Kent College Canterbury

• Year of foundation: 1885 
• Location: Kent, Canterbury
• Type of education: mixed
• Number of students: 670
• Programs: Primary school, Secondary school, GCSE / IGCSE, 1 Year GCSE , A-level, IB
• Accommodation: boarding house from 11 years old
• Ranking: one of TOP-50 schools of England
• Age of students: up to 18 years old

Co-educational school in Canterbury occupies a part of the city territory. On 70 acres, the Moute estate is located, a farm, a variety of sports fields. The territory of Kent College Canterbury adjoins the forest area declared by the nature protection zone. The capital of Great Britain is less than an hour's drive from the school. Within 20 minutes from the school you can come to beautiful beaches of the sea strait.

Kent College Canterbury is a primary and secondary school in UK, it attracts foreign students from 40 countries of the world. For international students, an international center has been opened here. It provides intensive programs of studying English, allowing students to quickly adapt to the educational environment of the Kent College of Canterbury, to join the main program of the school, to pass a university entrance examination. The international center is attended by children 11-17 years old. Groups are formed according to the level of basic knowledge. The number of people in them does not exceed six.

Academic results of the Kent College Canterbury students are impeccable. More than 70% of students take the A-level exams with the A * -B score. According to IB, the average score of school graduates exceeds the regional average by 7 points. The score corresponds to 4A * by A-level. About 10% of the school's graduates enter Oxbridge. 30% of students prefer natural sciences, electronics. 5% enter medical schools, 5% realize themselves in creative activity. Kent College graduates study at Warwick, Durham, York, Exter Universities, London Imperial College.

Henrietta Lightwood

Marketing and Admission Director at Dukes Education

What advice can you give to potential applicants who choose UK schools?

I would advise you to actively study English, read more - it actively develops understanding of the language, knowledge of grammar, construction of sentences and phrases. Try to talk to as many people as possible, look for resources on the Internet, watch movies - be more active!

Kent College is a non-selective school with small classes (averaging 16 students, maximum 20 in Senior School), which allows for an individual approach to each student. Starting from Year 7, many subjects use ability grouping (streaming). Homework is assigned via Google Classroom; Study Hall is available every evening from 16:40 to 17:30 under teacher supervision. In Year 7, two homework assignments per evening are scheduled, 20 minutes each.

All Senior School students work on personal laptops under the Easy4U programme (purchase or rental is available through a partner programme); use of personal devices for study is not provided. In Junior School, Computing/ICT is taught by specialists on iPads and MacBooks.

Chapel services are held three times a week. The tutor meets with students every morning and serves as the first point of contact for parents. Written progress reports are issued in December and July; parents' evenings are held in autumn and spring.

The school has a dedicated Learning Support Centre — five small rooms for group and one-on-one sessions. The Centre covers work with dyslexia, dyscalculia, attention deficit disorder, autism and hearing impairments. Each student with special needs receives an individual profile. Following an ISI inspection, it was noted that «the achievements of students with EAL or special needs are high». In Year 8, it is possible to study British Sign Language (BSL) instead of a foreign language. The timetable is flexible: athletes, musicians and students with special needs receive an individual schedule, academic support and frequent feedback.

In the International Study Centre (ISC), the average class size is 6 students; peer assessment and self-assessment are used. The PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education) programme covers all school levels. A therapy dog works in the Centre to support students' psychological wellbeing.

Kent College Canterbury covers all levels of education — from nursery to sixth form:

• Garden Cottage Nursery (from 3 months to 3 years): the EYFS programme runs 50 weeks a year; The Lodge and The Cottage buildings in Harbledown.
• Pre-School and Junior School (3–11 years, Pre-Reception — Year 6): Early Years Foundation Stage, National Curriculum KS1 and KS2 programmes; subjects include English, Mathematics, Science, Music, PE, Drama, Art, Computing/ICT. GREAT programme (for gifted pupils): two lessons per week — Sciences, Art, Drama, Music, PE, Languages. From Year 5 — in-depth study of French or Spanish (4 lessons per week), reaching GCSE level by age 14.
• Senior School, KS3 (11–14 years, Years 7–9): a broad range of subjects, including the «Carousel» course (Eco-Studies, Design Technology); setting by ability from Year 7.
• Senior School, KS4 / GCSE (14–16 years, Years 10–11): 22 subjects to choose from: compulsory — English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Science (double award), short course Religious Studies.
• Pre Sixth Form (15+, one-year course, Year 10): preparation for Sixth Form; completing GCSEs in one year.
• Sixth Form (16–18 years, Years 11–13): two main academic pathways:
  • A-Level — 23 subjects available: Art, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Computer Science, Design, Drama, Economics, English Literature, Geography, German, History, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Philosophy and Religion, Physics, Politics, Psychology, Spanish, PE, EPQ and others.
  • International Diploma Programme — six subjects chosen: Literature, Foreign Language, Humanities, Science, Mathematics, Arts. Three subjects at Higher Level, three at Standard Level, plus Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge, CAS. Grading scale — up to 45 points. Languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian.
  • Cambridge Technical Diploma — three tracks: Business, Media, Sport.
• International Study Centre (ISC) (11–18 years): intensive English language course; preparation for international English language examinations; EAL support — 4+ lessons per week for Years 12–13; groups of up to 6 students.

