WHAT, WHERE?

King’s College is an independent, co-ed day and boarding school for 13 to 18 year olds sitting in over 80 acres on the south side of Somerset’s county town of Taunton.

The College started life in 1880 as King Alfred’s School, founded by Church of England priest Nathaniel Woodard, initially to provide middle class boys with an education based on ‘sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith’. The school was housed in the old Taunton Grammar School founded by Bishop Richard Fox in 1522, whose emblem was a pelican – hence the school’s logo. A separate junior school was later established at Georgian mansion Pyrland Hall in nearby Cheddon Fitzpaine, which went onto become King’s College Prep School. Girls entered the Sixth Form in 1968 and the College became fully co-ed in 1991.

Today, King’s College is part of Woodard Schools, the largest group of independent Church of England schools in England and Wales, and although – as you might expect – there’s an underlying Christian ethos, the College welcomes pupils of all faiths or none.

Currently there are about 450 pupils on the roll, 65% of whom are boarders, and split more or less equally between boys and girls.

FACILITIES

The Victorian gothic main building sits front and centre of the school – solidly impressive, traditional – with the rest of the College buildings – a mix of old and sparklingly brand new – behind and to the sides.

Back in the 19th century, the College was one of the first schools in the country to have a purpose-built science lab, and the commitment to science continues today with a science block of four labs, two prep rooms and a science library. STEM is one of the College’s strengths; a female student has just been awarded one of the highly sought-after Arkwright Engineering Scholarships and pupils regularly gain places at prestigious universities to read STEM subjects.

There’s a proper library: large, stuffed with books, e-books and areas for study.

The music block has all the usual teaching and practice rooms, plus a recital room with a Yamaha grand piano, a state-of-the art recording studio and a Mac suite. About half the pupils learn at least one instrument or sing with a choir and there’s every kind of musical ensemble – even a symphony orchestra – and genre, from Mozart to metal.

The Silvermead Art Studio – one large, double-height, light-filled space – is an inspirational place to make even large-scale artworks, with all the hardware and software needed for digital creations up on the mezzanine.

Fine art, film, photography, textiles and design tech are all on offer (the latter being impressively well-equipped in its own bespoke building).

The 250-seat theatre and separate dance studio have everything needed to give pupils a professional experience, including computerised lighting, modern sound systems, staging, props and costume store and a dedicated theatre manager. Recent productions include, The Wedding Singer, The Great Gatsby, Macbeth, Chicago and A Christmas Carol. Performances – as well as other events – take place in the absolutely fab, outdoor amphitheatre.

The whole school meets in the chapel for collective worship, assemblies and concerts. With that soaring ceiling, I imagine the acoustics must be amazing (and the pupils tell me they are). A highlight of last year was Faure’s Requiem; an unbelievably ambitious piece of work for a school choir to attempt. I’m told it was a spine-tingling event.

Amazingly, the Hogwarts-style Dining Hall remains much as it did during the Victorian era – some of the tables and benches are original – and they’ve continued the tradition of putting sports team shields on the walls. Today it’s a relaxed place where staff and pupil eat together and the food served from the modern canteen is very much 21st century (I know, I’ve sampled it).

This is a sporty school, with acres of sports fields and pitches including two full-sized astros, tennis courts, tennis and netball dome (rain never stops play), sports hall, climbing wall, squash courts, golf facility, gym and cricket school (more of that later). The indoor 25m swimming pool is host to kayakers, water polo players, and scuba divers as well as swimmers.

An equestrian centre five minutes down the road has 11 stables, tack and rug rooms and a outdoor arena. Bring your own horse or borrow one of of theirs. Pupils can ride several times a week.

SIXTH FORM

The brand new Sixth Form Centre which opened in February 2023 is gorgeous – all white and natural wood, flooded with light, underfloor heating, plasma screens and interactive white boards – with a creative working space, cafe, silent working area, office and rooms for private study, and a Sixth Form Social Club on Saturday nights. Nice.

Sixth Formers chose their own tutors, with whom they meet on a one-to-one basis as well as in the small tutor groups, which creates strong, productive relationships. Pupils from both state and independent schools enter through the 16+ scholarship programme. A new Head of Sixth is developing pathways to international universities, especially in the US, Canada and Europe.

