Kent College

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Kent College, Canterbury
Motto Lux Tua Via Mea (Latin: Your Light is My Way)
Established 1885
Type Independent day and boarding school
Religion Methodist
Headmaster Dr. David Lamper
Location Whitstable Road
Canterbury
Kent
CT2 9DT
England Coordinates: 51°17′36″N 1°03′19″E / 51.2934°N 1.0553°E / 51.2934; 1.0553
DfE number 886/6053
Students c.490 pupils
Colours Maroon, Blue, White               
Website www.kentcollege.com

Kent College, Canterbury is a co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils between the ages of 11 and 18. It was founded in 1885, and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

The Senior School occupies a semi-rural site of some 70 acres (280,000 m2) on the edge of the city of Canterbury, and also owns the nearby Moat Estate, where there can be found a farm, which is managed by staff and pupils, and extensive sports pitches. These are adjacent to Blean Forest, which is the largest area of ancient woodland in Kent, and recognised on a British and international level for its importance as a wildlife conservation area.

Vernon Holme, its junior school, is located about a mile away, and provides day school education for boys and girls between the ages of 3 and 11, and boarding for children aged 7 and above.

History

The school was founded in 1885 as the "Wesleyan College, Canterbury". Upon land being made available by Edward Pillow, a local gentleman-farmer - recognition of which endures by way of the school's "Pillow Prize" - the foundation stone for the main building was laid in 1887. The architect was Charles Bell. In 1920, Kent College was acquired by the Board of Management for Methodist Residential Schools. Buildings forming a quadrangle were subsequently erected to the rear of the main building and the Chapel; an increase in the number of pupils through the twentieth century, attributable in part to the admittance of girls, necessitated the construction of, among other buildings, three boarding houses.

Buildings

Main Building, Chapel and School House: The Main Building, which accommodates School House, and the School Room (which was converted for use as a Chapel in 1936), were constructed in two stages in 1887 and 1900. The stained-glass windows in the Chapel depict things which were incorporated in the school crest. In 1938, a fire - which broke out when the master-on-duty was at the cinema in Canterbury - caused substantial damage to the Main Building; the central spire collapsed and was not replaced during reconstruction.

Sorokos Building: So named after the Head Master, James Prickett. The foundation stone was laid by Baron Northbourne in 1935 and the building was opened by Baron Cornwallis on Speech Day in 1936. Before the acquisition of Vernon Holme, the building was used for the Kent College Junior School. It is recorded in the "Kent College Centenary Book" that during the construction of the Prickett Building, difficulties arose because of the presence of an underground spring. In the recent redevelopment of the school, the Medical Centre relocated from the Sanatorium on the top floor of the Main Building to a more-accessible site on the ground floor of the Prickett Building.

Science Block: The Science Block was constructed in 1958 by the school, financed by parents, friends and Old Canterburians in addition to a contribution from the Industrial Fund, and was opened by Professor Charles Coulson.

"Glasshouse" classrooms: The "Glasshouse classrooms", at the north side of the Quad., were opened by James Chuter-Ede, Baron Chuter-Ede of Epsom (Home Secretary in Clement Attlee's Labour Government), and were recently refurbished to accommodate the Sixth Form Centre on the first floor.

Centenary Building: The foundation stone of the Centenary Building was laid by John Prickett. The building contained the school Library until the Library was relocated in 2005 to the first floor of the Main Building; the Music Department occupies the Centenary Building today.

Wesley House: So named to recall the ethos of Kent College, the boarding house for girls was opened by David and Olive Norfolk in 1978.

Norfolk Building: So named after the Head Master, David Norfolk, who opened the building (constructed on the site of the open-air swimming pool).

Guilford House: So named for the Earl of Guilford; the Countess of Guilford opened the boys' boarding house on Speech Day in 1964.

Moat House (No longer in Kent College possession): Moat House was acquired as part of the Moat Estate (the acquisition of which came about through the donations of Old Canterburians in the face of a refusal by the Board of Management in the 1940s to finance it). Before Kent College acquired the house, it had been rented by Virginia Woolf for convalescence, who complained in her letters that "we had our windows prized open. The decay of centuries had sealed them. No human force can now shut them. Thus we sit exposed to wind and wet by day and by night we are invaded by flocks of white moths. The rain falls, and the birds never give over singing, and hot sulphur fumes rise from the valleys, and the red cow in the field roars for her calf...". The house was used as the Head Master's residence until the late 1970s, when it was sold by the school to finance the construction of Wesley House.

