Overview
The King’s School Ely, which was renamed from The King’s School in March 2012, is a co-educational independent day and boarding school for students aged 1 to 18 years in the cathedral city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. Around 1000 pupils are encouraged, at King’s Ely, to take risks in their learning, pushing themselves beyond the boundaries of their expectations.
Teaching and Curriculum
A wide range of academic subjects is offered at King’s Ely. Pupils can choose between 24 GCSE subjects, and 26 A-Level subjects, including 6 timetabled languages. In addition, at King’s Ely they pay close attention to individual progress, which has led to the school achieving very respectable and frequently glowing results.
Entrance and Feeder Schools
To enter the King’s School, pupils from 2 to 7 have to pass an informal assessment. 7+ years of students sit diagnostics tests and informal interviews. Meanwhile, new students have the opportunity to join senior school through a common entrance exam. Around 75% of senior school entrants come up from the junior school. In recent years, competition for places has increased.
Top leaver’s destinations
Almost every pupil makes the transition from junior to senior school at 13. The occasional pupil who leaves King’s Ely is generally due to family relocation. After GCSEs, up to 50 per cent of students leave to go to Hills Road (Cambridge) or other sixth-form colleges. Meanwhile, the majority of post-A level graduates attend Russell Group universities. As art is well-taught at King’s Ely, a reasonable number of former pupils gain places at good art schools.
Special Education Needs (SEN) Support
The SENCO and Learning Support Assistant support those with specific learning difficulties so that they can fulfil their potential. Above all, their goal is to ensure that those with special needs, such as dyslexia, are well accommodated.
Extracurricular: Art, Music and Sport
Music plays an important role in the school, and it holds an annual music festival, where pupils represent their houses in a competition, culminating in a Finalists’ Concert. There is also a major school musical each year, in which the music and drama departments collaborate. The music department has a Concert Society, which showcases visiting professional musicians and holds concerts several times a term.
King’s Ely also has many sports facilities, including an artificial turf pitch, swimming pool, tennis courts, sports hall and several outdoor pitches. Other sports played include football, sculling, hockey, netball, basketball, squash, golf and rounders. Teams and individuals from the school frequently represent the school and county in their discipline.
International Students
At the King’s School Ely, there is a small percentage of international students who receive advanced English language support every week. International Sixth Formers can choose from 29 different A-level subjects. Additionally, they receive up to three lessons per week of IELTS university English Language preparation to ensure that each student achieves the level necessary to access their first choice university.
Pastoral Care
At King’s Ely, emphasis is placed on enjoyment as well as achieving. The Christian foundation of the school has a strong influence on the students’ community.
Fellow Parents
Parents praise the emphasis on effort and progress in the King’s school. Pupils are largely drawn from business and farming families in the surrounding Eastern counties.
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