SPORTS

The College excels in cricket. King’s are the reigning national T20 champions at both U15 and U18 level, achieving ‘The Double’; a hugely impressive feat for any school and underlining that King’s College is now the undisputed powerhouse of school cricket in this country. England cricketers Jos Buttler MBE, Tom Banton, Will Smeed, James Rew and Somerset’s Georgina Adcock are just some of the many former pupils who’ve gone on to play professionally. King’s College is a Centre of Cricketing Excellence, was one of the first MCC Foundation Hubs and has a strong relationship with the Somerset County Cricket Club which, very handily, is on the doorstep. This all adds up to superb coaching by former professional players, an elite player programme and facilities including a cricket centre with PitchVision technology, six pitches, artificial outdoor nets and indoor nets with bowling machines.

Other sporting highlights include girls’ football and rugby; hockey (the College is a designated England Hockey Performance Centre; GB Olympic Gold Medal winner Maddie Hinch is a former pupil); squash and swimming. They’ve teamed up with Taunton Polo Club, if anyone fancies a chukka.

It’s not just about elite athletes at King’s College. Everyone’s encouraged to join in and have a go, reaping benefits like enhanced mental and physical wellbeing, increased confidence, teamwork skills and having a huge amount of fun.

ACADEMICS

Selective, with pupils sitting school tests in English, maths and verbal reasoning but it’s not only about the academics; other skills, talents and a pupil’s personality are all taken into consideration. In 2023 GCSE/IGCSE 94% achieved grades 9-4. A Level results are impressive. In 2023 A Levels: 73% A*-B; in maths and further maths, 25% A*. 32 pupils achieved three or more A or A* or equivalent. All the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) entrants were awarded A* or A.

There are 24 subjects at A Level and a BTEC in sports. Hero subjects include maths and science (several pupils usually go onto read medicine and engineering at university) DT, art, music and drama, all of which are cleverly timetabled (must be a nightmare to organise), so that pupils can take the combination of subjects they desire. Clinics offer academic support for each subject. Learning strategies supports pupils with additional educational needs.

Around half move onto Russell Group universities, with others going to drama schools, music conservatoires, overseas universities and some – you won’t be surprised to discover – into professional sport.

PASTORAL CARE

Although each pupil has a personal tutor to support them in all aspects of their school life, with a deputy head dedicated to pastoral care, house parents, a school counsellor and a school chaplin – all staff at the College have a responsibility for pastoral care, which creates an incredibly effective network of support.

You won’t see many schools with a meditation pod, a state-of-the-art space with sound, lighting and soft seating where pupils can practice their mindfulness techniques. Brilliant!

Pupils are assigned to one of seven Houses, each a mix of day pupils and boarders across all five year groups. Pupils are able to support each other, with older pupils mentoring the younger, creating an overall warm family feel. Within each House, the Third, Fourth and Fifth Forms are divided into two tutor groups, with tutors meeting pupils twice a week to mentor both academically as well as emotionally/socially. The FutureSmart programme helps pupils make decisions around A Levels and beyond.

HEAD TEACHER

Micheal Sloan joined the school in the autumn of 2022. Born in Northern Ireland, he studied ancient history and politics at Newcastle University, went to Sandhurst and served six years in The Rifles (with time in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo), before turning to teaching, first at Emanuel School in London and then at Brighton College, where he became Deputy Head. Here in Taunton, he keeps his hand in teaching history to the Third Form.

kings college taunton headmaster Michael Sloan

First and foremost, he talks about the warmth and togetherness of the school community, describing the College as a happy, kind place where everyone looks out for each other (this was echoed by all the pupils I met). There’s an energy in the air but a calmness too.

Embedding a love of learning and developing an intellectual curiosity is central, with the aim that pupils look forward to every single lesson (the cutting edge teaching can’t hurt either).

He’s keen on instilling a love of reading for pleasure: pupils do book reviews in the Head’s assemblies; teachers have what they’re reading pinned outside the classrooms; Drop Everything and Read Day was a recent event.

For him, whilst pupils are stretched and challenged to realise their full potential, character development and happiness are as important as academic achievement (though we have to say, their exam results are pretty impressive).

REPORTS

The latest reports from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), equivalent to Ofsted in the state sector, judged the school to be ‘Excellent’ in both pupils’ achievement and personal development. You can read more here.

