The King's School, Canterbury

The King's School

Established	597 (597)
Type	Independent day and boarding school Public school
Religion	Church of England
Headmaster	Peter Roberts
Senior Chaplain	Rev Lindsay Collins
Chairman of Governors	Robert Willis (Dean of Canterbury)
Founder	St. Augustine of Canterbury
Location	Canterbury Kent CT1 2ES United Kingdom 51°16′54″N 1°04′58″E / 51.281671°N 1.082710°E / 51.281671; 1.082710Coordinates: 51°16′54″N 1°04′58″E / 51.281671°N 1.082710°E / 51.281671; 1.082710
DfE URN	118996 Tables
Students	830
Gender	Coeducational
Ages	13–18
Houses	16
Colours	Blue and white
Former Pupils	Old King's Scholars
Website	kings-school.co.uk

The King's School is a selective British co-educational independent school for both day and boarding pupils in the English city of Canterbury in Kent. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Eton Group. It is held to be the oldest continuously operating school in the world, having been founded in 597 AD.^{[lower-alpha 1]} It is a "public school" in the British sense of the term.

History

The school originated as a medieval cathedral school said to have been founded during the Late Antiquity in 597 AD, a century after the Fall of the Roman Empire in the West, by Augustine of Canterbury considered the "Apostle to the English" and a founder of the English Church, therefore making it the world's oldest extant school.^{[lower-alpha 2]} This is based on the fact that St Augustine founded an abbey (within the current school's grounds) where it is known that teaching took place.^[1] When the dissolution of the monasteries occurred in the reign of King Henry VIII, the school was refounded as The King's School, Canterbury, under the ownership and stewardship of the Dean and Chapter of the cathedral church.

Kingsdown House is the newest addition to the school. It was built on the site of what was formerly the Diocesan Payne Smith primary school, adjacent to the Precincts.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the school remained a grammar school. During the Victorian era the school began to establish itself as a Public school. The school evacuated to Cornwall following the outbreak of World War II and received a new royal charter at the end of the war. Girls were admitted for the first time when the sixth form became coeducational during the 1970s. In 1990, the school became fully coeducational.^[1] The school is also the oldest charity in the UK.^[2]

Assessment

In 2017, the school was subject to its latest regular, independent inspection.^[3] The inspection team particularly praised the 'outstanding academic results' and the pupils' integrity, self-assurance, and 'generosity of spirit'. According to the Good Schools Guide, the school is "Highly successful, producing excellent results." The Guide also stated that "You need to be creative, academically able and hard-working, as everything moves fast here."^[4]

Houses

There are 16 houses at King's, 13 boarding and 3 day.^[5] Most are named after past headmasters or people of interest in the school's history, with the exception of School House, The Grange and Carlyon. The Houses of the School are:

• School House: founded 1860 (boys boarding)
• The Grange: founded 1928, reopened 2007 (boys boarding)
• Walpole: founded 1935, (girls boarding). Named after the novelist Sir Hugh Walpole (KS 1896–98)
• Meister Omers: founded 1936, (boys boarding).
• Marlowe: founded 1936, (mixed day). Named after the poet and dramatist Christopher Marlowe (KS 1579–81)
• Luxmoore: founded 1945, (girls boarding). Named after Sir Arthur Fairfax Coryndon Luxmoore (KS 1889–93), Lord Justice of Appeal
• Galpin's: founded 1952, (boys boarding). Named after The Reverend Arthur Galpin, Headmaster from 1897–1910.
• Linacre: founded 1953, (boys boarding). Named after Thomas Linacre, founder of the Royal College of Physicians
• Broughton: founded 1976, (girls boarding). Named after William Broughton (KS 1797–1804), the first Bishop of Australia
• Tradescant: founded 1976, (boys boarding). Named after John Tradescant (KS 1619–23), the distinguished gardener and collector
• Mitchinson's: founded 1982, (mixed day). Named after John Mitchinson, Headmaster 1859–73 and co-founder of the Headmasters' Conference
• Jervis: founded 1992, (girls boarding). Named after Douglas Jervis OKS
• Harvey: founded 1996, (girls boarding). Named after William Harvey (KS 1588–92)
• Bailey: first founded 1990, (sixth form girls boarding). Named after Henry Bailey, second warden of St Augustine's College between 1850 and 1875 and an honorary Canon of the Cathedral
• Carlyon: founded 2005, (mixed day). Named after evacuation of the School to Carlyon Bay in Cornwall during the Second World War
• Lady Kingsdown House: founded 2015, (girls boarding). Named after Lady Kingsdown, Governor Emerita

Facilities

View of the Schoolhouse and The Norman Staircase. The staircase is one of the most painted, photographed and admired sites in Canterbury. As its name suggests it dates back to the 12th century. For formal occasions the School traditionally gathered here. Archbishops of Canterbury addressed the School from the Staircase during Visitations. King George VI, accompanied by Queen Elizabeth and Princess Elizabeth, presented the School's Royal Charter to the Dean on 11 July 1946.

