City of London Freemen's School (CLFS) is a co-educational private school for day and boarding pupils, located at Ashtead Park in Surrey, England. It is a partner school of the City of London School and the City of London School for Girls, which are both independent single-sex schools located within the City of London itself. All three schools receive funding from the City's Cash. The school's head is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.
The Good Schools Guide described the school as "A traditional academic and sporty school in a stunning setting with impressive facilities but not at all elitist – in fact quite the opposite." In 2024, 33% of grades in A Levels were A* and 72% of grades were A*-A. In GCSEs, 40% of grades were 9, 67% were 8-9 (equivalent to A*) and 86% achieved 9-7 in GCSEs.
Contents
History
The school was founded in 1854 by the Corporation of London, and was originally located in Brixton, London to educate orphans of freemen of the city. It is still possible for such children to be educated as "Foundationers" at the school with the costs of their education borne by the City of London Corporation. The school is set in 57 acres (230,000 m2) of Ashtead Park in Surrey, having moved from Brixton to Ashtead in 1926.
Boarding house
The boarding house, known as Walbrook, is located next to Main House and the junior school and welcomes international students as well as domestic students.
Old Freemen's
Once pupils leave school they become part of Old Freemen’s Association, which includes the Old Freemen's Rugby Football Club, Cricket Club and Hockey Club. There is also a Guild of Scholars of the City of London, which was formed to encourage former pupils from the three ‘City schools’ to develop links with the City of London. Membership is open to all former pupils, staff, and retired staff, who must have obtained their ‘Freedom of the City of London’ but there is no subscription.
In addition any pupil aged 14–17 who is still at school may apply to become an apprentice to a Freeman of the City. They will then be entitled, at the age of 21, to apply for the Freedom of the City and membership of the Guild of Scholars.
Notable alumni
Former pupils are known as Old Freemen. Some better known Old Freemen include:
Rory Burns - Surrey CC and England cricketer
Andrew Garfield - actor, appeared in the film The Amazing Spider-Man and others
Warwick Davis - actor, star of Willow, also appeared in the Star Wars and Harry Potter movie series
Simon Cowell (presenter) - presenter of Animal Planet and Wildlife SOS
Andrew Goddard - gastroenterologist
Ashley Mote - former UKIP MEP
Anders Nielsen - badminton player
Alexandra Rickham - Paralympic sailor
Guy Spier - investor
Joe Strummer - lead singer of punk rock band the Clash; real name John Mellor
Gavin Turk - one of the Young British Artists
Andy Ward - progressive rock drummer best known for playing in Camel in the 1970s
Peter George - former chairman and chief executive of Hilton Group PLC