King's School Rochester Senior School A GSG School
- King's School Rochester Senior School
Satis House
Boley Hill
Rochester
Kent
ME1 1TE - Head: Ben Charles
- T 01634 888590
- F 01634 888505
- E seniorschool@kings-rochester.co.uk
- W www.kings-rochester.co.uk/
- A mainstream independent school for pupils aged from 13 to 18 with a linked junior school
- Read about the best schools in Kent
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: Medway
- Pupils: 342; sixth formers: 94
- Religion: Church of England
- Fees: Day £28,326 - £28,623; Boarding £47,103 - £47,403pa (last updated on 20/12/2024)
- Open days: September and May
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
- Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
- Linked schools: King’s School Rochester Pre-Prep and Prep Schools
What The Good Schools Guide says..
Pupils are charming, confident and mature – these are youngsters that look you in the eye and can hold a decent conversation. Parents are friendly and appreciative of the school’s difference in an area where there are 26 grammars within a 25-mile radius. Pupils say teachers inject fun into notoriously dry subjects. Certainly no time to yawn in a year 9 Latin class we dropped in on, where a fast-paced quiz was in full steam surrounded by engaging and humorous displays. And although we were amazed to see year 12s with their shoes on the tables in a psychology class, it transpired they were exploring...
What the school says...
The overwhelming characteristic of King’s School Rochester is its warmth and friendliness, nestled in the beautiful cathedral precinct of historic Rochester.
As the Good Schools Guide says: “A tangible sense of community where everyone knows each other well...”
Founded in 604AD, King’s is the second oldest school in the UK and the world’s oldest Cathedral Choir School. It has evolved into an outstanding 21st century day and boarding co-educational School for ages 3 to 18. Located in North Kent, just 38 minutes by train from London, it benefits from high-speed services from St Pancras and direct services from Victoria and Charing Cross.
King’s School Rochester has a strong reputation for maximising the potential of pupils. A wide ranging curriculum, and extensive co-curricular programme, allow greater choice for GCSE and A level options.
In 2018, pupils achieved outstanding results at GCSE and a fifth of students achieved straight A*/A grades at A Level, securing their places at top universities, and scholarships to prestigious colleges.
King’s prides itself on knowing all students very well: pastoral care and links with parents and guardians have been graded as ‘Excellent’ in all inspections and it is this strength that makes King’s such a distinctive place to be.
We believe that independent thinking and a love of learning are just as important as great grades. To achieve this, we keep our class sizes small so that teachers know their pupils as individuals and can help each of them flourish. We encourage pupils to establish interests that stay with them for life, as well as learning the skills that will make them stand out in a fast-changing world.
Music is a huge strength and we are privileged to use Rochester Cathedral as our chapel. We hold seasonal concerts throughout the year in the Nave and the Cathedral Choristers are educated in our Preparatory School. Music Scholars go on to leading international conservatoires. Recent pupil success includes the BBC Young Chorister of the Year and an Oliver Award, and our brass section was commended by Julian Lloyd Webber.
Under the refurbished Vines Church is our Drama studio, equipped with digital sound and lighting. We are a proud RSC Associate School and our pupils have staged productions of Julius Caesar at the Marlowe Theatre and Macbeth at Dover Castle. King’s has a strong reputation for exceptional drama performances and recent productions of “Into the Woods” and “Les Miserable” have been in comparison with the West End.
Our coaches and many of our pupils play at County, National and International level. The King’s Rochester Sports Centre provides pupils with extensive facilities to train, in addition to playing fields, a heated indoor swimming pool and boat house, while the Paddock is regarded as one of the finest cricket fields in the country. All pupils play for a variety of games team and fixtures are held throughout the year.
The boarding community at King’s reflects the personal approach of the school. Boarding starts from age 11 and we have 65 beds across our two Boarding Houses, “St Margaret’s House” for girls and “School House” for boys. The small boarding community ensures a real family feel to both Houses which are comprised of both British and international students.
King’s School Rochester is truly a community which enables individuals to flourish. ...Read more
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Curricula
Cambridge Pre-U - an alternative to A levels, with all exams at the end of the two-year course.
Other features
All-through school (for example 3-18 years). - An all-through school covers junior and senior education. It may start at 3 or 4, or later, and continue through to 16 or 18. Some all-through schools set exams at 11 or 13 that pupils must pass to move on.
Choir school - substantial scholarships and bursaries usually available for choristers.
Sports
Rowing
Fencing
Shooting
What The Good Schools Guide says
Principal
Since 2019, Ben Charles, previously second master (senior deputy head) at Portsmouth Grammar for 10 years. Before that, director of music at Chigwell and Millfield. Music degree from Exeter and PGCE in music from Durham.
His mission to unite the pre-prep, prep and senior school and to inject a freshness to this traditional school has been a huge success, according to parents and pupils – perhaps best illustrated in the recent introduction of HEART (happiness, endeavour, aspiration, roundedness and teamwork). ‘Not just a nifty slogan, he really lives it’ – complete with hugs for parents, apparently. ‘He can read a room,’ a pupil told us, another calling him a ‘father figure’ and pointing out that he knows all their names. ‘Supportive’ and ‘inspirational’ were words used on repeat –...
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Overall school performance (for comparison or review only)
Results by exam and subject
Subject results
Entry/Exit
Special Education Needs
King's School is co-educational with selective entry and a wide range of ability. It is the School's avowed aim to satisfy the educational needs of all the children on the roll, regardless of ability. As part of this responsibility, we seek to identify children with special needs and to make suitable provision for them. 09-09
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Might cover/be referred to as;
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers, Autism, High functioning autism, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), PDA , Social skills, Sensory processing disorder |
Y |
| HI - Hearing Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Hearing Impairment, HI - Hearing Impairment |
|
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Learning needs, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty |
|
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, Sensory processing |
|
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic , OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, Tics, Tourettes |
|
| PD - Physical Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
PD - Physical Disability |
|
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, Global delay, Global developmental delay, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty |
|
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Might cover/be referred to as;
Anxiety , Complex needs, Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), Mental Health, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Trauma |
|
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
Might cover/be referred to as;
DLD - Developmental Language Disorder, Selective mutism, SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication |
|
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, Cerebral Palsy (CP) |
|
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Auditory Processing, DCD, Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Handwriting, Other specific learning difficulty, SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) |
Y |
| VI - Visual Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Special facilities for Visually Impaired, VI - Visual Impairment |
Who came from where
| School | Year | Places | Scholarships | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King’s School Rochester Pre-Prep and Prep Schools | 2024 | 95% to the senior school | ||
| The New Beacon School | 2024 | 1 |
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