The vibrant house system lies at the heart of Claremont life.
All pupils are allocated to a specific house for the duration of their time at the Senior School, including in the sixth form. Pupils strive for house points and victory throughout the year, although it is the taking part that counts! Pupil enjoyment and participation makes house membership a hugely enriching experience.
Watch our house music competition here:
About our houses
Each house is named after locations in which the two schools, Claremont and Fan Court have resided since our establishment in 1922. The Pre-Prep and Prep school both use four houses and the Senior School sees an expansion to six houses. The six houses are: Banstead, Esher, Longcross, Norwood, Radnor and Stanmore.
The main philosophy behind vertical tutoring is the ability for pupils of different year groups to mix, learn from each other, build a small and caring ‘family’ within the wider school context.
Jason Stanley Deputy head - pastoral
Vertical tutor group structure
Vertical tutor groups exist for Years 7-11 and 12-13 respectively, meaning that pupils meet daily with a small number of pupils from other year groups within their houses. These tutor groups are like families within the larger communities of the house and wider senior school. No tutor group is made up of more than 20 pupils (more like 16/17 in the middle school), and pupils benefit from sharing experiences and learning from each other in a way that is not possible in the classroom where pupils spend most of their time with peers in the same year group.
From Years 7-11, pupils stay with the same tutor before transitioning to sixth form specific tutor groups for the final two years. This allows staff, pupils and their families to develop deep and meaningful relationships, and the tutor is the first point of contact for all enquiries.
What does a vertical tutor do for and with their tutees?
- Tutors are the first point of contact for pupils in the tutor group and their families
- Managing pastoral concerns
- Distribution of information and help coordinate administration e.g. sports choices, exam details etc.
- Registration and monitoring attendance
- Rewards and sanctions oversight
- Facilitating mentoring opportunities
- Monitoring and supporting academic progress
- Knowledge and encouragement of co-curricular activity
- Providing a supportive atmosphere for inter year group activity
House events
Our pupils enjoy taking part in activities and events that earn them house points. On a more regular basis, houses will take part in dedicated house assemblies or weekly challenges such as quizzes. However, throughout the term, teachers run competitions where houses go head to head in activities ranging anywhere from wildlife photography, to singing, from gymnastics to German spelling bees. We also encourage intra house competitions and events for pupils to get involved in.
At the end of each term, pupils look forward to house days, where our 100 acres of grounds are covered in a sea of colourful house t-shirts. These days involve a variety of activities, including sports or house music. These days are excellent for team building and help friendships to blossom.
The pupil hub
The care centre and individual needs centre are both important facilities for our pupils and have undergone a significant upgrade recently. We have a bespoke building called the pupil support hub where the medical team, individual needs (SEN) department and counselling service all coexist to provide a joined up service to our students.
