Founded in 1885 and acquired in 1920 by the Board of Management for Methodist Residential Schools, it stands on a fine site overlooking the city of Canterbury. The junior school at Vernon Holme is a mile away. The main campus comprises about 20 acres, with additional playing fields nearby. There is a school farm of around 90 acres on the beautiful Moat Park estate, incorporating an equine centre. The school is about a mile from the city centre and 4 miles from the sea. In recent years there have been major development programmes and the school is now very well equipped, including a floodlit all-weather pitch, multi-purpose sports hall and a new music centre. It is now a fully co-educational school; girls were first admitted in 1976. Pupils of all faiths and none are welcome but the school's Christian heritage underpins its aims and values. It has a well-developed pastoral system and a reputation as a friendly and welcoming school. A good general education is provided and examination results are consistently good; the IB diploma is now offered as an alternative to A-level. There is a range of sports and games and high standards are attained. A plentiful variety of clubs and societies for extra-curricular activities is available, including the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme.
Pupils: Total age range 3-18; 611 pupils, 432 day (231 boys, 201 girls), 179 boarders (109 boys, 70 girls). Junior department 3-11, 155 pupils (85 boys, 70 girls). Senior department, 11-18; 456 pupils (255 boys, 201 girls). Entrance: Main entry ages 3, 5, 11, 13 and 16. Own entrance exam used. No special skills or religious requirements. Most pupils from own junior move to senior school.
Scholarships available (academic, music, sport, art, drama and sixth form). Some bursaries available (up to 100% of fees). Forces allowance; sibling discounts.
Head Master: David Lamper, appointed 2007. Educated at King's College London (music). Previously Headmaster at The Crypt School, Gloucester, and taught at Dulwich College. Teaching staff: 63 full-time, 24 part-time.
GCSE: 48 pupils in Year 11, gaining at least grade C in an average of 9.3 subjects. A-levels: 60 in upper sixth. Those taking AS/A-levels gained an average final point score of 325. Those taking the IB gained an average of 37 IB points.
95% of sixth-form leavers go on to a degree course (15% after a gap year), 7% to Oxbridge. 5% take courses in medicine, dentistry and veterinary science, 30% in science and engineering, 60% in humanities and social sciences, 5% in art, design and architecture. Others typically go on to art college or straight into careers.
GCSE, AS and A-levels and IB. 18 GCSE subjects, 22 AS/A-level. Sixth form: Most of those taking AS/A-levels take 4 subjects at AS-level, 3 at A-level. Others take the IB Diploma. Key skills taught; wider life skills also incorporated. School aims to cater for each pupil's combination of subjects with bespoke timetabling. Vocational: Work experience available. Vocational A-levels offered. Special provision: Dyslexia unit for pupils of sound ability. Languages: French (from age 6), German and Spanish (from 12) offered and at GCSE, AS and A-level. ICT: Taught both as a discrete subject and across the curriculum. All students are provided with a laptop from from Year 7. Wireless network across the whole school.
Music: Over 50% of pupils learn a musical instrument; instrumental exams can be taken. Some 14+ musical groups including orchestras, jazz band, rock groups, string quartets, wind groups, madrigals, 3 choirs. Many grade 8 performers. Drama and dance: Both offered at GCSE and A-level; LAMDA qualifications may be taken. Many opportunities to perform; regular whole school productions. Art and design: On average, 23 take GCSE, 15 AS-level, 10 A-level. 3D-work, printmaking, craft and design offered as extra-curricular activities. Students enter internal and external competitions and take part in Arts Week.
Hockey, netball, tennis, athletics are main sports for girls; rugby, hockey, cricket, tennis, athletics for boys. 15+ other sports including squash, judo, rowing, fencing, sailing, orienteering, yoga. Emphasis on participation at all levels. 3 hockey internationals (1 boy, 2 girls) and 2 girls cross-country; many recent county and regional representatives at rugby, hockey, cross-country and cricket (boys), netball, hockey, cross-country and tennis (girls); regular county, regional and national champions in variety of team sports. Also bronze and gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award (involving large numbers; up to 20 training for gold, 35 for bronze); community service; school farm and equine centre offers activities and experience with livestock. Up to 50 clubs, eg literature, debating, photography, horse-riding, bridge, judo.
Houses and prefects: Prefects appointed by Head Master; head of house and house prefects by housemaster/mistress. Religion: Methodist. Social: Learning outside the classroom is encouraged (fieldtrips, museum and gallery visits, trips to battlefield, exchanges); wide variety of trips abroad including music (eg to Italy), sports (eg to Barbados, China), skiing (USA, Italy), sixth-form trips (to eg Prague, Paris), Methodist World Aims (Guatemala, Cameroon), Duke of Edinburgh (US, New Zealand).
Upper sixth in single rooms, others in doubles. Single-sex houses. Unlimited exeats. Visits to the local town at weekends age 7-15, plus mid-week from age 16.
Old Canterburian Club, run by Carol Baker (cabaker @kentcollege.co.uk)
Chris Albertson (American jazz historian); Thomas Godfrey Evans (England cricketer); Christopher Fairbank (actor − Auf Wiedersehen, Pet); John Redwood and Natascha Engel (politicians); Tacita Dean (visual artist); David Eades (journalist ); Guy Berryman (bass player for Coldplay); Simon Scarrow (author); Anthony Scrivener, QC; Ptolemy Dean, (architect).
|
