Private school King’s School Canterbury International College

King’s School Canterbury International College

Canterbury International College is part of King’s School Canterbury, Britain’s oldest school, founded in 597 CE. The school is located in Canterbury, Kent, in south-eastern England, a 1-hour drive from London.

King's School is a large campus in the beautiful surroundings of Canterbury Cathedral. Majestic buildings of the 13th century organically coexist with modern buildings, creating an atmosphere of comfort and cosiness.

The international college opened in September 2018 and teaches foreign children 13-17 years old. The goal of the college is to prepare students for admission to the best high schools in the UK, offering students a ‘soft landing’ into UK boarding life. The college has capacity for 80 students.

The college is located in a purpose-built building designed by the best London architects. The modern building is a striking combination of concrete and glass, very organically blending into the surrounding landscape. From the corridors with oak floors overlooks the landscaped central courtyard - a meeting place for students and a platform for presentations, performances and open-air concerts.

DIRECTOR (stand 2026)

Jude Lowson, Education - Sevenoaks School; University of Cambridge, Master of Arts - MA, History; University of Cambridge, Management Studies.

KEY FACTORS

• Classes are small, with an average of just 8 students per class (Max 12).
• Studying at King's is a great first experience with the UK education system.
• Focus on development of academic English
• High exam results.
• Family atmosphere, helping internationalstudents adapt to life in the UK.
• 50% of students after college entered The King's School, Canterbury forA-Levels. The rest enteredsome ofthe best schools in the UK: St Paul's School, Brighton College, Cardiff Sixth Form College, Charterhouse, Shrewsbury.
• Former students have received offers from top UK universities including: Oxford University, UCL, Warwick University, Edinburgh University, Durham University
• 100% of teachers have a bachelor degree and a post-graduate degree or professional qualification.
• College students have access to King's excellent equipment, many sports, music and art classes take place within the school.
• Modern accommodation with twin rooms and en-suite facilities.
• All co-curricular and extra-curricular activities are joint with the King’s Senior School students.

EQUIPMENT

For the college, the King's historic Malthouse Schoolhouse, which is located next to the main college building, has been completely renovated. It now houses the Centre for Fine Arts, a theatre with 350 seats, research laboratories, as well as a large dining room.

In the main building of the college there are 2 scientific laboratories, classes for art and photography, rooms for practical music lessons, a medical room. Classrooms are small and compact, with modern touch monitors. There is a small library, but all children have access to King's School's large library.

Pupils use King’s excellent sports equipment: 8 hectares of sports fields for rugby, football, hockey, lacrosse, cricket, athletics; tennis and netball courts; artificial hockey field, grass track athletic track. The school has a Sports and Recreation Centre with a large sports hall, a 25-meter pool, squash courts, a climbing wall, a fencing hall, a fitness studio and a dance studio. 3 km from the school there is a boat club where children go in for water sports.

Pupils also have access to King's well-equipped music school, opened in 2009. Here are rooms for rehearsals and practical exercises, a recording studio, a library and a hall for rehearsal of the choir.

PROGRAM

Year 9 (13-14-year-olds)
A preparation course for entry into a British curriculum school in Year 10

Year 9 Plus (13-16-year-olds)
A three-year course, combining the Year 9 preparation course and Year 10 two-year GCSE course.

Year 10 + Year 11 (14-16-year-olds)
A two-year course combining in Y10: the study of some GCSEs with a broad introduction to other subjects with Year 11: the continuation of GCSEs started in Year 10 with optional one-year courses

Year 11 (15-17-year-olds)
An intensive one-year GCSE course, preparing students for Sixth Form entry into an A Level or IB school in Years 12 and 13

ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD

Accommodation in a residence, in a new (main) college building. Children live in twin rooms with en-suite facilities. The building has common rooms for relaxation and communication, study and music rooms, and a medical office. Meals - in the cafeteria of the college.

SPORT

During all co-currricular activities International College students are fully integrated with the King’s Senior school students. The college pays great attention to the health of students, so sports are considered one of the priority areas. All sports classes are conducted by professional instructors. Among them: Jen Wilson - a former hockey player of international level and a three-time winner of the Olympic Games; Mark Ealham - a former international cricketer; Jon Williamson is the head of the English rowing team.

