St Clare’s was founded in 1953 by Anne Dreydel and Pamela Morris, with a commitment to promoting international awareness and understanding. Unusually for the time, it accepted students only for the last two years of secondary education. Anne Dreydel became sole principal in 1972.
In 1977, the college was one of the first in the United Kingdom to introduce the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), initially alongside A levels, which were soon phased out. We are immensely proud to be the first college in England to offer the IB and to have the 14th oldest IB programme in the World.
In addition, the college now offers a preparatory course (Pre-IB) for students who are either too young or not yet ready for the full IB Diploma programme.