• in-depth preparation for university
• make friends from around the world
St Clare’s is a co-educational sixth form college for day students and boarders in a beautiful area of north Oxford.
Why choose St Clare’s? We put our success down to a combination of factors:
The atmosphere here is informal and friendly, with an equal emphasis on hard work and encouraging personal responsibility.
The college has a worldwide reputation for its expertise in providing the IB Diploma and embraces internationalism and academic excellence as its core values.
As more parents and students are choosing the IB instead of A Levels, it is clear that we can offer a better standard of education for those who want something different.
These links explain in more detail about the IB and why this is the better course to choose for your preparation for university:
Truly international, vibrant, fun, gets the right results, couldn’t do better … if you want to go the IB road – Good Schools Guide
Medicine at University College London
As an international student applying to study medicine, my two years at St Clare’s were basically a balancing act on a very fine line between complete failure and success. Luckily, along the way I had the support of amazing teachers and friends through every step. St Clare’s has made me a stronger person and I can now face the challenges of my future with confidence.
How do I choose the subjects I want to study?
A number of factors need to be considered before making subject choices. What do I want to study at university? What subjects do I enjoy? What subjects am I good at?
The IB Diploma allows students to choose subjects from six subject groupings. This means that every student chooses one subject from each of the following groups. Three subjects are studied at Higher (H) Level and three at Standard (S) Level for two years.
We offer an exceptionally wide choice of IB subjects. You will choose one subject each from groups 1 to 5 and then a sixth subject from either group 6 or another from groups 1 to 4.
Download the IB Diploma Guide – for more detailed information about the subjects
| Group 1 |
|---|
| Studies in Language and Literature First language or native language |
|
This is your first or best language. The following Literature courses are offered:
|
| Group 2 |
| Language Acquisition Second language |
|
This is the language you are learning. Most students choose English as this helps with the study of other subjects. Some of our students are bilingual or trilingual and study another second language.
|
| Group 3 |
| Individuals and Societies |
|
Individual and Societies currently includes:
|
| Group 3 or 4 — Interdisciplinary |
| There is only one course in this group — Environmental Systems and Societies. When making a subject choice, Environmental Systems and Societies can be included in either Group 3 or Group 4. |
| Group 4 |
| Science |
|
| Group 5 |
| Mathematics |
|
Mathematics: Analysis and approaches is intended for students who wish to pursue studies in mathematics at university or subjects that have a large mathematical content; it is for students who enjoy developing mathematical arguments, problem solving and exploring real and abstract applications, with and without technology. Mathematics: Analysis and approaches will be a development from the current Mathematics HL and SL subjects. At HL, the course is intended for students who wish to study Mathematics at university, or subjects with a substantial mathematics content such as engineering or physics. Mathematics: Applications and interpretation is being designed for students who enjoy describing the real world and solving practical problems using mathematics; those who are interested in harnessing the power of technology alongside exploring mathematical models and enjoy the more practical side of mathematics. Mathematics: Applications and interpretation SL will be developed from Mathematical studies SL. The HL course will include new content and elements of the current HL statistics and discrete content At HL, the course is intended for students who wish to study social sciences, psychology, economics, business management, medicine or design at university. |
| Group 6 |
| Arts and Electives |
|
You can choose to study Music, Theatre or the Visual Arts from this group OR you can choose one of the following:
|
The IB Diploma contains three core elements that help provide additional academic specialisation and a recognition of interests outside the classroom. These are the Theory of Knowledge course, the Extended Essay and CAS (Creativity, Activity and Service) .
What is Theory of Knowledge?
This a practical philosophy-based course, and is a compulsory element of the IB. This course helps train young minds to question and think in an analytical way, skills essential for success at university.
What is the Extended Essay?
This is an original piece of research relating to one of the subjects being studied, e.g. an Economics student might look at the performance of a company or business. The research is written up into a 4000 word paper. Again this is a skill which is extremely useful in preparing students for the academic challenge of university-level work.
Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS) is an extracurricular programme and each student is required to be involved in CAS experiences on a regular basis over the two years of the Diploma.
