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King's School, Chester

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The King's School, Chester
Location
Map
Wrexham Road

Chester
,
Cheshire
,
CH4 7QL

England
Information
TypePrivate day school
Cathedral school
MottoRex dedit, benedicat Deus
(The King gave it, may God bless it)
Religious affiliation
Church of England
Established1541; 485 years ago (1541)
FounderKing Henry VIII
Local authority
Cheshire West and Chester
111485 Tables
Chairman of the Governors
E. M. Johnson
Headmaster
George Hartley [1]
GenderCo-educational
Age4 to 18
Enrolment1,045 (approx.)
Houses8[2]
ColoursGreen, blue and white, red        
Former pupilsOld King's Scholars
AffiliationHMC
Rowing clubThe King's School Rowing Club
Websitehttp://www.kingschester.co.uk/

The King's School, Chester, is a co-educational private day school for pupils aged 4 to 18. It is one of the seven 'King's Schools' established (or re-endowed and renamed) by King Henry VIII in 1541 after the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

It is situated outside the city of Chester, England. The school is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school comprises an Infant school (years 4–7), a Junior school (years 7–11), a Senior school (years 11–16) and a Sixth form (years 16–18) in which the students choose their A-level subjects.[3]

History

[edit]

An ancient foundation, attached to a monastery that King Henry VIII had dissolved, it still served a purpose teaching grammar to potential ordinands. It was reconstituted in 1541 as a joint church state enterprise and operated for 400 years in the former monks' refectory.[citation needed] The statutes that constituted the school also specified the training and education of choristers for Chester Cathedral, an arrangement that ran in parallel for hundreds of years.[4] It was one of seven schools in this category, the others being Canterbury, Rochester, Peterborough, Worcester, Gloucester, and Ely. In 1869 new school buildings were constructed and they were formally opened by Gladstone.[5] The school motto is "Rex dedit, benedicat Deus” (The King gave it, may God bless it), which was given by John Saul Howson, Dean of Chester. John Saul Howson was the chief instrument in the building and endowing of the King's School, and in its reorganization on a broader basis.[6]

Description

[edit]

Since 1960, The King's School has been based at its Wrexham Road site on the outskirts of Chester.[1] It has a Sixth Form Centre, a library (the Wickson Library), a theatre (the Vanbrugh Theatre),[7] and a music school (the Tim Turvey Music School). Sports facilities include a swimming pool, all-weather sports pitches, grass sports pitches, a cricket pavilion, and a boat house on the River Dee.[8]

Academia

[edit]

In September 2011, King's adopted a new curriculum alongside its shift from an eight-period to a five-period day. This involved substantial changes, introducing 'enrichment' lessons and replacing the GCSE courses with IGCSE.[9]

Junior School Curriculum The Junior School provides a broad curriculum designed to develop pupils' knowledge, skills and independence through a balanced programme of academic and practical learning. Pupils study English, mathematics, science, history, geography, technology, computing, art, music, modern languages, physical education, games, religious studies, personal, social and health education (PSHE) and guided reading, alongside a programme of activities. The curriculum is supported by educational visits, workshops, music and drama opportunities, residential courses and optional overseas trips. Teaching aims to develop literacy, numeracy, enquiry and problem-solving skills while providing appropriate support for pupils with special educational needs and additional challenge for more able learners. [10]

Senior School Curriculum

The Senior School follows a broad academic curriculum designed to provide a balanced education while allowing increasing subject specialisation as pupils progress through the school. In Years 7–9, pupils study a wide range of subjects including English, mathematics, sciences, humanities, modern foreign languages, computing, creative arts, physical education and personal, social and health education (PSHE). GCSE study begins in Year 10, with English, English Literature and mathematics compulsory, alongside science, at least one modern foreign language (subject to individual needs), and a range of optional subjects. In the Sixth Form, most students initially study four A Levels before specialising in three in their final year. The curriculum is supported by careers education, PSHE, enrichment opportunities and the option to complete the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). [11]

Senior School Results

In 2025, 84% of all GCSE grades were at grade 7-9 (A/A* equivalent), with 66% of all grades at grade 9/8, and 96% at grade 6-9 (A*-B). In 2025, 25% of all A-Level grades where A*, 60% were A*/A, 85% A*-B [12]

Extra-curricular activities

[edit]

The school's pupils engage the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme. The King's School's Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a voluntary contingent within the CCF. It consists of the mandatory Army Section, with an additional RAF Section.[13] The King's School has also been successful in the F1 in Schools competition, sending a team to the global finals in 2016.[14]

Publications

[edit]

The Herald is the school's magazine and is published on a termly basis for parents and pupils. Its articles are about current pupils, teachers and former pupils.[15]

Sports

[edit]

Hockey

[edit]

In 2011, King's appointed hockey coach Simon Egerton, who is a member of the England hockey team.[16]

Rowing

[edit]

The King's School Rowing Club has been in existence since 1883 with the school's boat house situated on the River Dee in the centre of Chester and is affiliated to British Rowing.[17] Rowing is offered as part of the sports curriculum from the third year onwards.

