At the heart of a King’s education is the dual pursuit of academic and co-curricular excellence. The wide-ranging interests, the intellectual ambition, and the development of self-discipline that such pursuits engender are highly prized in our modern global society. The quality of the teaching and the breadth of the activities outside the classroom mean that the lessons learned, and the skills acquired stay with our pupils for life.
An essential feature of this process is how it does not matter if the passion is for sport, music, acting, or chess – to make a random selection of the plethora of opportunities for young people at King’s.
We aim to anchor a 21st Century education within the illustrious history of the oldest school in the country, dating from 597 AD.
The late Lord Pilkington, one of our most distinguished Headmasters, described a King’s education as resting on the simultaneous pursuit of academic and co-curricular excellence.
Ethos Our philosophy behind the pursuit of academic excellence is that talented pupils are stretched but not stressed by enlightened and stimulating teaching. The Lower and Middle School curriculum combines a broad sweep of both the arts and the sciences which nurture a careful training of the mind. Our vibrant and intellectually exciting Sixth Form provides the ideal springboard for strong applications to Oxbridge, Russell Group, and other top UK and US universities. The King’s spirit gains its momentum and releases through the equal weight attached to co-curricular activities. King possesses the knack of developing individual passions that often become lifelong pursuits sporting, musical, and artistic opportunities abound for every pupil.
The school is situated within the Precincts of Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, a World Heritage Site. The buildings are a mixture of old and new ranging from the 14th-century Meister Omers to the 21st-century New Grange. Such a setting, by its very nature, creates a close-knit and warm-hearted community that is spiritually aware, historically informed, and appreciative of aesthetic beauty. Excellent pastoral care means that adolescents can grow up in a secure and nurturing environment where individuals value the success of others as much as they enjoy their triumphs. The energy and the spirit of the pupils are a worthy match for the exceptional environment.
The King’s learning experience is designed to encompass both depth and breadth. Built upon historic foundations and supported by the extensive co-curriculum and strong pastoral care, the developing individual is taken out into the wider world locally, nationally, and globally.
Our focus remains, therefore, upon developing the individual in the fullest possible sense. In terms of academic development, this means focusing upon the quality of learning recognizing the needs of the time in which they live, and encouraging an enquiring mind that loves learning for learning’s sake.
Education forever changes, and not just the examination curriculum. We are now in a digital world of instant and mobile connectivity, dominated by information and data. There are exciting opportunities for a new pedagogy. There are new and different challenges. Our task is to develop and deliver a curriculum in a way that is relevant to today’s teenagers but without jettisoning what we value so highly from the past.
We are determined to retain the full variety of academic subjects, supported by our three core themes (researching, questioning, and communicating), and the ‘real learning that is essential in public exams and life. We broadly welcome the changes to A Levels and the opportunity to study subjects in more depth with less focus upon modular examinations. Our current wide-ranging IGCSE program (supported by some national GCSEs) is very good preparation for the Sixth Form and beyond.
