Basic Information & Location
Mount Kelly, set on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, combines academic excellence, an outstanding range of opportunities beyond the classroom and exceptional pastoral care. The School, for girls and boys aged between 3 and 18, offers both day and a full range of boarding provision. The school pledges to deliver a ‘values-led, life-defining education’ and its values; Courage, Humility, Integrity, Compassion, Respect and Commitment are bound into everything the school does.
School Motto
Mount Kelly has high expectations and this encourages its pupils to believe in themselves, to be inquisitive, to be resilient and to show ambition both in and out of the classroom. Its pupils feel happy and valued, which in turn gives them the confidence, social awareness and enthusiasm for life-long learning needed to succeed in a fast changing world.
Academic Development
With a high standard of academic schooling and a proven track record in public examination results over 85% of the school’s pupils gain places at their top choices of universities.
Pastoral Care & Boarding
Children at Mount Kelly are nurtured, guided and inspired to develop their own skills and interests. Each pupil joins one of the School’s Houses, serving as a boarder’s ‘home from home’ and a day pupil’s working base. Boarders comprise approximately 60% of the College’s pupils and are fully integrated with the day pupil body. Pupils enjoy small class sizes offering exceptional levels of individual focus. Each pupil is cared for by a Housemaster or Housemistress and assigned a dedicated tutor who oversees their academic, pastoral and co-curricular progress.
Extra-curricular & Personal Development
The School is well known for its strong commitment to co-curricular activities and the majority of pupils are involved with at least one of the following: the Combined Cadet Force, Duke of Edinburgh Awards, the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Marathon or the Ten Tors Challenge. The structure of the School day gives the children the opportunity to get involved with all these activities and access a wide variety of clubs and societies from debating to astronomy and much more. With two major productions a year and a Chamber Choir that competes internationally and are currently filists in two national competitions, there is plenty of opportunity for those who prefer to tread the boards rather than hike on the Moor!
The school has an internationally recognised coaching facility for swimming with a 4 lane 25m pool and our newly opened 8 lane 50m pool. Its swimmers board and are taught alongside their contemporaries. This creates a culture in which the level of commitment and dedication required to excel are not considered out of the ordinary but are qualities to which everyone can aspire. The swimming programme has had alumni at the last five Olympic and Paralympic games.
Respect for tradition and an openness to innovation are valued and the school encourages our pupils to work with, and learn from each other, whilst also showing moral courage to stand up for what they believe. The school is confident that it can challenge and develop all those who come to it at any age, stretching the most able whilst supporting those who occasionally need a helping hand.