College sports: athletics, cricket, running, horseback riding, fencing, soccer, golf, hockey, lacrosse, netball, rowing, rugby, sailing, shooting, squash, swimming, tennis.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

Children take part in the college’s busy music life: 6 choirs, 3 orchestras, many chamber groups, a brass band, rock and jazz groups. The college allows you to effectively prepare for specialized exams in music schools. King's School is known for its high level of teaching music. Teachers are practicing professionals who play in symphony orchestras and teach at music academies.

Students will have the opportunity to attend workshops of famous solo artists such as Andrew Marriner (clarinet), Ann Murray (vocals), Nicholas Daniel (oboe), Rebecca Gilliver (cello). Master classes are organized every semester,

In college, you can do art and photography, regularly conduct educational trips to London galleries. The college offers dancing and ballet classes, every year the school organizes a grand dance show.

The theatre department is impressive. Drama classes are held at the highest level. At least 4 large-scale productions within the school take place annually. Not far from the college is The Marlowe Theatre, which has already hosted performances staged and played by King's students twice: Les Misérables and West Side Story. Each performance was attended by 6,000 people.

COST, 2026-2027

£22,584 per semester.
There are 3 semesters in the school year.

Included in cost

• Standard academic and co-curricular tuition
• Accommodation and meals
• Educational materials
• Trips and expeditions that are part of the curriculum
• Accident insurance(incorporating Dental)

Additionally paid

• Deposit - £2,400 + cost of 1 term
• Flights
• Transfers to / from the airport
• Visa
• Services of the company "Paradise"
• Guardianship (as required by British law)

Our services and fees

IMPRESIONS OF COLLEGE VISITS

Canterbury is a stunningly beautiful town with what is considered to be the best microclimate in England. It has the largest number of warm and sunny days in England. James Stevenson (Director of Admissions at The King’s School Canterbury International College) assures me that he always mentions this fact to parents of potential students. “No wonder,” I reply, as usual in England, wrapping myself in a warm stole.

International College is a division of the oldest school in the world, The King’s School Canterbury. The college opened in 2018 FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AGED 13-16, who, due to insufficient English, cannot start studying at leading boarding schools. The college currently has only about 42 students from 13 different countries. There are a maximum of 12 children in a class, and sometimes only 4. This speaks of almost individual attention to students. After finishing college, children try to enter the senior school The King’s School, and do it successfully!

All teachers at the international college King’s School Canterbury specialize in teaching their subject in English as a foreign language. And they teach there with a bang! After the first year of study, ALMOST ALL STUDENTS MOVED TO THE A-LEVEL PROGRAM AT THE MAIN SCHOOL The King’s School. Which, by the way, in terms of academics and prestige competes with Eton College, Harrow School and other iconic names in British education.

And a girl from China, who came for only one year, managed to pass her GCSE exams with all 9s - that’s the HIGHEST SCORE! Moreover, one of the subjects was French, which, I dare say, she began studying there (that is, she studied it for only 1 year). Of course, the diligence of Chinese students can be envied, but let's not deny that this success would not have been possible without teaching "top-notch", right?

They think a lot about the well-being of children here. The math teacher shows me white boards for each student. She explains that children write answers to assignments on them so as not to shout out loud and not to distract those who are still thinking, not to interrupt their thought process.

The physics teacher introduces me to his assistant, who is preparing the office and equipment so that the teacher can devote all his time and attention to the children, without being distracted by organizational issues. Little things, it would seem, but how much they say...

An important point: there is ABSOLUTE SAFETY here! Canterbury, according to statistics, is the safest city in England. Being right in the city, where at every step there are traces of antiquity and monuments of world cultural heritage is another cool advantage of the school. And you can get there from London by high-speed train in just 50 minutes.

Natalia Strein
Founder of Paradise Education company

There are a number of Harry Potter-themed schools. This one was supposed to BE the Harry Potter school! It was chosen for filming. But the Archbishop of Canterbury wouldn't give his holy permission. He said, no devilry will happen at the walls of my cathedral!