Kent College Canterbury is distinguished by high achievements in academics and sciences, sports and creativity. In December 2025, the school was recognized as the «Best Global School of the International Baccalaureate 2025». Following the most recent full ISI inspection (November 2025), the school received an «Excellent» rating across all indicators — the highest possible. It ranks in the top 50 independent schools in the UK by A-Level and top 10 by International Baccalaureate, and is among the leaders in added academic value. One graduate achieved the highest score in the world in Geography within the International Baccalaureate.

Sports achievements:

• April 2025: the U16 hockey team reached the national cup final.
• January 2025: the U13 hockey team became county champions.
• A school alumna is a bronze Olympic medallist and gold and bronze Commonwealth Games medallist in hockey; another alumna has played 60+ matches for the England and Great Britain national teams.
• The women's cricket team won the national U13 Lady Taverners tournament at Lord's.
• Victory in the U14 Oliver Cup with progression to ESCA.
• A cricket team alumna was invited to join the England squad, another became the youngest player in the history of The Hundred.

Musical achievements (KC Choristers choir):

• Semi-finalists of BBC Songs of Praise Young Choir of the Year in 2015, 2018 and 2019,
• Finalists of National Choir of the Year (BBC Radio 3) in 2016,
• Winners of Barnardo's Choir of the Year in 2012,
• Performance at Music for Youth 2018 at Symphony Hall Birmingham.

Theatre and arts:

• The school received a nomination for the National Theatre Award,
• A student performed at Edinburgh Fringe in 2025,
• Notable alumni in the «Arts» field include a fashion designer (River Island), an architect in royal service, and an internationally acclaimed artist.

• The school's on-site café is called «1885» — in honor of the year of founding; payments are processed through the sQuid biometric system.
• The four school houses bear names connected to the history of Canterbury: Augustine, Becket, Chaucer, and Marlowe.
• The school's own Moat Farm (over 60 years) with Sussex breed cattle, pigs, sheep, poultry, rabbits, guinea pigs, and an equestrian centre — a rarity among British independent schools.
• Each year, approximately 6,000 pork sausages are produced from the school's own livestock on the farm, with organic food waste returned to the farm.
• Junior School is located in the former home of landscape artist Sidney Cooper — a Victorian-era mansion in Harbledown.
• A therapy dog named Barlow lives in the Learning Support Centre — helping pupils cope with anxiety.
• More than 40 nationalities in the student community. The school has been welcoming international students for over 50 years.
• Junior School was the first among local preparatory schools to introduce iPads into the learning process.
• The school organised its own bus route for the local elderly community to replace a cancelled public service.
• Annual food consumption: approximately 300 kg of strawberries per summer term, 6,000 eggs per week, 11,000 apples per year.
• The Christmas dinner menu is compiled according to the wishes of the boarding pupils themselves.
• Kent College has been the principal sponsor of the Canterbury Festival for over 8 years.
• Canterbury is a UNESCO World Heritage Site: 5 minutes by car to the city centre, 55 minutes by train to London.

Accommodation in Kent College is offered in two residences: male and female. For younger students there are 4-bed rooms. After grade 6 the students can live in separate apartments. In each residence a senior educator lives. He helps students to solve emerging domestic and other issues. Each school residence is equipped with everything necessary for a comfortable and interesting pastime (play area, rest room, etc.).

Children are offered meals on a full board basis. School canteens are comfortable and cozy. The menu has a wide range of classic, dietary, vegetarian dishes. In accordance with the characteristics of health, cultural preferences for the child can be tailored to an individual diet.

Subject list: Accounting, animation, Art, biology, business, catering, chemistry, drama, ecology, economics, electronics, English literature, Filmmaking, geography, history, Information Technology, Jazz band, law, Library and information theory, literature, maths, music, physical education, physics, Political science, Psychology, theatre studies
Activity list: Athletics, badminton, basketball, chess Club, Chorus, cricket, culinary arts, dance club, Debating circle, Drama, fencing, fitness, football, Fotomasterstvo, hockey, horseback riding, martial arts, modeling, netball, Pilates, Protection of Nature, rowing, rugby, saxophone, Scientific research group, Symphony Orchestra, tennis, volleyball, yoga,  Club of geographers

Extracurricular life at Kent College is highly varied: the Senior School runs 70–80 clubs per week, and the Junior School runs 60–70. From the first year of study, every student is required to attend at least two activities per week.