The King's rowers often compete in the top levels of school's competitions, and count numerous ex-Boat-Race crew members alongside National and Olympic squad members amongst it Old King's Scholars Alumni including seven Olympians, three in the London 2012 games. Gold and silver medallists – two gold and one silver Olympic medallists. Olympic Finalists – three in 2012. 14 x Oxford and Cambridge Blues. 47 x GB Senior World Championship representatives – since 1960 and 36 x GB Junior International representatives – since 1970.

Kings Chester Boat House 2019

Headmaster

[edit]

The school's headmaster (since 2017) is George Hartley.[18]

Previous headmasters

[edit]
  • 1981–2000 - Roger Wickson, historian
  • 2000-2007 - Tim Turvey, biologist

A full list of previous headmasters are engraved on a board displayed in the school.[18][19]

Notable alumni

[edit]

Post-1900

[edit]

Pre-1900

[edit]

The Chester Association of Old King's Scholars (CAOKS), founded in 1866, exists to maintain links between former students. It is one of the longest established alumni associations in the country. The school has recently established OAKS (Organization of Alumni of The King's School) to maintain relations with former pupils. OAKS is free to join and open to all alumni.[36]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 "ISI Regulatory Compliance Report 2018" (PDF). ISI. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  2. ↑ "Our new structure". 14 February 2017.
  3. ↑ "The King's School Chester - Junior School". Kingschester.co.uk. 15 October 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  4. ↑ "Statutes of Chester Cathedral". Chester Courant. 30 August 1871. p. 7. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  5. ↑ "History". The King's School Chester. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  6. ↑ Venables, Edmund. "Howson, John Saul" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 28. pp. 130–132.
  7. ↑ "Drama". The King's School Chester. 12 January 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  8. ↑ "Rowing". The King's School Chester. 12 January 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  9. ↑ "Inspiring a new generation - Curriculum 2011" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  10. ↑ "Junior School Curriculum Policy". Archived from the original on 8 May 2024.
  11. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 May 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ↑ "Academic Results - The King's School Chester". Archived from the original on 18 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Leadership". 12 January 2017.
  14. ↑ Chronicle, Chester (1 May 2016). "King's School team reaches F1 world final in America". chesterchronicle. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  15. ↑ "The King's School Chester Herald, Spring 2012". Kingschester.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 June 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  16. ↑ "King's hockey coach wins European Indoor Gold Medal with national team". The King's School Chester. 1 February 2010. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  17. ↑ "Club details". British Rowing.
  18. 1 2 "Staff and Governors". 3 January 2018.
  19. ↑ "Headmasters of the King's School". 3 January 2018.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 "Inspirational Alumni Members". The King's School Chester. Archived from the original on 15 December 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  21. ↑ The Steel Construction Institute (2012). Owens, Graham W.; Davison, Buick (eds.). Steel Designers' Manual (7th ed.). Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. xix. ISBN 978-1-4051-8940-8.
  22. ↑ Gummer, John (4 December 2002). "Obituary: George Guest". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  23. ↑ "Members of Parliament | Matthew Hancock MP". The Conservative Party. 20 March 2012. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  24. ↑ "Profile: Tom James". BBC Sport. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  25. ↑ Paul Taylor (21 February 2007). "Mr Supersaver's on a mission". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  26. ↑ "Obituary: Hugh Lloyd". The Daily Telegraph. London. 14 July 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  27. ↑ "Profile: Patrick Mercer". BBC News. 8 March 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
  28. ↑ Wheelock, Paul (13 December 2017). "British GT champion Seb Morris parts ways with title-winning team-mate". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  29. ↑ Wheelock, Paul (30 April 2009). "Chester City FC: Mike Parry's on a mission". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 30 April 2012.[dead link]
  30. ↑ Dickinson, P. L.; Ireland, G. K. (12 January 1994). "Obituary: George Squibb". The Independent. London. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  31. ↑ "The King's School Chester - news archive". Kingschester.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  32. ↑ Watson, Raymond C. (2009). Radar Origins Worldwide:History of Its Evolution in 13 Nations Through World War II. Victoria BC, Canada: Trafford Publishing. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-4269-2110-0.
  33. ↑ "Britain's men win gold and women bronze in eights". BBC Sport. 3 August 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  34. ↑ Helps, Arthur (2005) [1888]. Life and Labours of Thomas Brassey, 1805–1870. Elibron Classics. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-4021-0563-0.
  35. ↑ "Parry, William (d.1585)" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
  36. ↑ "The King's School website". Kingschester.co.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
[edit]

53°10′01″N 2°54′00″W / 53.167°N 2.900°W / 53.167; -2.900

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