The
European School, Culham was founded in 1978 for the purpose of providing an education to the children of staff working for the
European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) on the
Joint European Torus (JET) fusion energy research programme based nearby, and later, additionally, children of staff seconded as part of the
European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA). With the relocation of European Union-seconded researchers and their families following the formation of JET's successor in
France, the
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), and the formation of EFDA's successor,
EUROfusion, to support ITER's development, it was announced that the school would close on 31 August 2017. The final two employees, the bursar and accountant, continued to work until 31 May 2018. The former ESC campus was subsumed by the
Europa School UK on 1 September 2017. ESUK is a
'free school' and an
Accredited European School with all students following a learning programme leading to the
European Baccalaureate qualification. Accredited European Schools are schools under national jurisdiction within European Union (EU) member states which, without forming part of the intergovernmental network of European Schools, offer its multilingual curriculum and the
European Baccalaureate. == Notable alumni ==