Kent College


Kent College, Canterbury is a co-educational private school for boarding and day pupils between the ages of 3 months and 18 years. It was founded in 1885, and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. Originally established as a boys' public school, it admitted girls into the sixth form in 1973 and since 1975 it has been fully co-educational.
The senior school occupies a semi-rural site of some on the edge of the city of Canterbury, and also owns the nearby Moat Estate, where there is a farm, managed by staff and pupils, and sports pitches. These are adjacent to Blean Forest.
Its junior school is 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.
Kent College Dubai is a secondary campus of the Canterbury school which is located in Meydan City. The college opened in September 2016. It was announced in 2018 that a further overseas campus was to be opened in Hong Kong.

History

The school was founded in 1885 as the Wesleyan College, Canterbury. Built on land made available by Edward Pillow, a local 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 erected to the rear of the main building and the chapel. In 1945, the school became a direct grant grammar school.

School

Kent College is a Methodist school, although it accepts pupils of all religions. 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 though three, including Kent College, Pembury, are girls' schools.

Inspection

In 2009 the school was subject to an independent school inspection. The report observed with regard to the Senior School that "the school provides an excellent quality of education"; "the school is able to adapt the curriculum to suit the learning needs of individual pupils"; "the school achieves its aims to enable pupils to maximise their potential and to attain high levels of achievement"; "the quality of teaching...is high"; "pastoral care and the provision for the welfare, health and safety of pupils are outstanding"; "links with parents and the community are excellent, as is the boarding education"; and "the school has no major weaknesses".
In 2015 the school was subject to another independent school inspection, in which all areas of the school were judged to be 'excellent in every aspect'.
In 2011 boarding at Kent College was rated as outstanding by OfSted.

List of headmasters

Mark Turnbull joined the school as Head in January 2022.
Below are listed the former headmasters of Kent College from 1885 to 2021:
  • J. Deaville
  • L.W. Posnett
  • J. Smallpage
  • F.M. Facer
  • A. Brownscombe
  • H.J. Prickett
  • D.E. Norfolk
  • P.E. Sangster
  • R.J. Wicks
  • E.B. Halse
  • G.G. Carminati
  • D.J Lamper
  • M.M Turnbull

    Junior School

The Kent College Infant and Junior School 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 has approximately 220 pupils, and the head is Simon James.

Old Canterburians (notable students)