Oxford is hardly short of impressive educational institutions, but St Clare’s is unusual even by Oxford standards.
It is small, international and academically ambitious. It was the first school in England to introduce the International Baccalaureate Diploma, and today its students come from around 50 nationalities.
For families considering the IB rather than A levels, St Clare’s offers something genuinely different.
School website: https://www.stclares.ac.uk/
1. St Clare’s has been international from the beginning
St Clare’s was founded in Oxford in 1953 by Anne Dreydel OBE and Pamela Morris.
Its original name was the Oxford English Centre for Foreign Students, and the idea behind it was ambitious for the time: bring young people from different countries together and use education to encourage greater international understanding.
By the mid-1950s, students were already arriving from more than a dozen Western European countries.
Today, St Clare’s welcomes students from around 50 nationalities.
2. It pioneered the IB in England
This is probably the single most important fact about St Clare’s.
In 1977, it became the first school in England to introduce the International Baccalaureate Diploma, gradually replacing A levels.
That means the IB is not a recent addition designed to broaden the curriculum. It has been at the centre of St Clare’s for almost 50 years.
The college has also been involved in delivering IB teacher-training workshops since 2002.
3. It is a relatively small school
According to its latest Independent Schools Inspectorate report, St Clare’s had 261 pupils aged 15 to 19.
Of those, 207 were boarders.
That scale is interesting.
St Clare’s has an international reach and reputation, but the actual school community is comparatively small.
That can help give the college a much more personal feel.
4. The average class has just nine students
One of the most attractive features of St Clare’s is its small class size.
The average class is around nine students.
That can make a considerable difference to sixth-form teaching.
Students have more opportunity to ask questions, discuss ideas and receive individual feedback.
It also works particularly well with the IB, which places considerable emphasis on discussion, analysis and independent thinking.
5. The 2026 IB results were strong
There were 123 students in the 2026 IB cohort.
Their average Diploma score was 35.4 points, compared with a worldwide average of 30.9 reported by the college.
St Clare’s reported that:
80% of students scored above the world average.
More than half achieved 36 points or above.
Almost a quarter achieved at least 40 points.
Thirteen students achieved 43, 44 or the maximum 45 points.
The top 20 students averaged 42.95 points.
The top 50 students averaged 40.56 points.
The college also reports a three-year average of 35.2 points, suggesting that strong performance has been consistent rather than limited to one particularly successful year.
6. More than half of the 2026 cohort achieved bilingual Diplomas
One figure says a great deal about the international character of St Clare’s.
In 2026, 58% of the graduating cohort received a bilingual IB Diploma.
The latest inspection also recorded that 250 of the school’s 261 pupils were bilingual or had English as an additional language.
At St Clare’s, international education is clearly more than a line in the prospectus.
7. The IB keeps students studying broadly
A-level students will usually specialise in three subjects.
The IB Diploma works differently.
Students study six subjects across areas including languages, humanities, sciences and mathematics.
They also complete the three elements of the IB core: Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and Creativity, Activity and Service.
The Extended Essay alone involves an independent research project of up to 4,000 words.
For a 16-year-old who enjoys Physics but does not want to give up languages or humanities, that breadth can be a real attraction.
8. There are more than 50 CAS opportunities each week
Creativity, Activity and Service, usually known as CAS, is an important part of the IB Diploma.
St Clare’s says it offers more than 50 CAS experiences each week.
Students are encouraged to build a programme that develops interests outside their academic subjects.
That might involve sport, creative activities, leadership, volunteering or wider involvement in the community.
The result is a sixth-form experience that asks students to do more than simply collect examination grades.
9. University preparation starts early
University guidance is a significant part of the St Clare’s offer.
The college has specialist full-time university and careers advisers who provide individual support.
That can include applications to UK universities, Oxbridge, universities in the United States and Europe, as well as specialist courses such as medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine.
St Clare’s also says that university and careers support can continue for three years after a student graduates.
That is an unusual and potentially valuable feature.
10. Its university fair is genuinely international
St Clare’s runs a large school-based Higher Education Fair.
Representatives attend from more than 90 universities across around 20 countries.
That makes sense for a school where pupils may be considering universities in Britain, Europe, North America or elsewhere.
University guidance here is not based on the assumption that every pupil will simply choose five UK universities through UCAS.
11. The Class of 2026 attracted offers from universities around the world
The 2026 graduating class received offers from 33 universities appearing in the QS world top 100.
The same cohort also received US$4.2 million in scholarship offers.
Students progressed to universities across the UK, United States, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and continental Europe.
Recent university destinations have included Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, UCL, LSE, Stanford, Princeton, McGill, Toronto, Amsterdam and Bocconi.
St Clare’s also reports that around 95% of its students progress to their first-choice university worldwide.