125 years: In February 2010, Kent College marked its quasquicentennial with a service in Canterbury Cathedral. Dr. David Lamper was joined by three former Head Masters: Mr. Roger Wicks, Mr. Edward Halse and Mr. Gino Carminati. The preacher was the Rev'd the Lord Griffiths of Pembrey and Burry Port, and the dedication was led by the Rev'd Baroness Richardson of Calow and Rev'd Alison Tomlin, President of the Methodist Conference.

The School

Kent College is a Christian school, although it accepts pupils of all faiths - and none. Originally established as a boys' school, it took girls into the sixth form in 1973, and since 1975 it has been fully co-educational. Kent College has thirteen independent "sister schools" in Great Britain - most of which are co-educational; three, including Kent College, Pembury, are all-girls schools - whose shared ethos and similar characteristics may be attributed to their common position within the Methodist Church.

The school's motto is "Lux tua via mea": which means "Your light is my way".

"Come on, K.C.!":

Kent College is typically referred to colloquially as "K.C." by pupils, staff and Old Canterburians; by the same token, Vernon Holme is regularly abbreviated to "V.H.".

The Curriculum

Kent College has a strong reputation for academic success, and nearly all Sixth Formers go on to university in the United Kingdom or abroad. Information Technology, Music, Art and Drama have a central role in the life of the school; Dance is becoming increasingly popular, and was recently introduced as a GCSE option. Both Kent College and Vernon Holme have Dyslexia Units, and the Senior School provides an International Studies Centre, where boarders whose English requires one-to-one tuition may receive it.

In relation to the academic curriculum, in broad terms, the school observes three phases of education. The first phase of education (Years 7 to 9) embraces the core subjects - English, Mathematics, Science, Technology and Modern Foreign Languages - with an additional emphasis placed upon, inter alia, History, Art, Music and Physical Education; at the second stage of education (Years 10 and 11), pupils are afforded some discretion as to GCSE options in relation to Music, Art and Technology, and "General Science" is divided into its three elements: Biology, Chemistry and Physics; upon completion of GCSEs, pupils entering the third phase of education (Year 12 (or Year 6.1) and Year 13 (or Year 6.2)) may elect to follow the "A"-level syllabus or the International Baccalaureate Diploma syllabus.

In 2010, the school embarked on an ambitious one-to-one computer learning programme, where all students are issued with an Apple laptop computer for use in every lesson and at home. Lessons and teaching resources are provided through a Virtual Leaning Environment (VLE) - currently "MOODLE". This scheme has moved the school towards its aim of providing a comprehensive Learning Platform for all staff and students using Information & Communication Technology.

The school is also recognised for its sporting achievements, having won five national hockey titles in four years. It benefits from a floodlit Astro-turf, a sports-hall, a number of tennis-courts and various pitches, both on-campus and at the Moat Estate. Kent College has been recognised by The Daily Telegraph for its "outstanding" sporting record, and ranked as an "Independent School of the Year" in this area; facilities and coaching are available for a range of sports, including rugby, tennis, rowing, hockey, cricket, athletics, sailing, netball, squash, badminton and fencing.

Inspection - In 2009, the school was subject to an Independent School Inspection. The Report (which is available via a link on the school's website), and here,[1] observed with regard to the Senior School that [at 2.1] "the school provides an excellent quality of education"; [at 2.2] "the school is able to adapt the curriculum to suit the learning needs of individual pupils"; [at 2.11] "the school achieves its aims to enable pupils to maximise their potential and to attain high levels of achievement"; [at 2.25] "the quality of teaching...is high"; [at 5.1] "pastoral care and the provision for the welfare, health and safety of pupils are outstanding"; [ibid] "links with parents and the community are excellent, as is the boarding education"; and [at 5.4] "the school has no major weaknesses". From the Inspection Report for Kent College Infant and Junior School (Vernon Holme) - also available via a link from the school's website - it can be abstracted [at 5.1] that "[the school] is highly successful in meeting its aims. It provides a broad and thoroughly worthwhile educational experience and outstanding pastoral care".

Boarding and Sporting Houses

The School introduced separate boarding and sporting Houses during the 1990s. Boarders are sorted into both a boarding House and a sporting House, whilst day pupils are only sorted into a sporting House.

