King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a privateday school in Wimbledon, southwest London, England. The school was established in 1829 by King George IV, as the junior department of King's College London and had part of the school's premises in Strand, prior to relocating to Wimbledon in 1897.
The school is included in The Schools Index as one of the 150 best private schools in the world and among top 30 senior schools in the UK.[3]
This section does not cite any sources. (March 2016)
Opening of the New Buildings, 7 July 1899; four sketches of the Great Hall
A royal charter by King George IV founded the school in 1829 as the junior department of the newly established King's College, London. The school occupied the basement of the college in The Strand.
Most of its original eighty-five pupils lived in the city within walking distance of the school. During the early Victorian Era, the school grew in numbers and reputation. Members of the teaching staff included Gabriele Rossetti, who taught Italian. His son, Dante Gabriel, joined the school in 1837. The best known of the early masters was the water-colourist, John Sell Cotman. Nine of his pupils became practising artists and ten architects. By 1843 there were five hundred pupils and the need for larger premises eventually led to the move to Wimbledon in 1897.
The school was progressive in its curriculum in many areas and appointed its first science master in 1855, at a time when very few schools taught science. The first head, John Richardson Major, served the school 1831–1866. 99 of the school's pupils from this period appear in the Dictionary of National Biography.
Until the 1880s, the school flourished. In 1882, only Eton College surpassed the total of thirty Oxford and Cambridge Board examination certificates obtained by pupils at KCS. But the school's teaching facilities were becoming increasingly inadequate as many competitor schools moved to new sites with modern facilities and large playing fields. In 1897, falling numbers of pupils prompted the move to the school's present site in Wimbledon, a fast-growing suburb well served by the railway lines from Surrey and south London. A separate junior school was opened on the same campus in 1912.
In World War I, many letters were written to the school, including some from the Battle of the Somme. During World War II, the school's Great Hall was damaged by bomb shrapnel, and some of the damage can still be seen on the outside of the hall.
The only remaining link between KCS and its former parent is that one of the KCS board of governors is nominated by King's College London.
Bannister Fletcher Great Hall 1897
All members of the Sixth Form currently study either the IB Diploma or the A-Level course, and all members of the Fifth Form take GCSE and iGCSE qualifications. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic results were not published during the 2019-2020 or 2020–2021 academic years.
In 2010 the school began to renovate and expand its facilities, which was completed in 2019.[5] This included a new sports pavilion (2011), quadrangle and netball court (2015), classroom block (2016), music school (2018), and sports centre (2019).[6][7][8][9][10][11]
Rushmere House
King's College Junior School (also known as KCJS) is the preparatory school for King's College School located in Wimbledon, London, it is on the same campus as King's College Senior school. It was established in its own right in 1912, and educates boys from ages 7–11.[12]
The junior school admits about 85 boys each year in three groups:
At 7+ it takes about 54 boys.
At 8+ it takes about 14 boys.
At 9+ it takes about 12 boys.
The first two years (3-4) are collectively referred to as 'Rushmere' (as they are taught in Rushmere House), while the final two years (5-6) are called 'Priory'. 2021/2022 Fees are £6,425 per term for years 3–4, and £6,930 per term for years 5–6.[13]
As of September 2021 the headmaster is Ted Lougher.[14]
China – King's supports Shanghai-based education provider Dipont in establishing schools in China. The first two schools, RDFZ King's College School Hangzhou and Nanwai King's College School Wuxi opened in September 2018. The educational concept brings together schools RDFZ Beijing (Hangzhou) and Nanjing Foreign Language School (Wuxi) from China and King's College School Wimbledon; both schools cater for local Chinese and international students aged 3–18.
Thailand - King's College International School Bangkok opened in opened in September 2020 to over 300 boys and girls aged two to ten. The school now provides education to more than 1,100 students aged between two and sixteen. In August 2023, the school will open for over 1,600 students including its first Sixth Form pupils. In August 2024, its seventh and final building opened to cater for Senior School teaching provision. At capacity, the school will cater for roughly 2,400 students from pre-school to Year 13 who will be prepared for IGCSE, A level, and admission to leading universities. XET will own, manage and operate the school and King's Wimbledon will provide guidance on the curriculum, pastoral care and co-curricular programme to ensure that the King's ethos is closely replicated.[15][16]
Monaco - Founded in 1994, the International School of Monaco (ISM) is a co-educational school with approximately 670 students aged 3 to 18. There is a bilingual programme for English and French in its early years and primary school. In the senior school the medium of instruction is English, offering IGCSEs in years 10 and 11 and the IB Diploma programme in the sixth form. King's College School, Wimbledon, will work closely with their team in all areas of school life to achieve its goals. King's will also provide staff training and ongoing quality assurance.[17]
Dr Anne Cotton, a former headmistress of Portsmouth Grammar School, has been the head of King's College School since September 2022. The following have been heads of King's College School:[18]
The principal society for former pupils of the school is the Old King's Club, founded in 1884.[25] The school promotes membership amongst recently departed pupils, for whom membership of the club is free.[26]
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