Welcome
Your son or daughter’s school can feel as warm and welcoming as home. It can be their springboard to a lifelong love of learning; it can nurture confidence, foster collaboration, and prepare them for life in a multicultural world. Most of all it can help them discover who they are. This is King Edward’s – a co-educational school (ages 11 to 18) shaped by generosity of spirit, not by background.
Pupils thrive at King Edward’s. We encourage them to be the best versions of themselves because individual achievement and personal growth count for more than league tables.
Our culture of thinking and enquiry runs deep. Here, a child’s natural curiosity prompts exploration of ideas without fear of failure. We encourage them to set their sights high – to be ambitious in their learning and in their desire to do better. We set them up for a life of discovery.
Relationships come first at King Edward’s. The house system and its supportive pastoral networks are at the heart of school life. Within each house, strong family connections blend boarders and day pupils into a single team. For us, diversity has been a strength ever since our foundation in 1553. While most of our 400 pupils are local, we attract international pupils from more than 40 countries. They teach us what it means to be part of the wider human family.
On our leafy, 100-acre site amid the Surrey Hills we have space for all the sport, drama, music, hobbies, and intellectual pursuits a young mind can take. King Edward’s is a wonderfully safe place for youthful adventure and curiosity.
Pupils leave as independent free-thinkers – agile, motivated and self-disciplined. The creative, entrepreneurial thinking they developed here gives the next generation of inventors, designers and problem-solvers the ability to grasp life with both hands.
From the head
Our unique heritage and place among British co-educational independent schools means that we can provide the best preparation for adult life to a wider range of young people than almost any other institution.
King Edward’s creates a foundation for life both here and now and for the future. Our timeless education reaches far beyond the exciting and challenging academic curriculum and the broad range of opportunities in all areas of school life – sporting, artistic, social and cultural. We aim to inspire a love of independent learning, a wealth of lasting friendships, Christian values and hopeful vision. Come and see what makes King Edward’s such an extraordinary, distinctive, forward-thinking and global minded community. It is a wonderful place to be.
Joanna Wright, BA
Our History
To understand King Edward’s raison d’être, it is important to take a moment to reflect on the School’s rich and Royal history and strong links to the City of London.
A Christian vision, a Tudor palace and a boy King (Edward VI) each feature in the creation of our distinctive School, its values and vision. Our Founder, Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London, knew that education can transform lives and that today’s children are tomorrow’s future.
In 1553 Ridley persuaded the boy King, King Edward VI, to hand over Bridewell Palace to house, care and educate the under-privileged and destitute – ‘a place to lodge Christ in’. The establishment was known as The Bridewell Royal Hospital. Financial support came from the services industry; the corporation’s structure included the Lord Mayor, the Court of Aldermen, the Court of Common Council, the Freemen and Livery companies of the City.
In May 1860, with some closures of the Bridewell buildings the Governors decided to rename The Bridewell Royal Hospital to King Edward’s School, honouring King Edward’s Charter and reflecting more closely its purpose as an education institution. In 1867 the School moved to its current 100-acre site in Witley.
During World War II the School was requisitioned by the Admiralty Signals Establishment, renamed HMS Mercury, and used for top secret war work to develop naval radar. It has been said that ‘the Battle of the Atlantic was won on the playing fields of Witley’.
Post war, the School returned to Witley in 1949 and has gone from strength to strength as a flourishing co-educational boarding and day school. The School is proud to maintain its royal links and is honoured to have had Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother as President of the Bridewell Foundation.
Since 2006 we have been privileged to have HRH Duchess of Gloucester as our President, taking over the from Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.
Tradition is greatly valued at King Edward’s and close links with the City remain through the Court of Governors. The Lord Mayor attends our annual Service of Thanksgiving at St. Bride’s Church and Admissions Day, while pupils participate in a range of events and activities associated with the City of London, perpetuating the links of our historical roots.
Key Facts
Number of pupils: 400
Fees:
Years 7-8
Day: £5,325 per term
Weekly boarding: £10,375 per term
Boarding: £10,925 per term
Years 9-11
Day: £6,655 per term
Weekly boarding : £10,775 per term
Boarding: £11,350 per term
One year GCSE programme (Year 11)
Day: £7,095 per term
Weekly: £10,775 per term
Boarding : £11,350 per term
Sixth Form (Year 12-13)
Day: £7,095 per term
Weekly : £10,775 per term
Boarding: £11,350 per term
For further information please visit https://www.kesw.org/admissions/fees/
Co-curricular
Fostering a lifelong love for new skills and enthusiasms.
A King Edward’s education is a rounded education. Here, young people discover skills, talents and enthusiasms they never knew they had. Through our rich co-curricular programme, pupils broaden their horizons. They learn that they are multifaceted individuals, capable of excelling in unexpected ways.
There’s space on our 100-acre site for as much sport, arts, drama, research, technology and creativity as a young person could wish for. Our co-curricular programme offers outlets for mind, body and spirit. From the Café Scientifique to boxing fitness, from chess to yoga, and from cookery to Duke of Edinburgh awards, there really is something for everyone.
Sport
Our full-boarding ethos ensures there is ample choice for boys and girls to enjoy a whole variety of sports. We recognise that many of our pupils wish to develop themselves as practical performers as well as learn theoretical principles which may supplement their ongoing practical progression. Our sports programme is built on the latest research with activities blending breadth with specific development, hence why we offer a vast array of Physical Education programmes.
Sports matches are weekly – on Saturdays and mid-week. The School is proud to have achieved, in recent years, regional and national success in football, tennis, basketball, table tennis, fencing, climbing and athletics.
As a rule of thumb, if a pupil requests to participate in a sport, we will find an opportunity for them to do so. If a girl or boy has an aptitude for a sport, we support them in obtaining specialist and expert coaching, and joining programmes and local clubs to develop skills and compete. We also help plan the pursuit of coaching qualifications for our pupils.
Elite Performance Pathway
The Elite Performance Pathway is a unique programme designed to extend and stretch our most able pupils. The programme nurtures performance through a tailored training and development process. We are proud to work with the Surrey High Performance Institute based at Surrey Sports Park who provide specialist guidance in elite sport. They visit the School regularly to perform fitness tests which are then used to design specific fitness programmes for each individual. Each pupil is then nurtured by a staff mentor who has, or is currently, participating at an elite level themselves.
Discover the world we share
We also give pupils a chance to see the world through European language trips, visits to cities, such as Berlin and New York, and more adventurous expeditions such as those we recently took to Russia, Iceland and India.
Co-curricular activities are integral to our educational approach. Developing new interests and acquiring new skills doesn’t just increase a young person’s confidence, it sets them up for a lifetime of self-discovery and intellectual fulfilment.