The School at a glance

St Edmund’s School Canterbury aims to provide academic, sporting, artistic, musical and dramatic opportunities to pupils at all ages so they may explore their own potential, leaving school as well rounded young men and women.

The School offers the opportunity for an integrated educational experience beginning in the Pre-Prep School, (ages 3- 7), through the Junior School (ages 7-13), and into the Senior School (ages 13 – 18) on the same campus and, where appropriate, sharing the same facilities.

The School is an HMC independent coeducational day and boarding school for pupils aged 3-18.

As a small friendly school, we have 200 girls and 350 boys across the school, of which approximately 18 % are boarders. We nurture the individual and aim to maximise the potential of every pupil in a creative and supportive environment.

Strong academic achievement is a cornerstone of the School. The class sizes are deliberately small to foster excellent rapport between teacher and pupils and to provide pupils with the best opportunity for learning.

The Chapel and the School Chaplain are central to the strong and well-established pastoral tradition at the School.

The House system flourishes at Junior and Senior School. Although the structures and systems are different, the objective of leadership, cooperation and healthy competition are the same. The systems are tailored to the needs of the pupils in the different age groups.

The Medical Centre is run by qualified nursing staff and supports day and boarding pupils twenty-four hours a day every day of the week.

Regular formal and informal communication fosters three-way relationships between the parents, the school and the pupils.

Art, music and drama are actively integrated into School life. Each year major school plays are performed to critical acclaim. Over 25 musical performances entertain pupils, parents and the general public. An annual Art, Design and Technology exhibition showcases GCSE and A Level achievements.

The School has a proud sporting tradition and the fixture lists are demanding and extensive. Sports include hockey, netball, tennis, cricket, rounders, squash, swimming and athletics.

Extracurricular activities are varied and occur at various times both within and outside of the timetabled school day, in term-time and during the holidays. Examples include archaeology, Mind games, Frisbee, film club, debating society, literary society, modern and jazz dance, yoga and stage crew.

The School has been fully co-educational since 1982. Boarding is available for boys and girls aged 8- 13 in Junior School. We educate the Canterbury Cathedral Choristers and look after their boarding needs in Choir House located within the Cathedral precincts. In Senior School, we offer boarding facilities for boys and girls aged 13 -18.

Scholarships are available at 11+ for academic, music and sport, at 13+ for academic, art, music and sport and at 16+ for academic, art, music, sport and drama.

Bursaries are granted on a means-tested basis. These are reviewed annually.

St Edmund’s School Canterbury was first established in 1749 as the Clergy Orphan School in Yorkshire. In 1855, the School came to its present location overlooking the Cathedral City of Canterbury.

With the original 1855 building as a centre piece, St Edmund’s has expanded to include a performing arts centre, a music school, a dedicated Junior School, a sports hall, swimming pool and extensive sports fields, and subject specialist blocks such as those for technology, science and art.

With a campus of 25 hectares, the School is located on the outskirts of Canterbury, which is within easy access to the South East and London (approximately one and half hours journey by road or rail).

The University of Kent is the School’s nearest neighbour and we work together on a number of interesting projects such as in science, radio broadcast and sports. The school has close links with Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury City Council, local businesses, and government as well as other schools in Kent.

Generally, entry into the school is by personalised visit and discussion with the head of either the Senior, Junior or Pre-Prep Schools. This initial discussion is followed by an assessment and review of reports from current school.