Sport

• Hockey — coached by a staff of 10 specialists, including an Olympic hockey champion; a partnership has been established with Canterbury Hockey Club (national league).
• Cricket — 14 or more teams (boys and girls), partnership with Kent County Cricket Club, an annual «Cricket Week» with a match against MCC, an annual youth festival at Spitfire Ground.
• Rugby — reinstated in the 2022/23 academic year, compulsory for Years 7–8; partnership with Canterbury RFC.
• Tennis, netball, football, athletics, swimming, horse riding, gymnastics.
• Equestrian section: weekend sessions at an accredited Pony Club centre, participation in regional and national NSEA competitions.

Music and the arts

• 33 visiting music teachers, 7 choirs, a full orchestra, concert band, jazz band, string quartets, saxophone ensemble, flute groups.
• 10 dramatic productions per year, an annual full-scale musical and an outdoor summer opera. Shola was nominated for a National Theatre Award.
• Choirs have toured Austria, Italy, France, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Budapest and Venice, and give an annual concert at the Colyer Fergusson Hall at the University of Kent.
• In the Junior School, more than 75% of pupils play a musical instrument, many play two or more.

Duke of Edinburgh Programme

• Bronze level — usually in Year 10; silver and gold — in the senior school.
• «Gold» expeditions take place in the United Kingdom (Snowdonia, the Lake District) and abroad (Iceland, the Dolomites, Slovenia).

Clubs and academic societies

• Amnesty International, Eco-warriors, Model UN, debating, chess, photography, coding, young entrepreneurs, Young Enterprise and other options.
• KC Young Farmers Club — over 60 years of history, annual participation in Kent County Show.
• Charity committee: annual fundraising; partnership with a school in Peru.

Trips and excursions

• Ski trip to Italy, history/economics trip to Rome, geography fieldwork in Iceland, choral tours to Budapest and Venice, STEM trip to Discovery Park, physics at CERN (Geneva), student exchanges in Tanzania and the USA.
• Boarders: 30 Sunday trips per year, notable annual events — Christmas party, senior school prom, Lunar New Year, Summer Slam.

Annual farm events

• Carols on the Farm Christmas concert, Farm Open Day, cricket festival, participation in Kent County Show.

• Kent College of Canterbury is one of the most sporting schools in Britain. Its students participate in interregional competitions in several sports. In total, 15 sports courses are offered to the attention of students.
• The level of academic preparation allows Kent College graduates to choose the most prestigious universities in the country.
• There are more than 50 student interest clubs at the school.
• Kent College offers best living conditions in the UK.
• Children with different levels of language proficiency are admitted to the school. Courses in the International center help foreign students to improve their communication skills.

Kent College of Canterbury has everything you need for the all-round development. Classrooms are equipped with modern technology used in the educational process. The school has a gym, a library, a computer class with free access to the Internet. On the territory there are fields for cricket, squash, rugby, football, netball, tennis courts, track and field athletics track, music school, racetrack.

Also, students can learn the basics of prestigious animal husbandry. On 50 acres of pastures, elite horses, sheep, Sussex cattle graze here. In addition, there are poultry, ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs.

The academic year at Kent College consists of three terms: autumn, spring, and summer.

• The summer term 2026 for Senior School began on 21 April,
• the autumn term 2026 will begin on 3 September,
• the spring term 2027 — on 5 January.

Classes in Senior School run from 08:35 to 16:25; after lessons — clubs until 17:30. In Junior School the school day starts at 08:40, with early drop-off from 08:00 and after-school care until 18:00.

The registration fee is £150 (non-refundable), the deposit for boarding pupils from outside the EU is £15,500, for UK/EU boarders — £4,000, for day pupils — £750. International payers can pay via the Flywire system.

If you plan to withdraw your child outside the standard date, one term's notice is required, or payment of a term's fees in lieu of notice; invoices are issued at least two weeks before the start of term. School fees insurance is included automatically.

Additional costs:

• Individual music lessons and instrument hire,
• Learning Support / EAL,
• International Study Centre (ISC) membership,
• Occasional boarding (single overnight stays),
• Short-stay supplement (1–2 terms),
• Excursions and educational trips,
• Visa processing and Certificate of Acceptance for Studies fee,
• School uniform and textbooks,
• Transport (Vectare school buses on routes to Ashford, Canterbury, Folkestone, Herne Bay, Thanet and others),
• Summer camp at Junior School.

