Top grades at GCSE (7-9) and top grades at A level (A*/A)
King Edward VI School Southampton - Meet the Head from King Edward VI Southampton on Vimeo.
School Description
Visiting King Edward VI is an essential part of the admission process and we look forward to showing our school. Visit the website via the link to find out more and to book.
Visit our Sixth Form
We would be delighted to invite families to come and experience our Sixth Form and School, to help decide if King Edward VI Sixth Form is right for you and your child, for the latest Sixth Form open events visit our website.
View our Sixth Form prospectus here.
At King Edward VI school, we encourage our pupils to flourish in many ways:
Flourish in achievement
- Laying down a foundation of wellbeing, so that every pupil will exceed their own expectations both in and outside the classroom.
- Providing a varied, rigorous, balanced and exciting curricular and co-curricular programme to inspire learning and engagement for all.
- Offering lessons and learning experiences that challenge assumptions, foster creativity and promote independence.
Flourish emotionally
- Recognise that all progress in education relies upon the good mental health of everyone within our community.
- Foster in every pupil a strong sense of self-worth, supported by an outstanding pastoral system.
- Nurture our pupils so that they engage positively with their emotions, developing emotional resilience.
Flourish with engagement
- Encourage all pupils to explore their potential in everything they do.
- Offer opportunities to pupils of all ages to develop their teamwork and leadership skills.
- Recognise the importance of co-curricular activities as a means of promoting positive engagement.
Flourish in relationships
- Put kindness at the very centre of our community.
- Understand that healthy relationships with others is key to happiness.
- Teach our pupils to empathise with each other.
King Edward’s has an outstanding record of academic excellence and achievement. It is amongst the top co-educational independent schools in the country. We encourage students to develop a life-long love of learning supported by a disciplined yet enjoyable approach to their studies.
The teachers are highly qualified, talented and dedicated. They give pupils the skills and confidence to fulfil their potential, focusing on the pursuit of excellence and individual achievement. Small teaching groups, supported by the very latest technology and modern facilities, make for a demanding and stimulating learning environment where everyone can thrive.
The curriculum follows the normal path to GCSEs in Year 11 and A-Levels in the Sixth Form, but every effort is made to teach according to pupils’ abilities, and to stretch our pupils beyond the demands of the syllabus.
King Edward VI School was featured on BBC Morning Live in a segment focusing on the growing issue of vaping among young people. The school showcased its proactive approach to tackling this concern, including the introduction of Vape Guardian detection technology and its efforts to combat environmental pollution caused by disposable vapes. This segment aired alongside government plans to ban disposable vapes and restrict vape flavours, in response to alarming statistics on youth vaping. Headmaster Mr. Parker expressed the importance of taking measures to safeguard students' health. During the segment, Mr. Parker and Deputy Head Mr. Collison shared insights into the school’s initiatives, while students Tessa, Afjal, Adele, and Charlie highlighted the health risks of vaping and advocated for sustainability. The school’s involvement in the segment underscores its commitment to fostering a safe, healthy environment for its students.
Neal Parker joined King Edward’s from the Grammar School at Leeds, where he was Vice Principal and Head of Senior School. Previously at GSAL he held the role of Senior Deputy Head. Neal’s subject is music, and he began his career as a music teacher at King’s College School in Wimbledon. He was also for many years the Director of Music and Head of Performing Arts at the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle.
Who/what inspired you to become a teacher?
My own school experiences were so important to me. I was fortunate enough to gain a place at The Purcell School of Music in London from the age of eleven. Whilst a specialist music school was an unconventional upbringing, it was nonetheless inspirational. It taught me that an education must be about more than simply the memorising of facts, it must also be about the creation of memories and passions. I was taught by teachers who I can still remember vividly to this day – they inspired me and influenced my life enormously. Who wouldn’t want to take on that privilege and responsibility? As a result, as both a music teacher and a Head, I have always sought to ensure that our pupils leave school not only with the academic qualifications they need, but also with life experiences that they can cherish and draw upon in the future.
What achievement are you most proud of as Head?
I arrived at King Edward’s in September 2019, and in March 2020 the school faced the devastation of Covid. Helping to shape how we would as a school respond to this unprecedented period in our collective history was certainly a baptism of fire! What makes me proudest is the collective effort that our community put in: the sense of pulling together, and the optimism and ambition that the school retained throughout the enormously challenging weeks and months. I am so proud of how the children, their parents and my colleagues at KES all responded to this monumental crisis, showing that an inspirational and enlightening education can be maintained even in the most trying of circumstances. How could I not be proud of what they have all achieved?
What does a successful school look like to you?
It is a place filled with curiosity and wonder. Where high academic standards are set and met not simply because they fulfil exam criteria, but because the pupil wants to know more, and to explore the world around them. Where pupils discover the passions that they will take with them for the rest of their lives, and where the whole community looks after one another.
What is the most important quality you want every child to have when they leave your school? And why?
Kindness.
It may sound trite, but I believe kindness is a hugely powerful force. Without it, academic or personal achievements can be selfish or misdirected. But when people are fundamentally motivated by kindness then they can change the world, and they can give those around them a happier life.
Please give 5 words to describe the ethos of your school.
I will give just one… ‘flourishing’. If young people can flourish academically, socially, emotionally, and in their wider lives, then the school has achieved everything it can!
This school is independently managed and its admission criteria may be selective. There is no set catchment area as pupils are admitted from a wide variety of postcodes and, in the case of boarding schools, from outside the UK. Contact the school directly or visit their website for more information on Admissions Policy and Procedures.
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