Kent College

Infobox School2
name = Kent College, Canterbury
motto = "Lux Tua Via Mea (Latin: Your Light is My Way)
established = 1885
image
caption
type = Public school
head_name = Headmaster
head = Dr. David Lamper
city = Canterbury
state = Kent
country = United Kingdom
pupils = 490(approx.)
website = [http://www.kentcollege.com www.kentcollege.com]

Kent College, Canterbury is an independent co-educational boarding and day school for pupils between the ages of 11 and 18, founded in 1885. Kent College is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

The Senior School occupies a semi-rural site of some 70 acres on the edge of the city of Canterbury, and also owns the nearby Moat Estate, where there can be found a farm, which is managed by staff and pupils, and extensive sports pitches. These are adjacent to Blean Forest, which is the largest area of ancient woodland in Kent, and recognised on a British and international level for its importance as a wildlife conservation area.

Vernon Holme, its junior school, is located about a mile away, and provides day school education for boys and girls between the ages of 3 and 11, and boarding for children aged 7 and above.

The School

The school was founded in 1885, the foundation stone for the present main building was laid in 1887, and in 1920, Kent College was acquired by the Board of Management for Methodist Residential Schools. As such, it is a Christian school, although it accepts pupils of all faiths - and none. Originally established as a boys' school, since 1973 it has been fully co-educational.

In 2003, the school was subject to a regular, independent inspection, and was commended for being a "happy, well-integrated community of boarding and day pupils, teachers and support staff".

Kent College has a strong reputation for academic success, and nearly all Sixth Formers go on to university in the United Kingdom or abroad. Information Technology, Music, Art and Drama have a central role in the life of the school; Dance is becoming increasingly popular, and was recently introduced as a GCSE option. Both Kent College and Vernon Holme have Dyslexia Units, and the Senior School provides an International Studies Centre, where boarders whose English requires one-to-one tuition may receive it.

The School is also recognised for its sporting achievements, having won five national hockey titles in four years. It benefits from a floodlit Astro-turf, a sports-hall, a number of tennis-courts and various pitches, both on-campus and at the Moat Estate. Kent College has been recognised by The Daily Telegraph for its "outstanding" sporting record, and ranked as an "Independent School of the Year" in this area; facilities and coaching are available for a range of sports, including rugby, tennis, hockey, cricket, athletics, sailing, netball, squash, badminton and fencing.

Kent College has expanded in a series of building programmes, the most recent of which - a four-year, major project - is nearing completion.

Boarding and Sporting Houses

The School introduced separate boarding and sporting Houses during the 1980s. Boarders are sorted into both a boarding House and a sporting House, whilst day pupils are only sorted into a sporting House.

There are two sporting Houses:

* Marlowe House
* Chaucer House

Formerly, they were "Beckett" and "Cranmer", but were renamed in 2004.

There are four boarding Houses:

* School House - Boys
* Guildford House - Boys
* Austen House - Girls
* Wesley House - Girls

There were also other boarding Houses, both of which became defunct during the 1990s:

* Lower School
* Milton House

Lower School was originally the designated boarding house for all boarders in the 1st and 2nd Years (Years 7 and 8). In 1996, Lower School was closed, and the Prickett Building was redeveloped as classrooms; the boarders were moved to Milton House (boys) and Austen House (girls). At the start of the 1997-1998 academic year, Milton House was combined with School House, as both Houses were located in the main school building, albeit on separate floors.

Headmasters, Past and Present

Dr. David Lamper joined the School as Headmaster in September, 2007.

Below are listed the former Head Masters of Kent College, from 1885 to the present day:

* J. Deaville (1885 - 1888)
* L.W. Posnett (1888 - 1893)
* J. Smallpage (1893 - 1897)
* Rev. F.M. Facer (1897 - 1911)
* A. Brownscombe (1911 - 1934)
* H.J. Prickett (1934 - 1960)
* D.E. Norfolk (1960 - 1977)
* Dr. P.E. Sangster (1977 - 1979)
* R.J. Wicks (1980 - 1996)
* E.B. Halse (1996 - 2002)
* G.G. Carminati (2002 - 2007)
* D.J. Lamper (2007 -)

Two School buildings have been named after previous Head Masters - Mr. John Prickett and Mr. David Norfolk.

Chaplaincy

As a Christian Methodist school, Chapel holds a key place in the day, and services are given by the Chaplain, the Head Master or a visiting Minister. More recently, as introduced by the last chaplain, tutor groups across Kent College have been given the responsibility of producing a full-length Chapel on a given theme or topic. The current School Chaplain is the Rev. Paul Glass, who joined Kent College in the Autumn term of 2007.

Old Canterburians (Notable students)

Former pupils of the School are known as "Old Canterburians" ("O.C.s"). Among the Kent College alumni:

* Chris Albertson, American jazz historian
* Thomas Godfrey Evans, cricketer, for Kent and England
* Christopher Fairbank, actor, best known for his role in hit comedy-drama series "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet"
* Dr. John Redwood, Member of Parliament for Wokingham
* Tacita Dean, English visual artist
* David Eades, journalist and newsreader
* Ben Scotchbrook, journalist and newsreader
* Guy Berryman, bass player for British music band Coldplay
* Simon Scarrow, historical fiction author
* Anthony Scrivener, QC
* Ptolemy Dean, architect, and resident "ruin detective" on the BBC television programme, "Restoration"

Vernon Holme

The Kent College Infant and Junior School, at Vernon Holme in the village of Harbledown, was formerly the home of the Victorian artist Thomas Sidney Cooper R.A., and was purchased by the Senior School in 1945. It currently has approximately 220 pupils, and the Head Master is Mr. Andrew J. Carter.

Literature

The Kent College Centenary Book, written by Christopher Wright, a former Head of History at the school, and author of a number of other books, which traces the 100 years between the founding of K.C., through two World Wars, evacuation to Truro, the "Great Fire" - which destroyed part of the Main Building in 1938 - the extensive building programme and the problems of the 'sixties, to the co-educational school it was in 1985 - and is today - was published by Batsford, and is available from the School Shop and stocked in the Library.

The book, "10,001 Facts about Kent College", was the official supplement to Christopher Wright's Centenary Book, and published in the same year. It was compiled by A.P.L. Slater, and provides a concise view of names and dates recorded in the School's history, from the Head Prefects of successive years, to the longevity of contemporary staff members and "classic reports".

External links

* [http://www.kentcollege.com/ Kent College website]
* [http://www.webalumnus.com/userlogon.asp?oid=30126 Old Canterburians' website]