The King’s School Canterbury Reviews, Ranking And Fees

The King’s School is claimed to be the oldest school in England, and some would say it is the oldest in the world. The school is associated with Christian education because it was St. Augustine who established it in 597AD. King’s is set in the shadow of Canterbury Cathedral and is one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. With magnificent ancient buildings and gardens within the school, pupils often enjoy the contrast between the old setting and modern setting of the city that is just beyond their doorstep. 

The King's School Canterbury Reviews

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Table of Contents

Summary Of School

  • Type of school: Co-educational
  • Age range: 13-18
  • Pupils: 865
  • Boarders: 83%
  • Fees: Boarding £15,720 per term
  • 2024 A Level Results: 55.4% A*/A
  • 2024 GCSE Results: 66.9% 9-7

Overview

King’s School prioritizes the enhancement of its facilities and the well-being of its students. It boasts state-of-the-art amenities, including a recently established girls’ boarding house, ensuring that students have a comfortable and secure place to stay overnight on campus. Furthermore, King’s School has recently invested in a cutting-edge science building and acquired a new art block, providing students with outstanding opportunities to pursue their academic and extracurricular interests.

At King’s, educators use the 21st century teaching method. This allows students to be challenged academically by expanding their mind and to train them to solve problems easily. Teachers make the lessons interesting and fun by involving the participation of every student in the class. At the end of their schooling days at King’s, many leavers have been accepted into top notch universities like Oxford and Cambridge.

The King’s School Canterbury Courses/Programmes

Lower School (Shells & Year 9)

Shell curriculum was created to introduce pupils to a broad range of subjects, where they can discern their academic preferences. Students are required to undertake the Global Perspectives project to teach them that every subject is linked to each other. 

Middle School (GCSE)

Pupils in The King’s School often take between 9 to 11 GCSEs subjects. The mandatory subjects are English Language and Literature, Mathematics, Science and one Modern Foreign Language. At The King’s School, students are encouraged to pick at least one creative subject (Art, Drama, Music or Design & Technology) and at least one humanity subject (Geography, Religious Studies or History). While preparing for GCSEs, The King’s School also prepares students for Sixth Form or university. Along with GCSEs, pupils have plenty of opportunity to get involved in the Middle School co-curricular programme.

Sixth Form/A Level

Sixth Formers at King’s are offered a wide range of subjects to study from. 32 A Level and Pre-U subjects are available, along with AS and other short courses. There are two classes of students: 6a and 6b. 6a students tend to take three A Level subjects although there may be a few exceptions who choose four subjects. 6b pupils can choose either three subjects plus an ‘E block’ EP or As or GCSE subject or four subjects plus an ‘E block’. Sixth Formers are assisted at every stage of their university entrance procedure, hence, 98.5% of leavers are accepted into universities of their choice.

The King’s School Canterbury 2024 Ranking

In our 2024 A Level League Table, King’s School Canterbury was ranked 68 among all schools in the country. King’s Canterbury also ranked 102nd in the UK for GCSEs in our 2024 GCSE League Table.

King’s School’s students have a consistent track record of good results. In 2024, 55.4% of students scored A*/A in their A-levels examinations. For the 2024 GCSEs, 67% scored 9-7 (Equivalent of A*/A).

The King’s School Canterbury Entry Requirements

Entry Points 

Requirement(s)

13+ (Year 9)

  • Pass the Common Entrance Examinations

or

  • Pass entrance exam in January of entry year + written English paper
  • Candidates must be under age 14 on 1st of Sept of the entry year 
  • International applicants will be tested on the GL Assessment CAT4 + interview with the Registrar

14+ (Year 10)

  • Applicants must be under 15 years old on Sept 1st of the year of their entry
  • Candidates are tested using the GL Assessment CAT4 + interview with the Registrar

Individual character, current circumstances and abilities in co-curricular activities will be accounted for during the evaluation.

The King’s School Canterbury Application Deadline

Parents have to register at least 2 years before the child’s entry year as space is limited.

The King’s School Canterbury 2024/25 Fees

The Senior School fees at King’s School Canterbury for the academic year of 2024/2025 are as follows:

Day pupil

Shell: £9,830 per term

Remove & Fifth: £10,365 per term

Sixth Form: £10,920 per term

Boarder

£15,720 per term

Registration Fee

£200

Acceptance deposit

Based on invoice given

The King's School Canterbury Reviews

Penelope James
5/5

“Excellent all-round education for day pupils and boarders. High-quality teaching at all levels, wonderful music school, first-class sports coaches, brand new facilities.”

Constanze Freienstein
5/5

“It is a great school located in a lovely historic location. A brilliant education is provided there.”

Siridhorn Laksana
5/5

“My child chose to study here and she is very happy and proud of the academic, historical and environmental calibre of the school.”

Martin Fleet
5/5

Exceptionally amazing school with very friendly and helpful staff..Highly recommended.

The King’s School Canterbury Accommodation

Every pupil in King’s has a house of their own, be it a day pupil or a boarder. There are 13 boarding houses and three day houses for students at King’s. Each house is taken care of by their respective Housemaster or Housemistress, together with a Matron and a team of tutors. Upon joining the Houses, students will be involved in various inter-House activities such as fund-raising events, house plays and house concerts. 

Boarding houses:

Boys:

  • Galpin’s
  • Linacre
  • Meister Omers (MO)
  • The Grange
  • School House
  • Tradescant
Girls:
  • Bailey
  • Broughton
  • Jervis
  • Kingsdown
  • Harvey
  • Luxmoore
  • Walpole

The day Houses are Mitchinson’s, Marlowe and Carlyon. Each day House consists of a mixture of both boys and girls. The day House was created as a working space or a relaxing place for day pupils.

The King’s School Canterbury Co-Curricular Activities

Sports

At The King’s School, sports are conducted on three afternoons of the week as well as on Saturdays. Over 20 choices are offered to pupils at King’s and the majority of them succeed in representing the school in interschool competitions. Centred on The Recreation Centre at Blore’s, the sports facilities at King’s are excellent. Students are able to excel in whatever sport they desire. At King’s, students are taught good sportsmanship, both as individuals and as part of a team. Coaches such as Mark Elham, a former England international cricketer, are hired to guide and train the athletes at King’s.  

Music

With over 44 visiting music teachers who provide more than 600 individual music lessons every week, King’s is known for its outstanding performances. At King’s, musicians are prepared for Associated Board and Trinity College examinations. There are concerts staged for each term, with occasional informal concerts and performances during King’s Week. Currently, there are six choirs, three orchestras, multiple chamber groups and a few rock and jazz groups. The King’s School also organizes overseas tours for these talented musicians. 

Creative Arts

During Activities time on Thursday afternoons, students who do not take Art as an examination subject will seize the opportunity to participate in Photography activities as well as Art & Design workshops. Pupils are also given the opportunity to go on trips organized by the school. The school trip destinations include London galleries and even overseas trips such as Venice. Every year, a major exhibition is held during King’s Week to showcase the works of students. 

The school’s Drama department has put on many wonderful plays performed by students. A few examples of plays that have been performed are The Merchant of Venice, The Boys Next Door and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. King’s has a theatre that has 334 seats along with studios and dressing rooms. Through these facilities, students can grow their confidence and truly explore the Performing Arts.

King’s School Canterbury Contact Information

Official Website: https://www.kings-school.co.uk
Location: The King’s School, Lattergate Office, 25 The Precincts, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2ES
Email address: [email protected]
Phone: 01227 595501

Apply For King's School Canterbury

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