The King's School Canterbury
25 The Precincts, Canterbury, CT1 2ES
- Phase
- Independent schools
- School type
- Other independent school
- Ages
- 13 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headmaster
- Ms Jude Lowson
- Admissions policy
- Selective
- Boarding
- Boarding school
- Constituency
- Canterbury
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,060
- Pupils on roll
- 985
- URN
- 118996
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01227595501
About this school
The King's School Canterbury is a Church of England independent school in Canterbury. It teaches children aged 13 to 19 and has 985 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has not yet inspected The King's School Canterbury under its current framework. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
The King's School Canterbury has not been inspected by Ofsted yet. It opened in its current form in January 1908, and new or converted schools usually wait a few years for their first inspection.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 205 | 217 | 195 |
| Attainment 8 score | 16.0 | 17.5 | 17.6 |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The King's School Canterbury has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Kent average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 16 | 37.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 17.5 | 37.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 17.6 | 37.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 943 |
| 2023/24 | 911 |
| 2024/25 | 958 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 0%
- Pupils with an EHC plan
- 0
- Pupils on SEN support
- 251
Location
Nearby schools
-
Canterbury Christ Church University0.2 miles
Universities · Canterbury
-
Haven Nook0.4 miles
Special schools · Canterbury
-
Newingate School0.7 miles
Special schools · Canterbury
-
St Nicholas' School0.8 miles
Special schools · Canterbury
-
The Orchard School0.8 miles
Special schools · Canterbury
Other schools in Canterbury
- Junior King's School Independent schools
- Kent College (Canterbury) Independent schools
- Kent College International Study Centre Independent schools
- Kent College Nursery, Infant and Junior School Independent schools
- St Edmund's School Canterbury Independent schools
- St Faith's At Ash School Limited Independent schools
- The Worthgate School Independent schools
- Adisham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School Primary
- Aylesham Primary School Primary
- Barham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Blean Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does The King's School Canterbury teach?
- The King's School Canterbury teaches children aged 13 to 19. It is an independent school in Canterbury.
- Who is the headmaster of The King's School Canterbury?
- The headmaster of The King's School Canterbury is Ms Jude Lowson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The King's School Canterbury been inspected?
- Ofsted has not inspected The King's School Canterbury under its current framework, so no current judgement is shown. That is common for newer schools and is not a mark against a school.
- How many pupils are at The King's School Canterbury?
- The King's School Canterbury has 985 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 13 to 19.
- Is The King's School Canterbury full?
- The King's School Canterbury has capacity for 1,060 pupils and 985 on roll (93%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The King's School Canterbury a faith school?
- Yes. The King's School Canterbury is designated Church of England.
- Is The King's School Canterbury a selective school?
- Yes. The King's School Canterbury is recorded as Selective in the schools register, so entry involves selection.
- How have The King's School Canterbury's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 16 in 2022/23 and 17.6 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What are The King's School Canterbury's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The King's School Canterbury's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 24 July 2026.