12. Boarding is a major part of school life
Boarding plays a much bigger role at St Clare’s than it does at many sixth forms.
The latest inspection figures recorded 207 boarders out of a total of 261 pupils.
There are 12 single-sex boarding houses around North Oxford.
Rather than living in one enormous boarding block, pupils live in smaller residential houses with house parents.
For students arriving from overseas, that can help create something closer to a home environment.
13. The campus itself is unusual
St Clare’s does not look like a conventional modern secondary-school campus.
Its main site consists of more than 25 Victorian and Edwardian buildings around Banbury Road in North Oxford.
The school is around 1.5 kilometres from Oxford city centre.
Facilities include science laboratories, an art studio, music facilities, classrooms and a large library providing books, journals, e-books and online resources.
The collection of buildings helps give St Clare’s the feel of a small university college rather than a traditional school.
14. Oxford is more than just the address
Being based in Oxford gives students opportunities that would be difficult to recreate elsewhere.
The college highlights access to university lectures, academics, research opportunities and academic clubs.
Students are also close to the Ashmolean Museum, Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, theatres, libraries and the historic university colleges.
For teenagers preparing to become university students, that setting feels particularly appropriate.
15. There is a one-year Pre-IB route
St Clare’s does not expect every student to arrive ready to begin the full Diploma immediately.
It offers a one-year Pre-IB programme for Year 11 pupils.
The programme is designed to prepare students for the academic and personal demands of the two-year IB Diploma.
This could be particularly useful for a student moving between education systems or for someone who wants additional preparation before beginning the full IB.
16. Scholarships can provide substantial support
St Clare’s offers scholarships to both UK and international students.
Awards are means-tested and can be either partial or full.
The Anne Dreydel Foundation Scholarships can cover the complete IB tuition fee for a day pupil.
For a boarding pupil, the maximum award can cover both tuition and accommodation.
Scholarships continue for the two years of the IB Diploma.
For 2026–27, the published annual fees including VAT are £30,985 for day pupils and £66,185 for boarding pupils, so the scholarship programme can provide substantial support.
17. The latest inspection gives a useful independent picture
St Clare’s was inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate in April 2026.
The school met the applicable standards across areas including leadership and management, education, pupils’ physical and mental health, social education and safeguarding.
Inspectors described pupils as highly motivated and making consistently good progress.
The report also highlighted the school’s international culture.
Pupils were found to develop a strong understanding of different lifestyles, faiths, cultures and political beliefs, with the school’s approach to diversity identified as a significant strength.
That feels especially relevant for a school that was founded more than 70 years ago with international understanding at the heart of its purpose.
The Teach17 view
The numbers make St Clare’s interesting.
261 pupils.
207 boarders.
Around 50 nationalities.
An average class size of nine.
More than 50 CAS opportunities each week.
A 2026 IB average of 35.4.
Thirteen students scoring between 43 and 45 points.
But statistics only explain part of the appeal.
What feels most distinctive is the combination.
St Clare’s is academically ambitious without being enormous.
It is British but unmistakably international.
It is situated in Oxford but sends students to universities across the world.
And the IB is not a recent addition to its curriculum. St Clare’s has been teaching it since 1977.
For a student who enjoys several subjects and does not want to specialise too early, the IB itself deserves serious consideration.
For a student who also wants small classes, greater independence and the experience of studying alongside teenagers from around the world, St Clare’s becomes particularly interesting.
It is certainly not a typical sixth form.
And that may be exactly the point.
Find out more
Visit the official St Clare’s Oxford website:
The website contains further information about the IB Diploma, Pre-IB, admissions, boarding, scholarships, fees, open days and campus visits.
Sources used
St Clare’s Oxford – Official website
https://www.stclares.ac.uk/
St Clare’s Oxford – Our History
https://www.stclares.ac.uk/ib-history
St Clare’s Oxford – IB Results
https://www.stclares.ac.uk/ib-results
St Clare’s Oxford – IB Diploma
https://www.stclares.ac.uk/ib-diploma
St Clare’s Oxford – University and Careers Counselling
https://www.stclares.ac.uk/ib-university-and-careers-counselling
St Clare’s Oxford – University Destinations
https://www.stclares.ac.uk/ib-university-destinations
St Clare’s Oxford – Campus and Facilities
https://www.stclares.ac.uk/ib-campus-and-facilities
St Clare’s Oxford – Boarding
https://www.stclares.ac.uk/ib-boarding-students
St Clare’s Oxford – Fees
https://www.stclares.ac.uk/ib-fees
St Clare’s Oxford – Scholarships
https://www.stclares.ac.uk/ib-scholarships
Independent Schools Inspectorate – St Clare’s Oxford, April 2026 inspection report
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