The inner of Mint Yard, with the Parry Block on the centre, built in 1881

• The Beerling Hall Music and Drama Facility, part of the 13th-century friary, endowed by the late Donald Beerling and the Cantiacorum Trust
• Birleys Playing Fields The School's sport grounds, located near the main site. A new pavilion was opened by David Gower on 17 September 2005
• Blackfriars The Cleary Foundation donated the refectory of the 13th-century friary by the Marlowe Theatre as an art school and gallery.
• DT Centre Design Technology & Engineering
• Edred Wright Music School Music
• Field Classrooms English and Mathematics
• Grange Classrooms Mathematics, Religious Studies
• Harvey Science Block or Parry Hall Biology, Chemistry
• J Block Geography
• Lardergate History and OKS Foundation
• Lattergate Religious Studies and Headmaster's office
  

  The Shirley Hall was built on the site of the tennis courts and opened by the Queen Mother in 1957. Assemblies, plays, concerts and public examinations all take place here. Underneath the Hall is the Pupils’ Social Centre
• The Malthouse Victorian malthouse building now converted into a Theatre, dance studio, dining hall, classrooms and rehearsal spaces
• Maurice Milner Memorial Hall Fencing, Drama and Examination Hall
• Mint Yard Classrooms Mathematics, ICT
• The New Classrooms, three new classrooms built in 2017 in front of Shirley Hall. They are temporary buildings situated in a previously open space.
• The Old Synagogue at Canterbury Music, Jewish Prayers. Built as a synagogue in 1847–8 by architect Hezekiah Marshall, the "Old Synagogue" is used as a recital hall by the music department. It is considered one of the finest buildings of the 19th century Egyptian Revival style.^[6]
• Palace Block a medieval building containing the Modern Languages Department
• Physics Block Physics, Geology
• Pottery Room Pottery
• Priory Block Classics, English, Politics, Economics
• The Pupils' Social Centre under Shirley Hall with a tuckshop, cafe, stationery Shop and Careers Centre
• The Recreation Centre Gym, Hockey Pitches, Swimming Pool, etc. It is open to the general public on a membership basis.
• The School Library (contains over 25,000 volumes and offers access to the School Intranet)
• Shirley Hall School Assemblies and Examination Hall; formerly known as the Great Hall, renamed after the former headmaster, Fred Shirley
• St. Mary's Hall Drama, Theatre Studies
• The Westbere Lakes Sailing and Rowing

Traditions

King's has many traditions including:

The Economics department is housed in the Priory block, which was originally built around 1100 as part of the medieval priory buildings, especially the brewery and bakehouse. It was later taken over by the King's School in 1936

