlife”
Tristan (3P)
“I loved the trip because we learnt lots
of interesting things and fun games”
Melanie (3P)
“Today we have been learning about
American Redwoods, pine cones and
parts of a plant” Jonathan (3S)
In Search of
Buried Treasure
In June, we took advantage of the fabulous summer weather
and our proximity to the beach by arranging a surprise
treasure hunt for the children. In a letter delivered by Pirate
Pete the children were given clues to help him find his
treasure, but we quickly realised that the clues pointed to
places away from school… at the beach! We went outside
to find a minibus and ‘persuaded’ the driver to take us to
the Old Town. So in full buccaneer attire, the children then
embarked on a swashbuckling adventure at the seaside
where they followed the clues and later found a treasure
chest buried in the stones on the beach! By then we were
getting hungry so we headed to a local fish and chip shop
and had a huge helping of sausage and chips! The tide
was out so we found a sandy patch on the beach, split into
rival pirate crews to build our dens and played some pirate
themed games which saw the losing team walk ‘the plank’!
The best thing about the whole day was that the children
had no idea it was going to happen! Thank you to all you
lovely parents and staff who kept the day a closely guarded
secret.
Early Years - White
Rock Theatre trip
On another sunny day in June, 41 Reception and Nursery
children descended upon Hastings for a thrilling afternoon
of summer fun! As it was such a lovely day we decided to
have our packed lunches on the pier whilst listening to the
sea lapping beneath us. We then headed down to the White
Rock Theatre, to see ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ as well as
some of Eric Carle’s other work come to life in front of our
eyes. The performers used some rather impressive puppets
to tell the stories; the gasps coming from the children told
us that they were suitably impressed! The children were
all impeccably behaved, sat
beautifully throughout the
50 minute duration of the
performance. The coach on
the way home was filled with
an excited buzz of energy as
the children talked all the way
home about everything they
had seen.
CO-CURRICULAR
CLAIRE WILSON, RECEPTION TEACHER
Lucas got back onto the bus and said....
“best....day....ever!”
Miss Newton walks the plank!

16. 30 31CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
DAN BROWNBILL, FAIR ORGANISER
CO-CURRICULAR
Fundraising Week
The brilliant entrepreneurial spirit of Claremont shone
through once again during Fundraising Week in March.
In addition to other fundraising activities organised up
and down the school, each breaktime children from the
Prep School turned the O’Byrne Theatre into a pop-up
amusement arcade, taking charge of a concentrated
20-minute burst of fabulous fundraising. Filled with games
and challenges the children had designed themselves,
‘paying customers’ could win tempting prizes at every turn.
As it was the season, Easter eggs and other chocolate treats
were high on the prize boards! At one point I was weighed
down with over £1000 of loose change - all destined for
Cancer Research UK and The Manzi Foundation. Stalls
making popcorn and candy floss certainly drew the crowds,
whilst assortments of lucky dips, taste bud testers
and challenges to guess the number of sweets in a
jar and names of the cuddly toys kept other paying
customers entertained. Points made prizes at the
Hot Shots stand where customers were tasked
with throwing tennis balls at different sized targets,
not to be outdone by those with their eye in at the
Nerf gun shooting range. Well done to all the stall
holders for not only conjuring up some brilliant
ways to raise money but for working so swiftly to
put the O’Byrne back together at the end of each
session. On the Friday, the children took part in
a 5 mile walk to raise some more money for their
chosen charities. This event alone added another £350 to
the fundraising haul. Congratulations to everybody.
CO-CURRICULAR

17. 32 33CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
KATE ALEXANDER, HISTORY TEACHER
CO-CURRICULAR
CHRIS CATT, GAMES & PE TEACHER
CO-CURRICULAR
Claremont Slopes Off
In the last week of the Lent term, pupils from both the Prep
and Senior School jetted off with Mrs Ackerley, Mr Williams
and myself along with five Claremont parents for a magical
skiing adventure in Obertauern, Austria. We had glorious
sunshine on the first and last day with fresh snow falling
during the week, so conditions couldn’t have been better
and the stunning scenery and views across the mountain
ranges were breathtaking. With 6 full days of skiing, 4 hours
of tuition and afternoons free to explore the slopes, we were
perfectly set up to enjoy an unforgettable week of wintry fun.
