About us

Advancing international education since 1953

St Clare’s, Oxford was founded by Anne Dreydel OBE and Pamela Morris in 1953. The college grew out of a scheme to establish links between British and European students after the Second World War. Our original name was The Oxford English Centre for Foreign Students. This later became St Clare’s Hall, and then St Clare’s, Oxford. In the mid-50s, students came from more than 12 Western European countries. Over time, the college began to attract a wide range of nationalities. Nowadays there are over 40 nationalities on the IB Diploma alone.

The college began extending it’s offering to include university-level and pre-university study. As well as longer academic courses, short Summer courses became a central feature of the college. Links with USA universities were established in the 1960’s. This collaboration enabled US students to gain credit towards their degree. By the 1970’s US students were coming to St Clare’s for their study abroad programme. This replaced the University of London external degrees which had previously been taught.

In 1977, we introduced the International Baccalaureate Diploma for pre-university students, and gradually phased out A Levels. We are one of the longest running IB schools in the world; only 13 other institutions have taught the IB the longer than us. We are the first established IB World School in England. We also deliver IB Teacher Training Workshops in cooperation with the IBO; this collaboration began in 2002. 

St Clare’s remains faithful to its mission to “advance international education and understanding”.

Independent school in Oxford

We are an coeducational independent school, in Oxford. Over the last 60 years our campus has grown to accommodate increasing student numbers. From our original location on 141 Banbury Road, the College now spans over 20 residential houses in North Oxford. Early homestay arrangements have mostly been replaced with our own accommodation, as new houses have been acquired and refurbished. In 1999 we bought our premises on Bardwell Road, which has become the location of our International College for the last 21 years.

Named after one of our founders Pamela Morris, a building extension took place in 2014 to create more teaching spaces. The Pamela Morris building includes 3 well-equipped science laboratories, preparatory rooms, as well as 3 large Mathematics classrooms. The building was carefully designed to complement the surrounding Victorian and Edwardian architecture.

The following year in November 2015, our award-winning 121 residence and Art Studio opened. The Art Studio was purpose-built and offers an inspiring study environment. The residential spaces, located around a beautiful quad, provide separate en-suite study bedrooms for male and female students. 

Live, learn, and study in Oxford 

Our IB World School consistently achieves over the world average. As a result of our quality results, IB students regularly attain places at high-ranking universities.

Younger students choosing to study with us over the summer, regularly recommend us to their friends. This remains a clear indicator that our courses create a positive study experience.

Our adult courses are stimulating alternative to the traditional English language course. Many of the courses cater for non-native speakers who would like to improve their language and academic confidence for study at an English-speaking university. These courses focus on deepening academic knowledge, improving study skills and learning something new. We also offer professional development for English language teachers.