Kent College, Canterbury is an English co-educational private school for boarding and day pupils between the ages of 3 months and 18 years. It was founded in 1885, and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. Originally established as a boys' public school, it admitted girls into the sixth form in 1973 and since 1975 it has been fully co-educational.

The senior school occupies a semi-rural site of some 70 acres (280,000 m2) on the edge of the city of Canterbury, and also owns the nearby Moat Estate, where there is a farm, managed by staff and pupils, and sports pitches. These are adjacent to Blean Forest.

Its junior school is about a mile away, and provides day school education for boys and girls between the ages of 3 and 11, and boarding for children aged 7 and above.

Kent College Dubai is a secondary campus of the Canterbury school which is located in Meydan City. The college opened in September 2016. It was announced in 2018 that a further overseas campus was to be opened in Hong Kong.

History

The school was founded in 1885 as the Wesleyan College, Canterbury. Built on land made available by Edward Pillow, a local farmer – recognition of which endures by way of the school's "Pillow Prize" – the foundation stone for the main building was laid in 1887. The architect was Charles Bell. In 1920 Kent College was acquired by the Board of Management for Methodist Residential Schools. Buildings forming a quadrangle were erected to the rear of the main building and the chapel. In 1945, the school became a direct grant grammar school.

School

Kent College is a Methodist school, although it accepts pupils of all religions. Originally established as a boys' school, it took girls into the sixth form in 1973, and since 1975 it has been fully co-educational. Kent College has thirteen independent "sister schools" in Great Britain, most of which are co-educational though three, including Kent College, Pembury, are girls' schools.

Inspection

In 2009 the school was subject to an independent school inspection. The report observed with regard to the Senior School that "the school provides an excellent quality of education"; "the school is able to adapt the curriculum to suit the learning needs of individual pupils"; "the school achieves its aims to enable pupils to maximise their potential and to attain high levels of achievement"; "the quality of teaching...is high"; "pastoral care and the provision for the welfare, health and safety of pupils are outstanding"; "links with parents and the community are excellent, as is the boarding education"; and "the school has no major weaknesses".

In 2015 the school was subject to another independent school inspection, in which all areas of the school were judged to be 'excellent in every aspect'.

In 2011 boarding at Kent College was rated as outstanding by OfSted.

Old Canterburians (notable students)

Further reading

  • The Kent College Centenary Book, written by Christopher Wright, a former head of history at the school, traces the 100 years from the founding of Kent College, through the two world wars, the "Great Fire" that destroyed part of the Main Building in 1938, evacuation to Truro, the building programme and the problems of the 1960s, to the co-educational school it was in 1985. ISBN 978-0-7134-4777-4
  • 10,001 Facts about Kent College was the official supplement to Christopher Wright's Centenary Book, and was published in the same year. It was compiled by A.P.L. Slater.

External links