We split the groups into two advanced groups and a
beginners group with the advanced group testing out their
skills on blue, red and black runs, as well as at the fun park!
The beginners made outstanding progress and by the
second to last day were tackling red runs themselves! We
stayed at our favourite hotel, just a 5 minute drive from town
and a short walk downhill to the nursery slopes and enjoyed
a packed evening entertainment programme that included
riding in a horse drawn sleigh, a karaoke night at The
Taverne Bar, bowling and then some night skiing.
On the final evening we held our awards ceremony where
we honoured those that had completed the previous day’s
slalom course in the fastest time. We also paid homage
to the winners of the Biggest Chairlift Fail award, Biggest
Wipeout award and the Best Panda Eyes impression!
“The children were wonderfully
behaved throughout and an
absolute credit to the School.
They really enjoyed each others’
company and showed some real
character in their determination
to improve, whatever their level
of skiing. An unforgettable trip
and some lovely memories to
take away with us.”
Well done Team Claremont!
Year 6 to the Rescue
What would you do if a pan caught fire in your kitchen?
What might happen if you plug too many electrical
appliances into one socket? How do you make a 999 call?
Would you know how to perform CPR? Year 6 children had
all the answers following their trip to Hastings Fire Station
in March where they learnt to recognise hazards and take
action to keep themselves and others safe.
Working alongside other emergency services and agencies,
this initiative was coordinated by East Sussex Fire and
Rescue service with the aim of giving children in Year 6
a greater awareness of fire and its dangers. Through a
series of simulated scenarios associated with Water Safety,
Electricity Safety, Alcohol Awareness, Fire safety, Cycling
Proficiency and Road and Rail Awareness, the children were
asked to think about what they would do to stay safe.
The children thoroughly enjoyed the morning
and were very surprised at how much there was
to learn about safety. This was evident in the
number of excellent questions and comments
the children had for the trainers:
“I didn’t know that it
can take 2-3 days for
alcohol to get out of your
system.” Tilly
“Do you know the
meaning of the different
flags on a beach?” Enzo
“I didn’t know that you
could get a criminal
record for being on a
train track.” Edward
“A car travelling at
30mph takes 23 metres
to stop.” Luca

18. 35CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK34 CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
CO-CURRICULAR
Claremont
Club Classics
Warhammer
Photography
Dance
Printmaking
Riding Club
Cricket Club
Young
Reporters
The Great
Outdoors
Coding Club
Zoology
Creative and
Performing Arts
Chess Club

19. 36 37CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
LORRAINE BARRY, DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
CREATIVE & PERFORMING ARTS
Music Highlights
At the beginning of the year, the Music and Drama
departments began preparations for the Summer production
of Mary Poppins. The cast worked hard in rehearsals and
excitement grew as costumes, props and set designs began
to come together - it wasn’t long before the children were
all able to spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious in their
sleep! Our school orchestra looked forward to joining the
Senior School musicians for our BBC 10 Pieces day and Year
4 quickly got down to learning lyrics in preparation for their
debut at the Big Summer Sing, which is part of the Bexhill
Festival of Music.
In January the Chapel came alive with the sound of violins,
as Year 3 musicians were given the opportunity to gain some
skills on this fabulous instrument. They were naturals with
bows in hand and enjoyed playing pizzicato along to The
Drunken Sailor.
A record number of our students participated in this year’s
Hastings International Music and Dance Festival with several
students being placed in their classes. A special mention
must go to Maggie M and Olive D for achieving First Place
in their Drama class and Fife P, Janina C, and Tise P for First
Place in their instrumental class. We also presented two of
our ensembles at the festival and were very proud to be
awarded First Place for our Brass Ensemble and Chamber
Choir. A huge congratulations and thank you to all the
students for their hard work and commitment. Thank you
also to our fantastic team of visiting teachers who helped
prepare the children for their classes.
