St Clare's Oxford
Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
St Clare's Oxford
Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
Overview
St Clare’s is an international college in Summertown, a leafy and prosperous area of Oxford. It has offered the IB Diploma for over 40 years, was the first IB World School in England, and attracts students from over 45 countries. The atmosphere is friendly and informal, with no school uniform and students are on first-name terms with teachers. In this less prescriptive and more collaborative university-style environment the self-motivated and committed students take greater ownership of their work. The campus consists of 25+ large Victorian and Edwardian houses plus purpose-built facilities that together offer an extensive library, dining room, student café, Music and Art studios, boarding houses, and an award-winning Science building.
At a glance
Academic
Students at St Clare's are challenged to embody the IB learner profile, to be academically ambitious and globally aware independent learners. Also available are the Pre-IB and University preparation courses, while the CAS programme offers 50+ activities per week. The teaching staff are experienced and well-qualified subject matter experts, often well travelled with broad life experience. A number are IB examiners, write IB textbooks or run workshops for IB teachers. The average IB score is 37 and typically 30%+ of students achieve over 40. A third of leavers go on to overseas universities and the professional and experienced Careers team offers a comprehensive package of support and guidance that continues for 3 years after leaving.
Boarding
There are 20 boarding houses, all close to campus and typically each home to 16-18 students. The accommodation features secure single, twin and triple rooms, communal spaces such as common rooms and kitchens, and outdoor green spaces. Rooms are usually shared with a different nationality to promote integration. Each house has a House Parent, who lives in an apartment on-site, and is responsible for student welfare and support, helps students settle in and arranges activities and outings. They are often international in background, outlook and experience. Oxford is is a comparatively safe, small city, with lots of things to see and do, including world-famous museums and art galleries, and of course London is only an hour away by train.
Sports
Sport and physical activity are integral to the IB Diploma's CAS programme and specialised facilities across Oxford are used for sport training, including Oxford City Football Club, Kirtlington Golf Club and Ferry Leisure Centre. All students are given membership to the nearby Nuffield Health Fitness and Wellbeing Centre (included in fees), where students have access to a state-of- the-art gym, a range of over 50 fitness classes, tennis courts and a swimming pool. Sports offered at a competitive team level include boys' and girl's football, basketball, badminton, volleyball and tennis. The School will also support students in joining local clubs for other sports, such as rugby, ice hockey, fencing, dance, rowing, and cricket.
Creative arts
Students are able to choose to study one of the Arts (Music, Theatre or Visual Arts) as part of the IB Diploma, and/or can do arts-based activities as part of CAS. The Art studio is a modern, purpose-built facility and the broad range of Visual Arts on offer includes Drawing, Painting, Print-making, Graphics (Illustration & Design), Sculpture (including Ceramics), Textiles, Animation, Photography, Video and Digital. Individual Music lessons are on offer to students learning an instrument, while throughout the year there are Art exhibitions, Theatre productions, Music concerts and open mic nights to showcase students' talents. Students also go on regular trips to the West End and local theatres, art exhibitions and music events.
Did you know?
- Alumni include Andrea Agnelli, scion of the industrialist family that founded Fiat, now part of Stellantis, which also owns Chrysler, Citroen, Jeep, Peugeot, Opel and Maserati. He is currently Executive Chairman of Juventus football club.
- No stay in Oxford is complete without experiencing punting on the River Thames & River Cherwell, with spectacular views across Christchurch meadow to Christchurch College, where 13 British Prime Ministers were educated.
