The King’s School, Canterbury International College

The King’s School, Canterbury has been educating children of all ages since 597, though it actually only acquired its Royal Charter during the reign of King Henry VIII in 1541. 

In September 2018, the school’s new International College opened its doors to a pioneering cohort of international students. The College is very much a global community within the context of a British boarding school. It provides students from all over the world with a supportive and empathetic environment, where they are able to acclimatise academically and culturally, before moving on to the senior school, or indeed schools further afield.  

While they join the senior school for all activities and games sessions, all academic lessons take place at the College and are delivered by staff with extensive EAL and pastoral experience. Classes are limited to 12 students and are often much smaller. 

The Year 9 course follows a broad curriculum, which give students new to the UK the opportunity to gain an understanding of how different subjects are taught, and what subjects they might like to choose for their GCSEs, when they move on from the College. 

Students who join for the two-year programme in Year 10 are able to sample different subjects in their first year, while also starting on the GCSE syllabus in core subjects such as Maths and the Sciences. They are then able to join the one-year GCSE courses in Year 11, having gained a real insight into what subjects might suit them. Over the course of Year 10, many of our students discover hidden talents in subjects like Music and Art, for example, and then choose to take these as part of their selection of one-year GCSEs. 

The most popular programme is the one-year GCSE course in Year 11. In many countries around the world, the transition from middle into senior school falls exactly between our Year 10 and Year 11, which usually makes it impossible for international students to make a successful move into the system at the start of Year 11. At the College we allow them to take a realistic number of GCSEs in just one year, enabling them to make informed decisions when it comes to A level choices. In addition, since the A level reforms that scrapped AS exams, gaining some GCSEs before joining King’s or another school for A levels will strengthen their UCAS application. All students take English (first or second language), Maths, Science (single, double, triple), Global Perspectives, their first language where it is available as a GCSE, and a feasible number of options, such as Economics, Art, or Music. 

A number of staff joined the College with international experience, having worked or lived abroad themselves. We encourage our students to work hard and to be kind, as we believe this will allow them to make the most of their experience in the UK. 

You may view our prospectus by clicking here.