The Hastings Festival was quickly followed by our Springtime
Soiree; a fabulous celebration of the School’s homegrown
musical talent and and another chance to share in successes
at the festival. We were treated to a Tango and Cha Cha
from our 20 strong school orchestra, Pachelbel Rocks from
the String Ensemble and the audience were thoroughly
entertained by humorous duologues from children in Years
3 and 4. Thank you to Miss Daisy for providing some very
beautiful dancing and to the Friends of Claremont for the
extravagant banquet of cheese and prosecco. Later in the
term, the Music and Drama department got together once
again for a series of pre-prep assemblies and performances.
In Drama, Reception and children from Years 1 & 2 told the
rest of the school how they were ‘Going On A Bear Hunt’
and sang their hearts out to ‘Make Friends Around the
World’. The Pre-Prep children thoroughly enjoyed being a
part of their newly formed choir and Year 2 musicians made
wonderful progress during their class recorder sessions.
I have been delighted that so many young children have
signed up to learn a musical instrument, this year.
In May, we were able to showcase our youngest musicians
for the first time in a pre-prep music assembly. Ms Earls’
recorder pupils performed as a small group, Eliza sang a
very sweet song about a haunted house and the whole of
pre-prep joined in whilst Mr McEwans’ drummers performed
‘We Will Rock You’. The children were then inspired by a
jazzy little flute solo by Matilda B. By the end of the Lent
Term we had held our first inter-house performing arts
competition for which each House had to perform a dance,
song and drama piece. The House captains did a fantastic
job in organising their teams and we were very impressed
by the standard of work produced in such a short time.
Congratulations to each House for some outstanding
performances and to Athens for stealing the win.
In June, Year 4 had the wonderful opportunity of performing
in The Bexhill Festival of Music ‘Big Summer Sing’ at the
De La Warr pavilion. We were joined by Year 4 classes
and choirs from St Richards Catholic College and Bexhill
College to form a massed choir of over 200 voices. The
children worked hard to learn all the songs, with ‘Raise My
Voice’ and ‘Make Your Own Kind of Music’ firm favourites.
Each school was also asked to prepare a song of their
own and Claremont chose ‘Believe’. Clearly enjoying the
accompaniment of a live band, the children sang beautifully
and I couldn’t have been prouder. Bravo Year 4 Big Singers
- the standing ovation from the full house was very well
deserved!
‘It was such a heartwarming
evening and a great occasion.
It was so good to see so many
children singing’ Mr Perrin.
At the end of the Summer term we wished all of our Year
8 Music and Drama students much success as they moved
on to the next exciting stage of their performing arts
education, and I would personally like to thank them for all
the commitment, energy and enthusiasm they have given to
our fabulously vibrant department.The judges said “A very musical performance with a mature sound. This was lovely!” ... and it was!
Chamber Choir
An audience for the
House competitions
Big Sing

20. 38 39CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
BARBARA DARLINGTON, HEAD OF ART
CREATIVE & PERFORMING ARTSCREATIVE & PERFORMING ARTS
Earlier in the year we said a sad farewell to Mrs Slack,
our Lamda teacher, after nearly 20 years of teaching at
Claremont, but we were really pleased to welcome Mrs
Lynne Ratcliffe as our new violin teacher in the autumn
and Mrs Kate West to teach our Lamda students. Both Mrs
Ratcliffe and Mrs West quickly started to make their mark
with Mrs Ratcliffe forming a new Pre-prep orchestra and Mrs
West helping students prepare performances for assemblies
and our Winter Warmer later in the year. Children from Years
1 to 4 had lots of fun taking part in a violin day. The children
were very impressed to hear that Mrs Ratcliffe’s 250 year old
violin had played for the Queen... twice!
At our Harvest Assembly in October pre-prep proudly sang
their hearts out to ‘Harvest Rock and Roll’ with the whole
school joining in at the end for a wonderful rendition of
‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’. Accompanied by Mrs Earls’ Flute
Group, generous donations of produce were delivered
to the stage. It was a truly heartwarming event. Then, in
November we held our Remembrance Assembly, which
featured a lovely three part song called ‘Flanders Fields’
performed by Olive D, Emily S and Charlotte K. The whole
school sang again as one in ‘Peaceful World’ before Seb S
played us out with a poignant
and faultless Last Post on the
trumpet. Year 3 and 4 later
delighted us with a fabulous
presentation of Words and
Music. Year 4 sang and played
the ukuleles and Year 3 gave a
fantastic performance of The Cat
Song, complete with masks. Well
done, Edward F for your lovely
recorder solo.