Kings School Canterbury is the oldest school in the world! Founded in 597 AD. It's the perfect school. Trust me: I've been inspecting schools for 23 years and have seen over a hundred. Walking around the campus doesn't feel like an educational institution at all. You feel like you're on a tour of an ancient castle and its surrounding rooms, dining halls, chapels... all this huge property is nestled under the wing of the famous Canterbury Cathedral, and part of the ancient city wall is now the school "fence".

Everything is wonderful here, I give it a 10 out of 10. The reception staff, along with the director of the admissions committee, are screaming with joy like children! I thought they would nod politely: the brilliance of the school is probably obvious to them. The beauty of the architecture is combined with the neat interiors of the houses for living. Everything is simple, the rooms are without amenities, but very cozy, well-maintained, it is pleasant to be here. In the house that a student from England, Tilly, shows me, there is even a small gym, a room for music lessons and its own spacious and bright study room, equipped with computers. Homework is done here.

Tilly takes me to the library, which I initially took for a chapel. She says that once a term the librarian brings a whole box of small puppies. People leave books and play with the cute creatures. I suppose this is how empathy is cultivated in children. And the children are glad that they can take a break and have fun. "A wonderful, wonderful custom," Tilly smiles.

And what about the teachers? Oh, she says, some are strict, some are not so, but there are no nasty ones. I, he says, like the strict ones more, I want to go to Durham University, I need to be driven... And how long have the teachers been working here? Yeah. Some are already 39 years old, some are 18. There is also young blood.

Tilly is studying Geology, Politics, Biology and Photography. Only 4 subjects. Next year is her final year, so she will drop Photography, it is a hobby, universities like Durham do not accept it. Tilly is thinking: will she specialize in anthropology or politics?

Kings has everything for sport, and all of it is of the highest quality. A swimming pool, a dance studio, sports halls and pitches. Fencing and rowing are very strong. The young and handsome Director of Admissions James combines this position with teaching the history of religions. “We are a school for all-round development. We have a great theater arts, fine art, technological design. We are good at sport, but we cannot compete with the strongest schools. Our greatest passion and strength is music. We have six choirs alone, and they constantly sing in Canterbury Cathedral.”

The ringing of bells accompanies our conversation. I enjoy their lilts no less than James’s perfect Oxford accent, a sign of his background and education. “Is it difficult to get into your school?” “Within reason. Get 60% or more in the entrance exam.” The average in England is 50-55%. 70% is considered very high. Foreigners should come with fluent English. Exams for them are held in January. In maths, science, English. Plus an interview. All this can be written at the British Council office in your country.

“Of course,” says James, “a child should be able to keep up with the fairly fast academic pace that our school has, and it is higher than many schools. However, we are incomparable with some day schools in London, like Westminster, where the pressure is much higher. Hallelujah!” James exclaims. He is glad that their school is not fixated on grades alone. Children should have a childhood.

In general, schools of this rank are the coolest, the academic Olympus. They are the Rolls-Royces of schools. And their staff is often arrogant, imbued with their own importance. Those same prim Englishmen. They are politely hasty, showing the school at a fast pace, making it clear with their whole appearance how insanely busy and in great demand they are. No heart-to-heart talks for you, and especially no "tea, coffee, let's dance", be glad you were allowed here at all. (And sometimes it is not so easy to get through.)

Kings turns everything upside down. They are the kindest! All three aunties in a beautiful old office (imagine a cathedral, but with low ceilings and carpeting) smile wholeheartedly and try to make me feel as comfortable as possible. They tell me that "the coffee is about to brew!" and offer to treat myself to some fruit. Any child can run in and take it.

There are no places for next year for a long time, so don't think that this is marketing. Kings doesn't need any advertising at all. That's just the way people are.

Great news for dessert: Kings has an international center for 80 places, where they prepare foreign children with insufficient English to enter their school. What luck!

P.S. We also have rare good schools and excellent teachers. But we don't have and don't expect to have traditions and architecture that go back centuries. And such power of equipment and investments. But the main thing that is missing in educational institutions of the Russian Federation is a system of instilling true values ​​in children. So far, any gathering of children from well-off families turns into a vanity fair, talk about clubs, demonstration of phones, business class airplanes and other masquerade rags. Not a discussion about French poetry, brilliant ideas of medieval architecture or the role of the Allies in World War II. And here they discuss it over school dinner. (Yes, I didn't believe it before either!)