Extras:

• Registration fee (for a programme/course) 100 GBP
• Deposit for a course/programme 8967 GBP

1. Registration: completing an online application, paying a non-refundable registration fee, providing the two most recent school reports, passport and birth certificate (documents not in English must be translated by a licensed translator).
2. Entrance assessments: testing in English, mathematics and non-verbal reasoning; for international students — an additional online English test; for those applying to the sixth form — a minimum of 6 GCSE grades of B or above in relevant subjects.
3. For international boarders — appointment of a guardian: the guardian must be over 25 years of age, reside within two hours' travel, and hold AEGIS or BSA accreditation.
4. Receiving an offer of admission and signing a contract with parents.
5. Payment of a deposit.
6. Student visa application (for international boarders): applications should be submitted no earlier than 6 months before the start of studies; processing takes approximately 8 weeks.
7. Arrival and orientation: all new Year 7 students take part in an information day in June and an induction day before the start of the September term; a team-building day is held at Betteshanger Park in mid-September.

Smapse specialists will guide you through every stage of the admissions process.

The academic results of Kent College Canterbury graduates consistently exceed national and global benchmarks.

• In the International Baccalaureate programme, the average score of graduates has remained at 37 or above for 13 consecutive years with a 100% pass rate — globally, this figure is approximately 82–81%. In 2025, the average score reached 37.1 against a world average of 30.5. Over the past 12 years, a number of students have achieved the maximum 45 points, placing them in the top 1% worldwide.
• In A-Level and Cambridge Technical in 2025: 31% of grades were A*–A, 59% were A*–B, 99% of students passed their exams. The average for 2018–2024: 44% — A*–A, 70% — A*–B.
• In GCSE in 2025, 45% of grades were 7 and above, and 92% of students passed five or more exams.

47–50% of sixth form graduates gain places at Russell Group universities; 98% of students are admitted to their first-choice university; the average UCAS score is 150, which corresponds to the A*AA level. The school is among the best for added academic value.

Kent College is a non-selective school that accepts students of any background. Standard entry points: age 11 (Year 7), age 13 (Year 9), and age 16 (start of sixth form); international boarders may also enter at age 15 (Year 10).

Documents required at registration:

• Two most recent school reports / academic transcripts,
• Passport (international),
• Birth certificate or identity document.

Documents not in English must be translated by a licensed translator.

Entrance assessments:

• Year 7 (11+): testing in English, mathematics and non-verbal reasoning — at the end of January; offers of admission — in February.
• Years 8–11: English, mathematics, non-verbal reasoning; for international students — an additional online English test, for B1 level and below — an online interview with the Head of the International Study Centre.
• Sixth form (16+): a minimum of 6 GCSE examinations with a grade no lower than B in the chosen subjects.

For international boarders:

• Appointment of an official guardian (aged 25 or over, living within two hours' travel; AEGIS or BSA accreditation required).
• Obtaining a Child Student visa: applications should be submitted no earlier than 6 months in advance, processing takes approximately 8 weeks. The child must be no older than 17 years of age on the first day of school.
• Proof of funding for 1 year and payment of the CAS fee.

For the International Study Centre (ISC):

• Years 7–9: beginner or below-intermediate level of English.
• Years 10–12: below-intermediate level of English.

Smapse specialists will guide you through every stage of the application process.

Kent College offers scholarships in several categories, awarded upon entry into Years 7, 9, and 12. In accordance with HMC standards, the maximum scholarship amount is 50% of tuition fees; multiple scholarships combined must also not exceed this threshold.

• Academic Scholarship — all candidates for Year 7 are automatically considered for it based on the results of the January entrance tests. Academic scholars in Years 7–9 have access to the KCPQ (Kent College Project Qualification) programme.
• International Baccalaureate Scholarship (for sixth form entry only, 16+) — requires two essays: a personal statement of up to 300 words, and a research essay of up to 1,000 words.
• Art Scholarships — awarded at Years 7, 9, and 12; include a portfolio, interview, and a drawing exercise.
• Design Scholarships — for entry into Years 9 and 12; include an individual task, portfolio, and interview.
• Drama, Music, and Sports Scholarships — awarded at the relevant entry points.
• GTX Arts Scholarship Programme Music Scholarships — several scholarships are awarded annually.
• Sibling Discount: when three or more children from the same family are enrolled — a 20% discount for the third child, and 40% for the fourth and subsequent children.
• Means-Tested Financial Assistance — provided based on an assessment of the family's financial circumstances.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision