King's College School

Private public school in Wimbledon, Greater London, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

King's College School

King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a private public 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.

Quick Facts Location, Information ...
King's College School, Wimbledon
Location
, ,
SW19 4TT

Information
TypePrivate day school
MottoSancte Et Sapienter
(Latin: With holiness and wisdom)
Religious affiliation(s)Church of England
Established1829
FounderKing George IV
Local authorityLondon Borough of Merton
Department for Education URN102684 Tables
Chairman of governorsPaul Deighton, Baron Deighton
HeadDr. Anne Cotton
VisitorThe Archbishop of Canterbury ex officio
GenderBoys
Coeducational (sixth form)
Age7 to 18
Enrolment~1200 Senior School
~300 Junior School
Houses  Alverstone
  Glenesk
  Kingsley
  Layton
  Maclear
  Major
Colour(s)Blue and red   
AlumniOld Kings
Websitewww.kcs.org.uk
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KCS is a member of the Eton Group of schools. It is predominantly a boys' school but accepts girls into the Sixth Form.[1] In the Sixth Form, students can choose between the International Baccalaureate and A-Level qualifications.[2]

The school is included in The Schools Index as one of the 150 best private schools in the world and among the top 30 senior schools in the UK.[3]

History

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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, 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. In 1882, only Eton College surpassed the total of thirty Oxford and Cambridge Board examination certificates obtained by pupils at KCS. In 1897, falling numbers of pupils prompted the move to the school's present site in Wimbledon, a suburb served by the railway lines from Surrey and south London. A separate junior school was opened on the same campus in 1912.

During 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.

Academics

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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.

GCSE summary: 2018–2024[4]

More information Year, %A*/98 ...
Year %A*/98 %A*A/987 %A*AB/9876
2024 90.7 98.3 99.8
2023 89.8 98.1 99.9
2022 90.9 97.7 99.6
2019 82.8 96.3 99.5
2018 81.7 96.4 99.5
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A level summary: 2018–2024[4]

More information Year, %A* ...
Year %A* %A*A %A*AB
2024 49.5 86.1 96.8
2023 50.09 82.78 93.57
2022 68.1 94.2 99.2
2019 46.5 79.9 94.9
2018 45.6 78.6 95.0
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International Baccalaureate Results: 2018–2024[4]

More information Year, %7 ...
Year %7 %7/6 %7/6/5
2024 61.8 89.7 98.8
2023 63.8 90.6 99.4
2022 72.1 99.0 99.5
2019 56.0 93.8 98.7
2018 60.7 94.1 99.6
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Facilities

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The 2016 classroom block

KCS occupies a 20-acre site on the south side of Wimbledon Common and owns a boathouse on Putney Embankment and two additional playing-fields in Raynes Park and Motspur Park.

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]

King's College Junior School

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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 2024 the headmaster is Ted Lougher.[14]

Overseas expansion

King's has supported the 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. Both schools cater for local Chinese and international students aged 3–18.

King's College International School Bangkok opened in September 2020 to over 300 boys and girls aged 2–10. In August 2023, the school opened for over 1,600 students, including its first Sixth Form pupils. In August 2024, its seventh opened. At capacity, the school will cater to roughly 2,400 students from preschool to Year 13. XET will operate the school and King's Wimbledon.[15][16]

Founded in 1994, the International School of Monaco (ISM) is a co-educational school with approximately 670 students aged 3–18. 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.[17]

Heads of King's College School

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]

More information Name, Years as head ...
NameYears as head
John Richardson Major1831–1866
George Maclear1866–1880
T. H. Stokoe1880–1889
Charles Bourne1889–1906
Douglas Smith1906–1910
Herbert Lionel Rogers1910–1934
Hubert John Dixon1934–1960
Frank Shaw1960–1975
Christopher Wightwick1975–1980
Robin Reeve1980–1997
Tony Evans1997–2008
Andrew Halls2008–2021
Jude F Lowson (Acting)2021–2022
Anne Cotton2022–
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Other notable masters

Notable Old King's boys

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19th-century births

20th-century births

21st-century births

Victoria Cross holders

Five Old King's have been awarded the Victoria Cross.[23]

Notable governors

Alumni associations

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]

A number of alumni also join the East India Club, formerly the Public Schools Club, on discounted membership.

King's College School Lodge number 4257 is the masonic lodge associated with King's College School. It is governed by the United Grand Lodge of England and administered by the Metropolitan Grand Lodge. Meetings are held four times per year at the school.[27] The Warrant of the Lodge was issued on 23 February 1921 and it was consecrated at Freemasons' Hall, London, on 3 May 1921.[28]

See also

References

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