Basic Information & Location
St Edmund’s is a dynamic co-educational 3-18 day and boarding school. The fact that the school educates children from the age of 3 to 18 underpins the strong family atmosphere and sense of community that pervade the school. Pupils benefit from a caring and supportive environment, high-calibre teaching and a holistic educational approach that seeks to develop creativity, leadership qualities and original thinking.
In 1855, the school moved to its beautiful current location on top of St Thomas Hill in Canterbury and the school’s spectacular chapel was completed in 1858. Over time, the school has grown considerably, evolving and modernising its provision. Recent years the school has seen substantial investment in its facilities and the development of a broad, engaging and challenging curriculum.
School Motto
Fungar Vice Cotis – Be as a whetstone for others to be sharpened upon
Academic Development
St Edmund’s is proud of its pupil-centred and ambitious academic ethos. The school seeks to foster original thinkers with the intellectual and personal skills to be leaders and decision makers in future.
The school offers a variety of challenging and exciting I/GCSE and A-level courses which appeal to young people whatever their strengths and interests. Highly-qualified teachers and small class sizes enable the personalisation of learning so that pupils receive inspirational instruction, with vibrant debate and individual attention colouring every classroom.
Pupils develop learning skills through project work and research opportunities such as the Extended Project Qualification and the Durrell Essay. The school encourages cross-curricular work to promote original ideas and multi-dimensional thinking.
Pastoral Care & Boarding
At St Edmund’s, great emphasis is placed upon the importance of supporting young people and recognising the individual. St Edmund’s understands that its pupils come to the school with different experiences and aspirations. This diversity makes the school’s community stronger and richer.
Every member of the pastoral team works closely with pupils and parents, and understands that they are trusted to offer good, salient advice. The school is confident that its pupils feel able to approach these adults should they want to discuss anything of concern to them.
The Director of Boarding and Head of Girls’ Boarding oversee all aspects of boarding life. They support other houseparents and the school matrons who also have an extremely important pastoral role within the boarding community, looking after the practical needs of all pupils. The wellbeing and happiness of boarders is fundamental and at the forefront of all that the school does.
Boys and girls live in separate areas of the school, and each have resident staff members overseeing their boarding environment. A range of room sizes is available, from a large dormitory subdivided into cubicles, which proves popular with the younger boys, to rooms of four and two beds with en-suite facilities. Sixth Form boarders live in either double or single rooms.
The school devotes to enhancing the boarding facilities. For example, the Junior School House occupies a wing of the old school building and has recently been refurbished to a high standard, offering comfortable and characterful accommodation for boys and girls aged 11 to 14. At this age, it is good for children to socialise and they enjoy communal living, so they sleep in dormitories and share a common room, TV room and games room. Beyond the boarding house, the academic and recreational facilities of the school are close at hand.
Extra-curricular & Personal Development
Lead by Mr Alastair Mckean, a retired international professional sportsman and teacher at the school, the co-curricular programme encompasses a rich and diverse range of opportunities that supports academic life at St Edmund’s. It is the school’s belief that children should not only received a high-quality education inside the classroom, but should also have opportunities to develop the intra- and inter-personal skills, including intellectual flexibility, emotional intelligence, teamworking, creativity, problem solving, to succeed in a rapidly changing world.
Each term the Junior School offers 30+ clubs or activities, run by the school’s teachers. These include choirs, Minecraft, computer coding, musical theatre, cup stacking, chess and creative writing. Sports clubs and activities, including cricket, hockey and netball, are also offered by the PE Department. Outdoor education plays an important part in the school’s co-curricular programme, and the school has its own Forest School site with weekly activities led by qualified staff.
