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.
The school is based across three main sites. The Chatham House site for lower school students, the Clarendon House site for upper school students, and the Sixth Form Centre site for sixth form students. Students regularly have lessons across all three sites.
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.
The two schools had often partnered with each other for extra-curricular activities and field trips. Both schools were single sex until sixth form, then allowing both male and female students. At sixth form, some AS and A level subjects were taught jointly by both schools; or by one school, however Clarendon House was unsubscribed.
The two schools federated in January 2011 to become a converter academy. bringing greater control over admissions, site & buildings and curriculum development as well as additional income. In spring 2011, it was announced that the schools would work together as one school. In this intermediate stage, Year 9 was moved to the lower school while the decisions about the sites were being taken.
Following an Ofsted assessment in 2025, the school progressed from a diamond model to fully coeducational classes.
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 (EBACC) 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 is taught on the Chatham House site.
Within KS3, all students study in mixed-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, as well as Spanish in years 8 and 9. Design & Food Technology covers Product Design, Catering, and 3D/Graphical Design.
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.
All students by default will take the Higher Tier option of their GCSE course, with the Foundation Tier option available.
Students must select four options, including at least one language and at least one humanities subject (Geography, History, Religious Studies).
The Sixth Form at this school offers 25 A-Level courses and 6 vocational courses. Sixth Form students may choose to study 3 or 4 courses.
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.
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 (TS), Rothschild-Pearce (RP), Mann-Somerville (MS) and Knight-Heath (KH), 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.