After a short break from public performances, preparations
for the exciting Christmas season celebrations began. It
was a pleasure to perform for some older guests at Mr
Bunker’s Christmas Afternoon Tea Party where the Pre-Prep
orchestra made their concert debut, performing Silent Night
and other pieces. The Flute Group played Jingle Bells and
there were some fabulously festive readings from Paddy and
Georgia. Ella E and Sarah S gave a beautiful performance
of Noël Nouvelet and Year 4 joined the Chamber Choir to
perform a stunning rendition of ‘Winter Carol’, which began
with a captivating solo from Eliza D.
So, we moved onto Nativities, Winter Warmers, Rock Bands
and Carol Services! It was so lovely to hear the children from
the Nursery and Pre-Prep raise their voices and celebrate
the story of Christmas in their Nativity performances. The
Winter Warmer was also a fantastic success this year. There
were lots of outstanding performances, and it was a real
treat to have the school orchestra accompanying so many of
them. I was also very proud to introduce the first Claremont
Prep School ‘Rock Band’ to the audience! Well done, Ivan,
Charlie, Luca, Archie and backing singers Aniera and Rowan
for a great performance of Last Christmas. A big thank you
to Mr Jefferies for training them up and to Mrs Pena, Mrs
West and Mrs Wilson for all their hard work producing the
show. Thank you also to FOCS for ensuring we were well fed
and watered and to parents and friends for their generosity
in helping us to raise over £600 for the Snowflake Charity in
Hastings.
The Carol Service at St Mary the Virgin Church in Battle
was a proud and special occasion for all involved. We were
delighted to be joined by the Senior School Windband
with every musician making an exceptional contribution.
The opening processional with solo sung by Charlie W was
a poignant start, followed by a gentle performance of the
song Soualle from the Chamber Choir. The whole school
joined together for ‘Love Shone Down’ and ‘Winter Carol’,
with Years 3,4,5 & 6 singing ‘Tell, Me A Story Shining Star’
in two parts, introduced by flute trio Varnika P, Matilda
B and Amelie G. A genuine highlight of the service was
the Chamber Choir’s uplifting performance of ‘When You
Believe’, sung in both English and Hebrew and you could
have heard a pin drop during Charlotte K and Eliza D’s
beautiful and brave solo introductions to ‘Stille Nacht’ and
‘Winter’s Carol’. We then broke up for Christmas with the
news that all of our musicians and singers had passed their
ABRSM examinations with flying colours. Well done to you all.
Seb plays Last Post
Back to the
Drawing Board
Launched in 2000 as a one day celebration of drawing,
the Big Draw Festival has grown exponentially and is now
considered the biggest celebration of drawing in the world.
In October, the children joined in the celebrations when
they were visited by artist Nick Sayers who brought along his
magnificent Bicycle Drawing Machines, made out of reused
and repurposed materials. Much like giant spirographs, Mr
Sayer’s machines had the children entranced as their cogs
whirred, wheels rotated and beautiful patterns began to
form before their eyes. The giant sand drawings proved
particularly popular as this enormous machine required a
collaborative effort on the part of the children to make it
work its magic. Engineering, Maths and Art were brought
together that day and proved a wonderful ‘hands on’
celebration of creativity.

21. 40 41CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
CREATIVE & PERFORMING ARTS
ANNA BOURNE, YEAR 6
STANLEY YEATS, YEAR 4
RUFUS BATE, YEAR 7
COSMO MCKENZIE, YEAR 5
LUKE THOMSON, YEAR 8
DANIEL HAYES, YEAR 8
ISADORA FIELDUS, YEAR 1
LANDER COOKSON, YEAR 1
HARRIET JOHNSON, YEAR 1
JAYDEN BRAZIL, YEAR 1JOSHUA EDWARDS, YEAR 1
BLU CUTBUSH, YEAR 1
THOMAS PENNELLS, YEAR 7
WELL DONE TAMSIN!
