Learn more about the opportunities at Kings, meet the Principal and get to know the college.
School Description
Learn more about the opportunities at Kings, meet the Principal and get to know the college.
1. Student-centred ethos
- Highly personalised approach to learning and pastoral development
- Friendly and empowering college community — on a human scale
2. Exceptionally small classes and personalised attention
- Just 4 – 10 in a class at GCSE and A-level
- Maximum contact time with subject specialists
3. Outstanding exam results
- Outstanding ‘value-added’
- 39% exceeding predictions by 2 or more grades
- 2019 45% A*A at A-level
- A* 75% above national average
- 2019 GCSEs 82% Grades 9 – 4 (A* – C)
4. Personalised study plans
- Two-year and one-year intensive programmes
- Flexibility to combine courses e.g. A-levels with GCSE resits
- Resit and Retakes
- EPQ and Trinity Arts Award
5. Support and personal development
- Extensive personal tutor and pastoral care team
- Wide range of extra-curricular activities
- Engagement in work experience projects and research
6. Leading university destinations
- 86% A-level students with offers from Top 20 universities
- Extensive and individually tailored support for university degree selection and application
- Full UCAS guidance
- Specialist preparation for additional university assessments including: UCAT, BMAT, TSA, LNAT, Personal Statements and Interviews
- Work experience and research opportunities
- Make the most of your talents and achievements whatever your ambitions including: Oxbridge, Medicine, Law, Art and Design; the choice is entirely yours and we will support and guide you every step of the way.
7. Global reach and opportunities
- Develop a global outlook for your future
- Assess opportunities for further study in the UK or overseas
- Share ideas and concepts with students from across the globe
Kings has an extensive enrichment programme through which students can learn new skills, develop existing hobbies and interests and add to their UCAS applications.
We know that getting into a good univeristy is more than about just good grades.
Activities vary throughout the year, making the most of relevant opportunities, and are detailed in a monthly enrichment calendar. These include:
· Sport and fitness clubs
· Creative clubs
· Academic Clubs
· Duke of Edinburgh's Award
· Student Council
· Model UN
· Kings Business Enterprise
· The Kings Community Award
· National Citizen Service
· Work Experience and Volunteering
· Trinity Arts Award
· Academic visits and weekend excursions
· Lecture programme and guest speakers
Click the link below to view this month's events.
UNIVERSITY PLACES 2020
All students benefit from a structured and personally tailored University Application Programme. They are supported throughout the whole process by our team of experienced expert academics and counsellors.
Students’ choice of university may be influenced by a range of factors and are encouraged to explore their opportunities in detail. They are assisted to identify the most appropriate degrees and specialist institutions to meet their individual ambitions in their chosen subject and professional areas.
University Offers continue to be confirmed and it is interesting to see the A to Z range of subjects, prestigious universities and leaders in their fields for which our student have already received Offers. These include:
Subjects:
Accounting and Finance; Architecture; Automotive Engineering; Business and Management; Computer Science; Drama, Applied Theatre and Education; Drama and English; Economics; Education; English Literature and Drama; Fashion Accessory and Textiles Futures; Fashion Design; Fashion Textiles; Fashion Marketing and Management; Illustration Animation; Illustration and Visual Communication; International Business and Management; International Tourism and Hospitality Management; Marketing and Management; Mechanical Engineering; Motorsport Engineering; Neuroscience; Neuroscience with Cognitive Science; Pharmacy (Master of; 4 Years); Photography; Politics and International Relations; Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation Science; Zoology (with a year abroad) and many more!
Leading and Specialist Universities:
Bath; Birmingham; Brighton; Bristol; Brunel; Coventry; Durham; East Anglia (UEA); Exeter; Istituto Marangoni; Kent; Kings College London (KCL); Kingston; Lancaster; Leeds; Loughborough; Manchester; Newcastle; Queens’s Belfast; Queen Mary; Ravensbourne; Richmond, The American University in London; Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (University of London); Royal Holloway; Sheffield; Southampton; Surrey; Sussex; University for the Creative Arts (UCA); University College London (UCL) and more.
Adam Whitbread was appointed Principal of Kings London in August 2018. His genuine passion for education, student development and success can be felt throughout the whole school. He has a broad range of experience in academic, arts and vocational education as a teacher, in senior leadership and management roles and as an education consultant in the UK and Australia.
Who/what inspired you to become a teacher?
My mother and grandfather were both hugely passionate about lifelong learning and self-improvement and their personal journeys provided me with powerful examples and lessons. They taught me that you should never give up on your dreams and that with hard work and determination you can achieve your ambitions.
This people inspired me in my own journey in education. I studied hard and progressed successfully through to university to gain my first degree. I was keen to share my love of learning and education and continued my studies to complete my PGCE and later an MBA. Later still I pursued additional vocational qualifications. I continue to learn every day.
In my first two teaching posts I was fortunate to have had inspirational head teachers who recognised my energy, enthusiasm and passion and encouraged me to progress toward educational management. As I progressed, I looked for outstanding leaders whom I could learn more from and these individuals helped guide me in my own personal and professional development.
My passion for education remains as strong as ever and I am now fortunate to work with a very professional team at Kings London. We are dedicated to providing excellent opportunities for our students and work to encourage and inspire them to achieve their full potential.
What achievement are you most proud of as Head?
I have led a number of organisations, large and small and worked as an independent education consultant.
I believe that making time to get to know the staff and students is very important for a Head. Having a good understanding of the people who make up the organisation makes everyone feels valued. This sense of understanding also helps to create a good environment to work in where open and clear communication is the norm.
At Kings London I have particularly enjoyed working closely with colleagues and to help our students identify the things they are passionate about and discussing how they will manage the challenges that study at this level brings. I have had many great conversations with new students and those already well advanced with their studies and am very proud of their development, progress and outcomes. I am looking forward very much to building on the strong traditions of excellence that previous principals have built up over many years.
What does a successful school look like to you?
A successful school sets high expectations of students and maintains enthusiasm for learning in all its forms. Learning is not just confined to classrooms and lessons, but lives in every aspect of the school and its community. A successful school celebrates effort and achievement, lets people know they are appreciated and doesn’t judge if further support or encouragement is required.
The success of a school can be seen and heard in the classrooms, corridors and communal areas and in the way that students talk about their learning journey with their friends and families. It is measured not only in exam results but also in the successful pathways that our graduates achieve.
What is the most important quality you want every child to have when they leave your school? And why?
I aim for our students to develop their passion for learning and to work as hard as they can at their studies and to keep a good sense of humour. Learning should always be stimulating, challenging and rewarding but above all it should be an enjoyable and fun experience.
When young people feel appreciated by their school community, they also develop their understanding of why it is important to value their own efforts and to be equipped with the resilience to pick themselves up the going gets tough.
Most of all, our students need to feel ready for the challenges that university life will bring and that they have developed the broader skills of independence, self-reliance, personal organisation and focus they will need throughout their life.
Please give 5 words to describe the ethos of your school.
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.