Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School


Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School is a co-educational grammar school in Ramsgate, Kent, England, formed as a result of the merger of the boys-only Chatham House Grammar School and girls-only Clarendon House Grammar School in September 2011.
Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School is based across three main sites. The Chatham House site is where Year 7, 8 and 9 students are based, whereas Year 10 and 11 are based at the Clarendon House site. However, some lessons for students in Year 10 and 11 still take place in the Chatham House site. The Sixth Form Centre is where the Sixth Form students are based, but regularly have lessons across all three sites.

History

Chatham House was officially founded in 1797 by William Humble along Chatham Street, although there is some evidence of existence prior to its formal establishment. Clarendon House was founded in 1905 on the first floor of the old police station.

Merger

The two Ramsgate schools, Clarendon House and Chatham House, had often partnered with each other for activities such as instrumental bands, choirs, an annual theatre production and field trips. Both were single sex until sixth form then allowed both boys and girls to enter in the sixth form. In the sixth form the two schools, actually within ten minutes' walk of each other, some AS and A level subjects were taught jointly by both schools, such as Music and Music Technology; or by one school. Drama that was taught at Clarendon but available to Chatham House students, while Sport Science was taught at Chatham House, but available to Clarendon House students. Clarendon House, however, was under-subscribed: Chatham House being over-subscribed.
The two schools federated in January 2011 to become a converter academy. bringing greater control over admissions, site & buildings, curriculum development and much-needed additional income. Then, in spring 2011, it was announced that the schools would work together as one school. Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils would be based at Chatham House and year 10 and 11 pupils would be based at the former Clarendon House. The sixth-form centre would be based on both sites with all lessons being split between them. In this intermediate stage, Year 9 was moved to the lower school while the decisions about the sites were being taken.

Academics

Virtually all maintained schools and academies follow the National Curriculum, and are inspected by Ofsted on how well they succeed in delivering a 'broad and balanced curriculum'. Schools endeavour to get all students to achieve the English Baccalaureate qualification- this must include core subjects, a modern or ancient foreign language, and either History or Geography. Schools are obliged to publish the philosophy governing their curriculum on their website.

Key Stage 3 (Years 7–9)

Key stage 3 is taught on the Chatham House site.
Within KS3, all students study in single sex classes with some ability setting in Mathematics and within the Year 9 Science syllabus.
All students study English, Mathematics, Science, Design & Food Technology, Geography, History, Art, Computer Science, Physical Education & Games, Religion and Philosophy, Music, Drama and PSHE. In Year 7 all students study French, and students in Year 8 and 9 study French and Spanish. For their Design & Food Technology lessons, the students move between three areas: Product Design, Catering, and 3D/Graphical Design. This process stops in year 10, when the students have selected their options.

Key Stage 4 GCSE (Years 10–11)

This schools offers a variety of GCSE-Level qualifications. All students take core subjects, whilst also selecting others from their preference with the requirement of taking at least one language and one humanity.

Option Subjects

All students by default will take the Higher Tier option of their GCSE course, if applicable, but for struggling students the Foundation Tier option is made available to them.
When Students select their option subjects, they have four options. The language option must be either French or Spanish, and there must be a humanity subject in Options 1–3. Students are also able to take both French and Spanish if they wish, by indicating so in the Language Option and in one of Options 1–3.

Key Stage 5 (Years 12–13)

The Sixth Form at this school offers 25 A-Level courses and 6 vocational courses. Sixth Form students generally tend to study three courses, however do have the option to take more.
QualificationQualification TypeAwarding Body
Applied ScienceLevel 3 Certificate and Extended CertificateAQA
Art and DesignAdvanced Level (United Kingdom)|Advanced Level]AQA
BiologyAdvanced LevelAQA
Business StudiesAdvanced LevelPearson Edexcel
BusinessPearson BTEC Level 3 National CertificatePearson Edexcel
Chemistry AAdvanced LevelOCR
Computer ScienceAdvanced LevelOCR
Design and Technology: Product DesignAdvanced LevelAQA
Drama and TheatreAdvanced LevelAQA
EconomicsAdvanced LevelAQA
English LiteratureAdvanced LevelAQA
Film StudiesAdvanced LevelOCR
FrenchAdvanced LevelPearson Edexcel
Further MathematicsAdvanced LevelPearson Edexcel
GeographyAdvanced LevelAQA
Health and Social Care Level 3 Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate
OR
Level 3 Cambridge Technical Diploma 		OCR
HistoryAdvanced LevelPearson Edexcel
Information TechnologyPearson BTEC Level 3 National Certificate
OR
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate		Pearson Edexcel
MathematicsAdvanced LevelPearson Edexcel
Media StudiesAdvanced LevelOCR
MusicAdvanced LevelEduqas
Music TechnologyAdvanced LevelPearson Edexcel
Philosophy and EthicsAdvanced LevelOCR
PhysicsAdvanced LevelOCR
PoliticsAdvanced LevelAQA
PsychologyAdvanced LevelAQA
SociologyAdvanced LevelAQA
SpanishAdvanced LevelAQA
Sport and Physical ActivityLevel 3 Cambridge Technical DiplomaOCR
Travel and TourismPearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended CertificatePearson Edexcel

Entry requirements

In order for a student to study three or four Advanced Level subjects, they must achieve at least 5x Grade 6s at GCSE. In order for a student to study a double Level 3 Vocational course, and one or two Advanced Levels, they must achieve at least 3x Grade 5s and 2x Grade 6s a GCSE. Where relevant, a student will need a Grade 6 in a subject to study the same subject at the Sixth Form. Students are expected to continue their chosen subjects until the end of Year 13.
There are special rules or exceptions for subject options for students. Students must achieve a Grade 7 in Mathematics at GCSE to study it at Advanced Level, and a Grade 8 in Mathematics at GCSE to study Further Mathematics at Advanced Level.
Students studying Further Mathematics will normally undertake the Mathematics Advanced Level exams at the end of Year 12.

House system

As the two schools became one, the house systems needed to change as Clarendon House had four houses for the entire school with Chatham having four different houses in the lower and upper school.
As a result of student voting, from September 2011, the new houses consisted of Thomas-Sharman, Rothschild-Pearce, Mann-Somerville and Knight-Heath, double-barrelled amalgamations of old Chatham and Clarendon house names. It was announced that the new house colours would be Red, Silver, Gold and Blue.

Notable alumni