YOUNG ART EXHIBITION WINNERS
Young Art Exhibition
This year, Claremont pupils took part in the
Young Art exhibition at the Royal College
of Art for the very first time. Held annually,
this exhibition not only enables young
people aged between 4-18 to exhibit their
work at the prestigious Royal College of
Art and have it judged by professional
artists, it also raises much needed funds for
Research into Childhood Cancers.
Claremont pupils from Reception all
the way up to Year 8 created their
interpretations of this year’s exhibition
theme ‘The Moment’, with many of them
making the exhibition shortlist and having
their work hung alongside over 800 other
entries by children up and down the
country.
Congratulations to all the children who
took part and a special mention to Tamsin
from Year 1 who triumphed as overall
winner in her Year Group category. A
wonderful piece of work and very well
deserved. I look forward to seeing what
the children will dream up for next year’s
exhibition theme ‘Memories’.
BARBARA DARLINGTON, HEAD OF ART
CREATIVE & PERFORMING ARTS
TOM OWEN, YEAR 7
“My picture is of the
moon, it is a winter tree
and owl. It is nighttime
and I was thinking
about what it would be
like to camp out
at night.”
Tamsin said...

22. CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UKCLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
FRANKI PENA, DRAMA TEACHER
CREATIVE & PERFORMING ARTS
Practically Perfect in Every Way
The Summer Term came to a vibrant
and joyous close with the prep
school performance of Mary Poppins.
Children from up and down the school
took on a variety of different roles
including acting, singing, dancing,
music playing, set building, stage
management and more technical,
behind-the-scenes support. The show
was a whole school event with Ruby
C taking on the lead role as Mary
Poppins with star turns from Charlie
W as Bert, Esme B and Eddie CT as
Jane and Michael Banks and Stanley
W and Izzy W as George and Winifred.
Children from Years 3 and Year 5 sang
and acted in the chorus.
Rehearsals were always full of energy
and positivity with a lovely excited
buzz backstage on show nights. The
end result was a series of spectacular
performances where all the hard work
everyone had put in over the weeks
really paid off. Ruby’s recreation of
Mary Poppins’ character and love
of a song was ‘practically perfect in
every way’ and there were A LOT of
lines to learn. Charlie played Bert
with real professionalism, lovely solo
performances and great mastery of the
East End accent. Izzy and Stanley put
on a convincing display as the wealthy
and uptight Mr and Mrs Banks, whilst
Esme and Eddie CT were outstanding
in their portrayals of their mischievous
children. The chorus’ uplifting version
of Jolly Holiday had us all smiling in
our seats, as did Ruby’s commanding
Spoonful of Sugar. The sterner team
of office clerks soon brought some
Precision and Order back to the
stage ahead of Saffron A’s rendition
of ‘Feed the Birds’ which was truly
beautiful. Customers, park strollers,
vagrants, chimney sweeps and kite
flyers brought energy and vibrant
characterisation to the Park, Rooftops
and Cherry Tree Lane scenes and with
the help of our packed audiences, it
was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
that really raised the roof of the
O’Byrne. Bravo!
Seb S joined the show band, in the
orchestra pit at the rear of the stage.
He remembers the preparation that
went into learning the music. ‘There
were so many songs to learn in the
designated time but we were all ready
to go when the curtain went up. To
keep in time and on cue, we watched
Mrs Barry conducting through a
camera connected to a TV. It was a lot
of fun and we had a great time playing
as a group.’
‘an incredible
experience’
Ruby C, Year 7
‘My favourite
song was
Jolly Holiday’.
Isla MK, Year 3
HOLLY NEWTON, DEPUTY HEAD OF NURSERY & PRE-PREP
CREATIVE & PERFORMING ARTS
‘The Inn Crowd’
On a cold December afternoon, people from all over
flocked to the O’Byrne Theatre for our Early Years Nativity.
All the seats were quickly taken and still parents and friends
kept on coming. There really was no more room in the inn!
And so it was that our youngest children performed to the
largest audience we had ever had for a Nativity.
Squashed inside a stable, the animals were fed up. They
were uncomfortable, irritable and one of them was even
snoring! To make matters worse there was a party at the
nearby Inn. But then Mary and Joseph arrived at the stable,
closely followed by a baby, some shepherds and even some
kings. And if the accommodation was good enough for
Kings, then it was good enough for the animals!!!