BOARDING

Seven different boarding houses – three boys’ and four girls’ – lie at the heart of the school, with a team of house parents (some of whom are also teachers) and other staff. Each one is a real ‘home from home’. All day pupils are assigned to a boarding house, and if they wish, stay for supper, do prep together and can sleep over one night a week free of charge.

According to the pupils I spoke to, although each House has its own charity and events, with friendly inter-house competitions in music, sport, debating, and recently a singing Music from the Movies competition, there’s no rigid ‘sports’, ‘music’ or ‘academic’ House. Sunday afternoon sees lots of trips and outings, like cultural and shopping trips to nearby Bath and Exeter, riding waves on surf trips at the coast, or seeking thrills at Thorpe Park. There are plenty of on-site activities over the weekends, too, from movie nights to Zorb football – the boarding programme is action-packed and never dull.

QUIRKS & BOASTY BITS

Former pupils are known as Old Aluredians (OAs) after the College’s original name of King Alfred’s School.

The College has sister schools in Doha (Qatar), Rohtak (India) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), with more international schools due to open soon.

The school trips are impressive: a rugby tour to South Africa, netball tour to Paris, and choir tour to Barcelona. Sports exchanges with schools to Australia and South Africa. The physics department has just been to the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, the home of the Hadron Collider and the world’s largest particle physics lab.

Pupils are involved with some staff appointments – including that of the Head.

CO-CURRICULAR

Loads of the co-curricular is outdoors (hence the Head of Outdoor Education), with a very strong Combined Cadet Force (CCF) with Army, Royal Marines and Royal Navy sections (over half the pupils are in the CCF), Ten Tors and Duke of Edinburgh programmes. This year, members of the Royal Marines CCF Section travelled to the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines to contest the Sir Steuart Pringle Trophy and won for the ninth time, an unmatched all-time record.

All Third Formers join Chindits, a precursor to the CCF and unique to King’s College. Fourth Formers join the CCF. Fifth Formers can choose between CCF and community service (working with local schools, retirement homes, charity shops), undertake a sport leaders award (in conjunction with The FA and England Athletics}, join a theatre technical group or the King’s Sustainability Society.

On offer for Sixth Formers: the Leith’s Cookery course, a prestigious cookery qualification, teaching practical cooking skills (very handy) as well as developing an understanding of food and healthy eating.

Every kind of sporting activities throughout the week and Saturday afternoon. from hockey and rugby to fencing, yoga, clay shooting, cycling and archery. A performing arts programme culminates in a scholars’ play and a performing arts workshop.

TRANSPORT

A network of buses to and from the school extends in every direction to Exeter, South Somerset, Langport, Brent Knoll and Minehead.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

Pupils are allowed to have their phones at school but it’s not a free-for all! Third, Fourth and Fifth Form pupils leave their phones in the boarding house during the day and hand them in overnight, and all pupils are guided regarding responsible use and the mental health benefits of digital detoxing.

FEES

2023/24 fees per term: day pupils £9,160 (includes 1 free night’s boarding a week; £57.50 per night for up to two additional nights a week); boarders £13,785. Fees are inclusive of most things.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Parents describe the College as inspirational, happy, inclusive and fun. They talk about the level of care and knowledge the teachers have of individual pupils, instilling a good work ethic from an early age and encouraging pupils to succeed academically without being overly pressured. Pastorally, they appreciate the College’s hands-on, considerate, responsive care – especially through house masters and individual tutors – and the Year group forums, where students get the opportunity to put suggestions forward on things like uniform and food. Everyone raves about the new Sixth Form centre (of course).

Pupils describe the College as ‘not too big, not too small’, a place where everyone knows each other, with ‘endless opportunities … whatever your interest is, you can do it – even scuba diving in the swimming pool.’

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: Cricketers (obvs) and anyone else who loves their sport but it’s a solid all-rounder school where every child will find their place. With a large amount of outdoor space, it feels like it’s in the countryside but it’s not in the back of beyond. Its location in Somerset’s county town is great for older students’ growing independence.

Not for: Stuffy tweeds and pearls types; this is a super-friendly, inclusive place.

Don’t take our word for it: Visit the school and see for yourself on a personal tour, taster day, or on one of its open days in spring and autumn. To reserve your place on the next one – Sat 16 March – and get a prospectus, click here. Call 01823 328204 for more info.

King’s College, Taunton, South Road, Taunton, Somerset TA1 3LA. Tel 01823 328200.

King’s College, Taunton

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