You might like to look at the following detailed information to help you further in making your choice
Entry is based on previous academic results and interview. We have a competitive scholarship and bursary programme awarded by examination, interview and group exercises.
We will be happy to send you our IB Diploma Guide, full details on how to apply and an online Application Form. We encourage prospective students to contact us with any questions they may have. You can register your interest in hearing more about the course and the college using this online form.
To begin the application process, please send us the applicant’s school reports from the previous two years by email. We will then send you a link to our online application form, which includes a link to pay the £100 Registration Fee.
When we have received all of the above, we will assess the applicant’s school reports. If these are satisfactory, we will invite the applicant and their parents to visit St Clare’s for a tour and an interview.
For IB Diploma and Pre-IB applicants this will include a Mathematics Placement Test (50 minutes) and an English test (40 minutes). The English test is a comprehension paper that involves analysing text and therefore it will also be taken by applicants who are native English speakers. This is not an entrance examination.
We are normally able to tell the applicant and their parents our final decision on their application at the end of the visit. If the interview is satisfactory we will offer the applicant a place at St Clare’s and this will be confirmed by email in an official offer letter that includes an Acceptance Form.
Parents wishing to accept the offer must complete the Acceptance Form within the deadline given in the offer letter and return by email. When parents accept the offer of a place at St Clare’s they will need to pay an Enrolment Deposit of £2,500.
Instructions on how to access the joining information are included in the offer letter.
If you have any questions or if you require any further information about the application procedure please contact Chris Osbourn, Admissions Registrar — chris.osbourn@stclares.ac.uk.
Academic Year 2018-2019
| Annual Fees | |
| Day students | £19,207 |
| Residential students (weekly and fully residential) | £39,977 |
| Registration Fee | £100 |
| Enrolment Deposits: | |
| IB course | £2500 |
| Pre-IB course (per module) | £500 |
| Annual fees are payable in two instalments | |
| Weekly and fully residential students: | |
| 1st instalment 9 August 2018 | £20,166 |
| 2nd instalment 14 December 2018 | £19,811 |
| Day students: | |
| 1st instalment 9 August 2018 | £9,630 |
| 2nd instalment 14 December 2018 | £9,577 |
| (The fees above include fees and travel insurance) | |
| Additional charges | |
| The following prices offer an approximate guide only and there may be other charges in addition to those listed below: | |
| Books | per year £300–£350 |
| Examination charges | |
| SAT Reasoning Test | $60 |
| SAT Subject Tests | $60 |
| IB Diploma | £550 |
| Legalisation of IB Diploma — (for Latin American, Mediterranean and Eastern European countries) | £97 per country |
| Biology Field Trip | £350 |
| Geography and Environmental Systems & Societies Field Trip | £250 |
| Private Music Lessons | £45 per hour |
| Music and Drama Exams | £30–£80 |
| Extra lessons and special tuition | per lesson £50 |
| UK Day Trip | free–£30 |
| Trips to Musicals or the Theatre | £30–£70 |
| European cultural weekend trips | £500–£600 |
| Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award — two practice expeditions and the final assessed expedition | £700 |
| Team Sports Clothes | £50–£100 |
| Airport Transfer (depends on single or return and on destination) | £100–£250 |
| Graduation Ball (includes Ball ticket and graduation photo) | £70 |
You will be able to talk to staff and students and find out more about living and studying here
Pre-IB work-related learning day Our Pre-IB work-related learning day took place on Wednesday 13 February 2019. The aim was to promote teamwork and give students the opportunity to develop key employability skills. Our students were asked to design and construct a...
St Clare’s global citizens making a difference Nicholas Zane, an International Baccalaureate student at St Clare’s, has undertaken a range of work to commemorate the Holocaust and raise awareness of the Kaifeng Jews. It was in early 2018...
The orientation weekend would not be complete without the Orientation Olympics. This is an annual event for new students arriving to study Pre-IB or IB and each student is assigned a team: Blue, Green, Yellow or Red. They play a range of fun games...