The Inn Crowd was written for children aged between 5-9,
however, with a few tweaks here and there, the cast of
children aged 3-5 years rose to the challenge and made us
all extremely proud. From the angels who sang their hearts
out, to Isabelle singing her solo and all those in between, by
the end, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house!
42 43

23. 44 45CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
TESS SCHOFIELD, YEAR 1 TEACHER
CREATIVE & PERFORMING ARTS
CLAIRE WILSON, RECEPTION TEACHER
DAVID SLATTERY, YEAR 7 & 8 PASTORAL LEAD
CREATIVE & PERFORMING ARTS
Pre-Prep’s ‘The
Greatest Show’!
After the success of the Nativities the previous year, Miss
Schofield and I decided that we would love to come
together and produce a Pre-Prep production in the summer.
We had the idea to write an original script to make it
personal to the children, so, along with the assistance from
Year 2 we set about writing. The children had great fun
looking back at old photos and reminiscing about happy
times throughout the year; we then took those memories
and turned them into little sketches. The children all worked
so hard learning some pretty tricky songs and dance
routines along with lines written in rhyming couplets. We
thoroughly enjoyed our trip down memory lane and foresee
Pre-Prep’s ‘Greatest Show’ becoming a more permanent
fixture in the school calendar as a result. Well done kids!
Year 8 Steps
Back in Time
In September, Darren from Dance Days came to coach our
Year 8 children in a high energy Streetdance and Bollywood
workshop. The children learnt two dances in just 2 hours,
both encompassing a huge number of steps and with the
Streetdance number performed to Meduza’s ‘Piece of Your
Heart’… more than a touch of cool. Working together, with
even the more reluctant soon participating with enthusiasm,
the children later surprised themselves by successfully
performing the dances in front of the whole school at the
end of the afternoon. Loving your work!
Christmas Dinner
Key Stage One Nativity
I felt very privileged to coordinate the Key Stage 1 Nativity
performance again this year, but as part of our mission to
become an even more inclusive department, we decided
to introduce Makaton signing to accompany our singing
this year. The children took to this beautifully and talked
excitedly about the importance of enabling as many people
as possible to enjoy their performance. They helped design
the set, discussed their strengths and the type of role
they would like in the play with some children keen take
on some of the main parts with lots of lines to learn. I was
very proud of every single child in the performance - they
sang their little hearts out and signed with enthusiasm and
pride as they enjoyed their moment in the spotlight. To
support the children in such an ambitious show, it needed
another momentous Pre Prep team effort. Thank you to
the Nursery for cheering the children on throughout their
rehearsals; to the brilliant catering team for providing us
with mouth watering snacks and delicious treats at the end
of our performance; to the site team for building the stage
and for resisting rolling their eyes at some of my more
outlandish ideas for set design; Mrs Barry who taught some
of the songs in her music lessons and Mrs Pena who worked
on character and delivery for the opening song. It was an
incredibly special performance to witness as a teacher and
I am confident it will remain a treasured memory for all the
children and their families for years to come.
He who
reigns,
pours!

24. 46 47CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK CLAREMONTSCHOOL.CO.UK
Girls’ Cricket Review
When it comes to developing girls’ cricket, Claremont has
been at the forefront in the area for a number of years now.
The gentle move away from rounders as the major team
game for the Summer Term, began just over three years
ago. Initially finding girls cricket fixtures was challenging as
many schools resisted the change and for a couple of painful
years we trained in cricket but still played competitive
rounders fixtures. Finally this year we took the leap of
faith to full time cricket fixtures. It made sense really. The
success of the England Women’s National team has been
a real inspiration with great role models for our youngsters.
I challenge anyone to name any international rounders
team! Cricket also has a clear development pathway for
these youngsters from schools to club, county, regional and
ultimately the National team. Youngsters can aspire to be
like their heroes and have a clear route to follow that dream.
Our girls have now developed a solid skills-base from which
to pursue their dreams. Three girls have also taken the next
step forward by moving up to compete in the hard ball
version of the game. To do this they have been integrated
into the boys’ teams and have, in their own way, begun to
change the way girls are perceived in this sport.
