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King’s College School, Cambridge CB3

West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DN

King's College School, Cambridge CB3

10 reasons to choose King's College School, Cambridge

Top line

King’s College School, Cambridge has a Schoolsmith Score® of 91. It is one of the best independent prep schools in and around Cambridge and one of the 3 best primary schools for 1 mile.

School fundamentals

King’s College School, Cambridge is an independent prep day and boarding school for boys and girls (70%/30%) between the ages of 4 and 13 years. It is also a Choir School. Boarding from Year 4 for the 10% of boys who board. 80% are full boarders and 20% are weekly or flexi boarders. It is a Church of England school, open to all faiths and none. The school has an academically selective admissions policy from Year 3. It is a standalone prep school, not tied to any one senior school. King’s College School, Cambridge fees range from £6,414 (Rec) to £8,136 per term (2025/26). Fees include VAT but exclude lunches.

Average class size

King’s College School, Cambridge has two classes per year to Year 2, three from Year 3, and an average class size of 17 pupils.

Leavers' destinations

Destinations for just over 70% of King’s College School leavers is a Cambridgeshire independent school. The most popular are Perse Upper School (24% of leavers over the past three years), The Leys School (19%), King’s Ely (15%), and St Mary’s School (6%). Of the 30% who move on to a more distant school, the most popular of the 10 or so destinations is Oundle School (8%). 30-40% of pupils win awards and scholarships, the majority being for music or academic.

The King's College School, Cambridge curriculum

School curriculum School curriculum is based on the National Curriculum and the ISEB Common Entrance curriculum. It is thematic in pre-prep, with cross-curricular topics. The curriculum also includes PSHCE, French, Spanish, Latin, Greek. The timetabled enrichment programme, ‘The Cresco Division’, focuses on Choral training and STEM for younger pupils. Years 6 to 8 have more options including literature, drama, dance, critical thinking, Spanish and archaeology. The school is one of the 50 prep schools with the most extensive academic and hobby extra-curricular programmes in the UK.

More on the curriculum

There are regular educational trips for all year groups, visiting speakers and residential trips from Year 7.

Specialist teaching

Specialist teachers for music, languages, and sport throughout, for art, DT, computing, and Latin from Year 3, and for most subjects from Year 5.

Sport at King's College School, Cambridge

3 or 4 games afternoons and a double PE session per week. School offers between 10 and 15 different sports over the course of the year. Competitive teams in major sports from Year 3. In recent years the school has enjoyed national success in hockey, orienteering, squash.

The Arts at King's College School, Cambridge

School educates the choristers of King’s College, Cambridge. The choir was ranked 2nd best choir (with children) in the world by Gramophone Magazine in December 2010. The Schola Cantorum for girls in Years 6 to 8 aims to provide girls with similar opportunities. Art, music and drama are taught as discrete curricular subjects to all pupils. All pupils learn an instrument in class and nearly all take extra-curricular instrument lessons from Year 3. 5 choirs (including the Cathedral Choir), two orchestras (70-80 strong each) and 40 instrument ensembles. The school offers each pupil over 5 different extra-curricular creative and performing arts clubs.

Wraparound care

Wraparound care from 8.00am to 6.00pm. Facility for occasional boarding.

Find another school near King's College School, Cambridge

Independent Prep Schools

St John’s College School, Cambridge (0.3 miles); Stephen Perse Junior School Fitzwilliam Building (1.4 miles); The Heritage Infant & Junior School (1.4 miles); King’s Ely, Junior School and Acremont (16.7 miles); Barnardiston Hall Preparatory School (23.2 miles).

State Primary Schools

Newnham Croft Primary School (0.8 miles); St Alban’s Catholic Primary School, Cambridge (1.2 miles); Coton Church of England Primary School (2.9 miles).

Independent Senior Schools

The Leys School (1.1 miles); The Stephen Perse Foundation (1.4 miles); Mander Portman Woodward, Cambridge (1.4 miles); St Mary’s School, Cambridge (1.4 miles); King’s Ely (16.9 miles).

State Senior Schools

Parkside Community College (1.4 miles); Chesterton Community College (1.5 miles); Hills Road Sixth Form College (2.3 miles).

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