There are four sporting Houses:

There are five boarding houses at the senior school site:


  • Elfick House - Boys
  • Gamon House - Boys
  • Guilford House - Boys
  • Austen House - Girls
  • Wesley House - Girls

There is also a junior boarding house at Vernon Holme the Kent College Nursery Infant & Junior School

In 2011 boarding at Kent College was rated as outstanding by OfSted

Two other boarding Houses became defunct during the 1990s:

  • Lower School
  • Milton House

Lower School was originally the designated boarding house for all boarders in the 1st and 2nd Years (Years 7 and 8). In 1996, Lower School was closed, and the Prickett Building was redeveloped as classrooms; the boarders were moved to Milton House (boys) and Austen House (girls). At the start of the 1997-1998 academic year, Milton House was combined with School House, as both Houses were located in the main school building, albeit on separate floors.

Kent College acquired two outhouses - "The Manse", on Whitstable Road, and a villa in London Road - to accommodate boarders before the construction of additional boarding accommodation within the school grounds. Neither property remains in the school's possession.

Headmasters, Past and Present

Dr. David Lamper joined the School as Headmaster in September, 2007.

Below are listed the former Head Masters of Kent College, from 1885 to the present day:

  • J. Deaville (1885–1888)
  • L.W. Posnett (1888–1893)
  • J. Smallpage (1893–1897)
  • Rev. F.M. Facer (1897–1911)
  • A. Brownscombe (1911–1934)
  • H.J. Prickett (1934–1960)
  • D.E. Norfolk (1960–1977)
  • Dr. P.E. Sangster (1977–1979)
  • R.J. Wicks (1980–1995)
  • E.B. Halse (1995–2002)
  • G.G. Carminati (2002–2007)
  • D.J. Lamper (2007 -)

Two School buildings have been named after previous Head Masters - Mr. John Prickett and Mr. David Norfolk.

Chaplaincy

As a Christian Methodist school, Chapel holds a key place in the day (pupils, whatever faith they profess, are required to attend Chapel) and services are given by the Chaplain, the Head Master or a visiting Minister. More recently, as introduced by the last chaplain, tutor groups across Kent College have been given the responsibility of producing a full-length Chapel on a given theme or topic. The current School Chaplain is the Rev. Paul Glass, who joined Kent College in the Autumn term of 2007.

Old Canterburians (Notable students)

Former pupils of the school are known as Old Canterburians, and are entitled to use "O.C." in any post-nominal letters. Kent College administers the Old Canterburian Club, which puts on events throughout the year to which O.C.s are invited, and encourages former pupils to maintain contact with the school. The "Kent College Times" publishes a section devoted to news from the Old Canterburian Club. Among the Kent College alumni:


Vernon Holme

Vernon Holme

The Kent College Infant and Junior School, at Vernon Holme in the village of Harbledown, was formerly the home of the Victorian artist Thomas Sidney Cooper R.A., and was purchased by the Senior School in 1945. It currently has approximately 220 pupils, and the Head Master is Mr. Andrew J. Carter. Almost all pupils continue their education in the Senior School.

Literature

The Kent College Centenary Book, written by Christopher Wright, a former Head of History at the school, and author of a number of other books, which traces the 100 years between the founding of K.C., through two World Wars, evacuation to Truro, the "Great Fire" - which destroyed part of the Main Building in 1938 - the extensive building programme and the problems of the 'sixties, to the co-educational school it was in 1985 - and is today - was published by Batsford, and is available from the School Shop and stocked in the Library. ISBN 978-0-7134-4777-4

"10,001 Facts about Kent College" was the official supplement to Christopher Wright's Centenary Book, and published in the same year. It was compiled by A.P.L. Slater, and provides a concise view of names and dates recorded in the School's history, from the Head Prefects of successive years, to the longevity of contemporary staff members and "classic reports".

The "Red Book": This is published annually, and contains a list of enrolled pupils and current staff, denotes the senior prefects and Head Boy and Head Girl and sets out the school rules.

The "Kent College Times": This takes the place of the "Bulletin", and communicates news from the preceding term, with an introduction by the Head Master. It is sent to all members of the Kent College community, including Old Canterburians.

The School Magazine: Something of a KC institution - the first edition, under the name "The Rampant", was published in 1895 - the Magazine is published in the Autumn term, and is a colourful record of the achievements and interests of pupils and staff from the previous academic year.

Notes and references

  1. ↑ http://www.isi.net/School.aspx?s=6588

External links

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