King's College School, Cambridge
| King's College School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
West Road , CB3 9DN England | |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent preparatory day and boarding Choral foundation school |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Church of England |
| Established | 1441 |
| Founder | Henry VI of England |
| Department for Education URN | 110911 Tables |
| Chair of Governors | Rev Dr Jeremy Morris, Dean of King's College |
| Headmaster | Nicholas Robinson |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Age | 4 to 13 |
| Enrollment | 402 (2010) |
| Website | http://www.kcs.cambs.sch.uk/ |
King's College School is a coeducational independent preparatory school in Cambridge, England, situated on West Road off Grange Road, west of the city centre. It is an integral part of and receives some funding and its name from King's College, a college of the University of Cambridge as it was founded to educate the choristers in the King's College Choir.
History
King's College School was founded in 1441 by King Henry VI to educate the sixteen choristers who sing the services in the college chapel. The school is an integral part of King’s College and the Provost of King’s is its chair of governors. The school governors are appointed by King’s College and include both a number of King’s fellows and those recruited from beyond the college. It moved to its current site in 1878. In 1976 girls were accepted, and as the school expanded, it opened a pre-preparatory department.[1]
The school is thought to be the only school in the country to be subject to the Freedom of Information Act
Curriculum
Pupils are taught Art, Design and Technology, Classics, English, Geography, History, ICT, Mathematics, Modern Foreign Languages, Music, Religious Education, Physical Education and Science.
Boarding
The boarding programme is open only to boys. Choristers are full boarders while other boys return home for the weekend.[2]
Extracurricular Activities
Music
King's College School has had a strong tradition in music due to its heritage as a choral foundation school. The sixteen choirboys of the college choir audition at about age 7 (Year 2). Those who successfully pass will gain scholarships to study at the school.[3] The choir has been a regular participant in the A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols service held annually in the college chapel and broadcast live on BBC Radio.[4]
Other pupils have the opportunity to join the two chamber choirs, jazz ensemble and orchestra.[5]
Alumni
- Bob Chilcott, composer
- Timothy Gowers
- Andrew Wiles
- John Pardoe, politician
Heads
The following men have served as head teachers at the school since 1878 when it relocated to its present site in West Road[6]:
- Vincent Charles Reynell 1878 - 1887
- Benjamin Benham 1887 – 1905
- Trenham Candy Weatherhead 1905 – 1912
- Charles Richard Jelf 1912 – 1927
- Cedric M Fiddian 1927 – 1950
- Donald George Butters 1950 - 1958
- John David(son) Briggs 1959 – 1974
- Gerald Peacocke 1974 – 1993
- Andrew Corbett 1993 – 1998
- Nicholas Robinson 1998 –
Recent Developments
2009 Failed ISI Inspection
In 2009 the school had a rare (according to Nick Gibb MP) emergency unannounced Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) inspection following concerns from parents relating to the conduct of the headmaster in connection with a complaint from parents.[7] On 30 October 2009, the School was served with a Statutory Notice to produce an Action Plan and the school was issued with a letter warning that it might be struck of the register of independent schools. In November 2009, the Provost wrote a deliberately and highly misleading letter to all parents claiming that the unannounced inspection was due to a change in inspection regulations and that a few deficiencies were found. In fact, over three pages of failings were found. Furthermore, there have been no changes in inspection regime to allow unannounced, emergency inspections. The Department of Education, through the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) has always had the right to make unannounced inspections at schools where there is good reason for concern. Interestingly, the School was reinspected in 2010 but, this time the School was given the usual period of notice.
The Times Educational Supplement reported that the inspection had found serious issues requiring correction, specifically in the recruitment of staff, and that the Inspection "described its anti-bullying, child protection and discipline policies as "inadequate in various areas". In particular, the school's child protection officer had left the school without bothering to pass on these important duties to someone else. The article was also critical of King's College for withholding information, being unreasonable and not carrying out proper internal reviews.[8] The headmaster and the governors were criticized by the inspectors for not being sufficiently diligent.[9]
The headmaster also showed poor judgement in running the school, particularly in connection with the failed emergency inspection, leading the Provost to resign as Provost of King's College, Cambridge. The headmaster misled governors and colleagues over the seriousness of the inspectors' findings following a two-hour meeting in September 2009.
The Provost of King's College now admits that his letter was misleading and in a letter to all parents, stepped down as Chair of Governors on April 1, 2011. The Provost also confirmed to one parent that the "headmaster didn't take the failed inspection as seriously as he should have done". The Provost has since apologised to the parents of one family for the suffering caused to them by the headmaster and has confirmed that their treatment at the hands of the headmaster was wrong and should not have happened. Some parents are now asking why the headmaster is still employed by the school, having caused it so much damage and disgrace.
In an email to a Cambridgeshire MP, Nick Gibb MP, Minister for State (Schools) Education, in response to a parliamentary question, confirmed that the ISI "rarely makes unannounced visits".
Having been given six months to put its house in order, it received a "glowing" inspection report in 2010 from the Independent Schools Inspectorate.[8]
Freedom of Information Act
Following a landmark ruling by the Information Commissioner in October 2010, the school is now subject to the Freedom of Information Act. This is believed to be the first case where a private school has been subject to the Freedom of Information Act.[8]
In a series of Decision Notices, the Information Commisioner expressed concern that information that should have been disclosed to a third party following a series of FOI requests, only came to light after the Information Commissioner commenced a formal investigation into the failure to disclose such information.[10]
References
- ^ School History
- ^ Boarding
- ^ "Chorister recruitment". kings.cam.ac.uk.
- ^ "A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols". kings.cam.ac.uk.
- ^ Music Department
- ^ http://www.ofchoristers.net/Chapters/CambridgeKingsCollege.htm Web accessible artilcle on the school's history by Anne Page, B. mus (b 1920)
- ^ Sian Griffiths and Jack Grimston (13 December 2009). "King's College school gets chorus of criticism". The Times. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
- ^ a b c Stephen Exley (19 November 2010). "Choirboys' school tried to 'conceal' protection lapses". Times Educational Supplement. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
- ^ Stephen Exley (23 January 2010). "Professor makes pledge to 'repair damage' at school". Cambridge News. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
- ^ 2009 Freedom of Information Act Ruling
External links
- King's College School, Cambridge
- ISI Inspection Report