• Full Canterbury Dress: The name given to the school uniform, which consists of white shirt with wing collar, black waistcoat, pinstripe trousers, black jacket, black socks, black tie and black shoes for the boys. Girls wear a white blouse, brooch, pinstripe skirt, black jacket, black tights and black shoes. When he came to the School, Fred Shirley, Headmaster (1935–1962), updated the school uniform to sports jackets. But within a year, the boys had asked to revert to their traditional garb. He tried again after the War when the School returned to Canterbury, this time taking a vote on the matter. But despite the difficulty in finding outmoded clothing in a time of clothes rationing, the boys once again decided to revert to tradition. In the mid-twentieth century, there were elaborate customs relating to such matters as buttons and the angle at which a boater was worn. The girls' version was introduced by Anthony Phillips, Headmaster.
• Court Dress: Worn on 'Commem Day', the last day of the school year, leavers wear court dress, consisting of white tie and black evening tailcoats, with breeches and black stockings. Purples wear their purple gowns and brown canes, and the Organ Scholars of the school wear black academic gowns over their court dress, along with a black cane.
• School Song: In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Harrow's ‘Forty Years On’ was often used. It was sung at concerts and penny readings. In 1914, two OKS – Henry Morice and Bertram Latter – composed their own offering entitled ‘The School of Theodore’. This concentrated on the School's antiquity. Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury (668-90), was widely regarded as the founder of the King's School's ancestor school. The song was popular for a short time.
• Colours Jumpers: Students who have been awarded full school colours in any sport are entitled to wear a white and blue cricket jumper instead of a regulation school black jumper. Those who receive 1st team colours are entitled to wear a special tie. More recently there has been the addition of the co-curricular colours for those excelling in drama, music and the arts. Recipients are entitled to wear a jumper with a maroon stripe.
• Purples: Until recently called 'monitors', these are the school prefects, who are marked out by their distinctive purple gowns. Only those in the highest year at the school may be a purple. Each house generally has one purple (the Head of House). The purples are headed by the Captain of School and a Vice-Captain. A head scholar, and two Vice-head scholars are also invited to become purples.
• The Goat on the Green Court: Something of a legend among pupils, the Captain of School is allegedly allowed to keep a goat on the large lawn in the centre of the school. This particular tradition is no longer practised. The Captain of School is also allowed to grow a beard and take his wife to lessons.
• King's Scholars: An academically-select group, marked by black jumpers with white trimmings that have recently replaced their distinctive black gowns, they process wearing surplices during school services in the Cathedral. To become a scholar, a pupil must take the Scholarship examinations prior to entry (Exhibitioners may also be elected) or, in the case of honorary scholars, achieve exceptional GCSE results (9 A*s is usually the minimum) or AS Level results. King's Scholars are part of the Canterbury Cathedral Foundation and have a role in the Enthronement of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Scholars are admitted by the dean at the beginning of every school term; the scholars kneeling before the dean, who then touches their head and utters ‘Admitto Te’, formally acknowledging them as a King's Scholar.
• Gatings: Uniform Gating: A form of punishment that requires pupils to wear Canterbury Dress all day every day, while getting a form signed by someone in a position of authority (usually a teacher or a purple) at 15 minute intervals during their free time. This can prevent them leaving the school at all for up to a week.
• Breakfast Gating: A form of punishment by which the pupil must report to breakfast and get a special slip, called a gating slip, signed at 7:30.
• Supper Leave/Pub Leave: A recent privilege extended to Sixth Formers, whereby pre-approved groups of people may go into town for supper or visit a pub for one night.
• The House Shout: Two shouting competitions. One takes place between The Grange and School House which, until the building of Mitchinson's House, were opposite each other. Held on the last day of each term. Members of the Grange would assemble outside Lattergate House (later renamed Algy's) from where School House is visible and call out the House Shout from that vantage point. School House would then come out and the Purple of Galpin's would adjudicate the victor on wittiness, clarity, volume and house spirit.[5] This tradition has not been held in recent years, although every year after the inter house song competition, Galpin's House and School House have a similar, non adjudicated shouting match, with more emphasis on volume than anything else, often including the chant "you're not singing any more". The second House Shout takes place between Linacre and Meister Omers, and is an annual tradition that is not adjudicated.
• Good Morning Assembly Calls: A tradition whereby if two people were considered in a relationship with each other, the respective boy's house would call out at the end of assembly 'good morning' to both partners in the relationship, by their surnames. For example, 'Good morning Smith, good morning Jones'. It has since been discouraged by senior staff.
• Monitors' Canes: A privilege given to School Monitors (Purples) and House Monitors. Purples are allowed black canes and House monitors are allowed wood coloured canes. The Head of the CCF is also allowed to carry a pace stick.
• Younger Purples: A tradition in which a certain member of each house (traditionally the shortest person is chosen) are given the purple gown on days when it is a charity non uniform day. This allows the designated person to exercise the rights of the Purples.
• Green Court Privilege: Only those in 6a (the final year) are allowed to walk across Green Court; everyone else must walk around it.
• Mint Yard Privilege: Only those in Galpin's and School House are allowed to walk on the Mint Yard Lawn during the Summer term
• Walpole Carnations: The Valentine's Day celebrations, organized by the girls of Walpole house. Pupils send a carnation with an anonymous message to a friend or lover.

View over the Tradescant boarding house and The School Library. Both were built by William Butterfield in 1848 as the main accommodation block and library for the students of St Augustine's Missionary College. The cloister was later converted into a boarding house with the addition of rooms and acquired by The King's School in 1976 when it became Tradescant, and the library was moved to this present location in 1990.

King's Week

A festival of arts, held during the last week of the summer term,^[7] introduced by Fred Shirley. The week culminates in Commemoration day (known as "Commem") on the last day of the school year when the school leavers in 6a wear court dress of white tie and tails, with breeches and black stockings, or their national dress, and the whole school attends a service to commemorate the school benefactors. Monitors also wear their gowns and can carry walking canes, or 'swagger sticks'.

Office of Fair Trading investigation

In 2005, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) provisionally found that the school exchanged detailed information about prospective fee increases with approximately 50 other prominent UK independent schools, including Eton and Sevenoaks.^[8] The OFT stated that "regular and systematic exchange of confidential information as to intended fee increases was anti-competitive and resulted in parents being charged higher fees than would otherwise have been the case."

Alumni (Old King's Scholars (OKS))

The Junior King's School, Canterbury

The King's School also has a feeder preparatory school, the Junior King's School (JKS), previously Milner Court Preparatory School. The school is a coeducational boarding and day establishment and currently has around 400 pupils aged 3 to 13. Whilst there are boarding facilities available, the majority are day pupils. JKS is now located at Milner Court in Sturry, having been originally based in the crypt of Canterbury Cathedral. The current site was donated by Lady Milner following the death of Lord (Alfred) Milner in 1925. The buildings on site were opened by Rudyard Kipling in 1929, in his capacity as a great friend of Lord (Alfred) Milner.^[9] Further extensions include a sports hall (1999), a CDT block (1991) and a new music department (2016).

See also

• List of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom
• List of the oldest schools in the world
• List of Victoria Crosses by school

References

Footnotes

Citations

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kings School, Canterbury.

• The Official King's School website
• The Official Junior King's website
• Profile at the Good Schools Guide