Academic Life
We deliver a broad and innovative curriculum, within a supportive and stimulating learning environment that fosters an atmosphere of intellectual challenge.
We put a strong emphasis on working hard, striving for excellence and developing independent learners. This starts in our Infants and carries on through our Senior Division. We believe in celebrating endeavour, cultivating ambition and encouraging pupils to pursue many interests and participate in the sporting, musical and creative life of the school. Our academic results are amongst the best in the country because of our balanced approach, not despite it.
Lively and enquiring minds
King’s pupils are not only good at passing exams, but also able to take the initiative and learn for themselves. Our curriculum is designed to create lively and enquiring minds so that pupils can ask good questions and then investigate them, become creative thinkers and challenge ideas. We aim to develop lifelong learners equipped with good learning habits who will be successful long after they leave school. Alongside the usual lesson content, we focus on helping pupils understand how they learn and on developing higher-order thinking skills such as analysis and evaluation. These transferable skills are known to improve attainment and are an excellent preparation for life.
Challenge and enrichment
As a selective school, many of our students are highly able and we strive to create an environment that challenges all students. Lessons are stimulating, varied and fun. Within the classroom, all learners are presented with challenge through:
- the use of open-ended questioning
- encouraging evaluation and analysis
- providing open-ended tasks
- focusing on process rather than outcome to encourage risk-taking
- opportunities for independent learning
We recognise that some pupils are particularly gifted and therefore every lesson and homework has additional extension tasks within it. Our Challenge & Enrichment scheme of activities ensures exceptionally able pupils go well beyond the curriculum for their learning. It is a diverse range of activities that allows for extra provision in every subject through a range of activities both inside and outside the classroom. It is designed to develop pupils’ abilities and talents via a range of teaching techniques, national schemes, competitions, trips, lectures and extra tuition. The programme spans each of our Divisions and encompasses all subject areas.