King’s College School Wimbledon

Wimbledon  I   1,477 Pupils  I   7-18 year olds

King’s College School is an outstanding, independent day school for boys aged 7-18 and girls aged 16-18 located in one of the most attractive and peaceful parts of London, on the south side of Wimbledon Common.

“An inclusive, friendly and friendly environment” (year 9 pupil 2021)

 

Head’s welcome

What makes a school outstanding? Teachers who love their subject and love teaching it; a whole world of sports, music, drama and activities beyond the classroom and first-rate facilities; and pastoral care and an inclusive ethos that makes every pupil feel they are as important to the school as it is to them.

King’s is a forward-thinking, progressive and innovative place in which to learn. As well as being a very successful International Baccalaureate school, we offer pupils the opportunity to study from a wide A level curriculum and to engage with our family of schools abroad. An increasing number of pupils join the school on full or partial bursaries, and for many years we have enjoyed strong and productive partnerships with local maintained secondary and primary schools.

King’s pupils achieve outstanding outcomes in public examinations and their co-curricular pursuits, but their success is also seen in the kind of people that they become. They are open-minded, open-hearted and outward looking, and they are also kind, cheerful and fun – at ease with themselves and with others. Our pupils join us ready to make the most of the opportunities to learn and engage at the school. When they are with us, they are encouraged to discover new passions but also to take responsibility for themselves and for their role in society. And when they leave us, they leave as lifelong learners, conscious of their place in the world and their responsibility to it, and ready to contribute to their communities.

Jude Lowson MA (Cantab)
Acting Head

Curriculum

The King’s curriculum is designed to offer a broad range of options and the quality of teaching is excellent. Pupils at King’s are encouraged to ask questions, to develop their own ideas and opinions, and to expand their interests beyond the syllabus. Lessons are fun, exhilarating, and purposeful, creating the best possible foundation for the future. We prepare sixth formers for both the IB and A Levels and in the last six years, over 250 leavers have won places to study at Oxford or Cambridge.

Co-Curricular

King’s is renowned for its co-curricular programme and the importance assigned to this aspect of a pupil’s education is recognised by the dedication of an entire afternoon’s timetable on Friday to activities. Our approach at all levels encourages pupils to look beyond academic excellence, as the vibrant success of our drama, music and games departments indicates. We are fully committed to the CCF, the DofE Award Scheme, community service and our partnerships with 30 local maintained schools (for more information, see ‘Partnerships’ below).

Through our various clubs and societies, we inspire active involvement in activities outside the classroom as a means of broadening their horizons. Our aim is to provide pupils with new and existing interests, to ask them to respond to new challenges and to stretch themselves in ways that will provide a contrast to their academic lives. The range of activities is wide: the cultural and creative, the adventurous and physically challenging, the giving of service to others. Several of the clubs and societies at King’s are pupil-led. The responsibility of leading a club gives pupils skills in leadership, time management and organisation.

Partnerships

One of the defining features of King’s is its dynamic and successful community partnerships programme. This consists of a range of mutually valued partnerships with state-maintained primary and secondary schools, supported by a wide variety of community projects involving almost 400 pupils each year. The programme provides a large selection of options, from supporting the teaching of subjects at local primary, special and secondary schools, to welcoming elderly guests to our weekly friendship hour. You can learn more here on our Commitment to the Wider Community page.

Pastoral care

The culture of King’s is one of kindness, openness and support, and the wellbeing of pupils is paramount. The school’s pastoral policy promotes individual attention for every pupil. The school complements the work of the family in developing the pupils’ moral views, sense of responsibility, self reliance and awareness of themselves in relation to other people and the community, and in preparing them for the challenges of life. It encompasses the day to day work of the tutor; the support and guidance of heads of house, the chaplain and heads of section; and the expertise of the head of mental health and wellbeing, school nurses and counsellors.

Facilities

King’s is fortunate to have a range of exceptional facilities in which students and teachers can practise and demonstrate their passions. In 2010 the school began an extensive 10-year masterplan to enhance these facilities, completing the last project in 2019. Highlights include our RIBA award winning state-of-the-art music school, opened in 2018, it includes four music and specialist classrooms, 16 individual practice rooms, performance spaces and a magnificent concert hall that can accommodate an audience of 200 alongside a 70-piece orchestra. In 2019 an extensive infrastructure enhancement to the school’s sporting facilities was completed. As part of the project, we opened a new sports centre that exists alongside the original sports hall on the main site. It includes a six-court sports hall measuring over 25m x 36m, a six-lane 25m indoor swimming pool, a gym, a strength and conditioning suite, an aerobics studio and an exercise area. More information on our facilities can be found here.

Bursaries

King’s has a long history of enabling bright young people from all backgrounds to access the school. We offer means-tested bursaries at 11+, 13+ and 16+ of up to 100% of tuition fees, as well as additional funding for extras such as school trips and uniform. Visit our Help With Fees page for further details.

Open events

We hope you will be able to find out more about the school by visiting us during one of our open events. For dates, please visit our Open Events page.

Contact the King’s admissions team
If you have any questions regarding our admissions process, please do not hesitate to contact our admissions office.
Tel: 020 8255 5300
admissions@kcs.org.uk  |  www.kcs.org.uk
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