‘Don’t Mess with these girls...
They play ‘Hard Ball’!
Chloe H, Amelia MC, Emma P
RACHEL HOLMES, HEAD OF GIRLS’ GAMES
SPORT
Hockey
The U13 Girls had a fantastic season this year. For their first
match of the season the U13As came away with 3-1 win
against Bedes and a 1-0 win for the U13B’s. A 4-1 win over
Ashford following some vital saves from Rosie B, preceded
a wonderful away match at St Andrews where the girls took
a well deserved victory, before taking the 5-0 win away to
Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar and a further 3-1 win over
Vinehall next.
In November at
the UKSA U13 Girls
Hockey Tournament
Claremont won their
first 3 group games
against Cumnor House
(2-0), Ashdown House
(2-0), and Burgess Hill
(1-0) but narrowly lost
their final group game
1-0 thanks to some
excellent saves from
the Lingfield College
Goalkeeper. As
runners-up, Claremont
went through to the
Plate Semi-Final
against Bedes where
a goal from Charlotte W in the dying seconds took the team
through to the Final against Danes Hill. Very little separated
the teams but after a nail biting game, team Claremont
eventually secured the win and were crowned Plate
Winners 2019!
By the end of the year, this phenomenal team was eventually
crowned Sussex Schools Hockey Champions 2019,
winning all of their matches in the In2 Hockey Sussex Cup
competition. A fantastic achievement. We look forward to
seeing what these girls can achieve at the Regional Finals
which will be held in Woking in April 2020. Well played, girls!
U13 team: Emma P, Charlotte W, Lilirose H, Chloe H, Rosie
B, Amelia MC, Lizzie S, Rowan BD
In December the
U13B team also had
their moment in the
sun after finishing
top of their group
and overall winners
of the ’Emerging
Players’ Tournament
at St. Andrews. Well
done ladies! Goal
scorers were Ruby,
Rowan, Aneira and
Alicja. What a fabulous way to end the hockey season. The
girls (and coaches) were chuffed to bits.
In the first game of the
season, Georgia made her
debut in goal playing for
the U12A’s against Bedes.
Bea, Mia and Darci proved
formidable forces in Defence
with Anna, Tess & Sophie
always on the look out for a
cheeky shot at goal. In the
B team, Tilly worked up and
down the pitch tirelessly and showed great movement with
the ball. The defence was strong and Heidi, Matilda and
Gabby did some great clearing of the ball. Amelie, Zoe and
Olivia made full use of the width of the pitch. After much
determination, Eva scored a well deserved and wonderful goal!
There were strong performances against St Andrews and
St Ronans with the girls showing great resilience and
determination against Vinehall, before coming back even
stronger against Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School with
the U12As stealing a 2-1 win. A great season - well done girls.
A mixed bag for the U11s but the girls showed great
promise and improvements in their stick work and team play.
A lovely 4-0 win against The Mead gave the U11As lots of
confidence and they enjoyed their victory against Dulwich
Prep. In another very satisfying game we saw the U11Bs
battle hard through appalling wind and rain to secure an
equaliser at the final whistle against Bricklehurst.
Hockey season got off to a great start for the U10s with a
confident 4-0 victory against Bedes. The U10Bs were also
delighted to take a 1-0 win against Dulwich Prep in their
first match with a combination of U11 and U10B drawing
their match against Vinehall’s U11B. A defining moment
came for the U10As in November when they took part in
the UKSA U10 Girls’ 7-a-side Hockey Tournament at Burgess
Hill. Keen to emulate the success of the U13s, the girls
showed great determination finishing top of their group on
18 points thanks to a 1-1 draw with Rose Hill and impressive
wins against Burgess Hill (1-0), Marlborough House (2-0) and
Copthorne (2-1). The girls battled hard and defended well
against a strong Cumnor House team in the Cup semi-final
however we were cruelly denied after Cumnor House went
through to the final on penalties. Twenty teams competed
on the day and Claremont finished in the top four which was
an outstanding achievement. The girls should be immensely
proud of themselves - the coaches certainly were!
Girls’ Sport