Kent College, Canterbury

About Kent College, Canterbury

Kent College Canterbury

Located on the outskirts of the beautiful cathedral city of Canterbury, Kent College Canterbury is proud of both of its 130 years of history and tradition, and of its forward-looking, innovative approach to education. Kent College Canterbury is a school deeply rooted in the Christian Methodist tradition that welcomes all pupils of every faith and none and celebrates diversity in all aspects of school life. ‘Do all the good you can do’ is a guiding principle, and one that allows pupils to grow and develop into confident young adults, aware of their responsibilities and their place in the world.

Kent College Canterbury has a reputation as a friendly school. It is most definitely a place where teachers really get to know the pupils and have the time and space to give individual attention, both academically and pastorally. While it is a non-selective school, the students consistently achieve excellent academic results at GCSE, A level, and in the International Baccalaureate.

Kent College Canterbury also offers a wide range of additional support for pupils including English language teaching in an International Study Centre, and a specialist dyslexia unit. The most recent full inspection (in 2015), the Independent Schools Inspectorate judged the school to be ‘excellent’ in every aspect – the highest grade possible.

Sport, Music and Drama all play a major role in our school life and offer opportunities for everyone, from beginners to elite-level performers. Kent College Canterbury also offers a wide-ranging variety of activities and clubs, as well as the opportunity to work on the School Farm. All of these extra-curricular activities feed into the much wider theme that informs everything they do: that young people who feel good about themselves do well, whatever their chosen path may be.

Boarding at Kent College Canterbury

Kent College has a long history of welcoming boarding pupils from abroad, as well as from British families resident in the UK or working overseas. Around a third of pupils at Kent College are boarders, and there are over 40 countries represented in the boarding community. Boarding students bring great richness and diversity to life at Kent College, as well as helping all of the pupils to understand and respect different cultural traditions.

Kent College Canterbury ensures that boarders are fully integrated into all aspects of school life – academic, social, musical, sporting and across the wide range of extra-curricular activities on offer. The friendly and comfortable boarding houses truly become a ‘home away from home’, and many lifelong friendships are formed in the boarding community.

Contact

Type of School Co-ed independent day and boarding school
School Address Kent College, Whitstable Road, Canterbury, Kent CT2 9DT
Number of Pupils 548
Pupils Boys 309
Pupils Girls 239
Number of Boarders 185
Age Range 11-18
Religious Tradition Methodist
Distance from Airports

London Gatwick:65 miles; London Heathrow: 86 miles

Distance from London

61 miles. Less than 1 hr by train.

Contact
School Links

Kent College Prep: nursery and prep school. Kent College Dubai

Educational Programmes

GCSEs, A levels, IB, Pre-IB, Pre-A level,International study centre

Co-Curricular Programmes

An enormous strength of Kent College is the wonderful array of activities that take place outside the classroom. The activities programme is designed to allow each pupil to find an area or areas where they can discover and develop their skills.

From Year 7 all pupils are encouraged to attend at least two activities. Activities take place at lunch times, after school and at the weekends. They range from the normal team sports and musical ensembles to gardening and Young Farmers. We encourage all of our pupils to build up a portfolio of activities during their time at school and these are all centrally recorded. By the end of their time at school each student has built up a wealth of evidence which can then be used to support the vital UCAS application or CV.

Kent College has an impressive reputation for sporting excellence, and the school’s hockey teams regularly progress through county and regional to national tournaments. We aim to provide something for every pupil in the school – from recreational sport and promoting fitness to top-level coaching for our elite players.

The sports’ facilities include a sports hall, gym, squash courts, an Astro-turf for hockey and tennis, and extensive sports pitches for football, rugby and cricket. Kent College also has a Riding Centre and offers horse riding lessons, and the opportunity to take part in competitions, as part of its sports programme.

The major sports for girls are hockey (Autumn term), netball (Spring term) and tennis (Summer term). The major sports for boys are rugby (Autumn term), hockey (Spring term) and cricket/tennis (Summer term). However, for exceptional hockey players (boys and girls) training is available over both the Autumn and Spring terms for indoor and outdoor hockey, with one-to-one coaching and support.

Girls’ cricket is very popular at Kent College – and we are delighted that our U13 girls’ team won the 2018 National Indoor Cricket Championships at Lord’s. Many pupils take part in cross country running over the winter, and athletics events in the Summer term. In addition, the school has facilities for trampolining, badminton, volleyball and basketball, and some practice sessions for indoor hockey take place at the impressive indoor facilities at Polo Farm Hockey Club.

There is a full calendar of fixtures against schools in the southeast of England and further afield, and information about all sporting events and teams can be found on the Kent College Sports website. Sports tours give all of our pupils the opportunity to expand their sporting horizons – recent tours have been to Berlin (indoor hockey), and Holland (Euro Hockey tournament). Weekly activities include yoga, strength and conditioning sessions, football and gym.