21st March 2021 — The King’s School, Worcester, in conjunction with Worcester Cathedral, are thrilled to announce a significant change to the chorister programme that presents equal opportunities to boy and girl choristers. In a historic first, the change will not only see boys and girls taking an equal share in choristership, but also see girls join from a younger age and, like the boys, have access to scholarships at King’s Worcester.

Worcester Cathedral has long been a place where choral singing of the highest standards has thrived. Choristers have been educated exclusively at The King’s School since the Refoundation by Henry VIII in 1541, with each chorister receiving a choral scholarship towards their fees.

The girl choristers were established in 2006 and are currently accepted from Year 7 and play an important part in cathedral worship. The choristership consists of separate boy and girl choirs who sing weekly at Evensong and contribute to other services throughout the year.

This significant new initiative seeks to build on the inclusion of girls, by opening up the choristership opportunity to girls from Year 4 in September 2021, plus sees them take an equal share in weekly chorister commitments. Girl choristers will also receive a fee remission and all choristers attend King’s St Alban’s school, followed by the senior school, King’s Worcester.

This important step presents an equal opportunity for boys and girls of all ages to have access to outstanding musical training at Worcester Cathedral, alongside a first-class education at The King’s School Worcester. The first places to be offered will be two girls in both Years 7 and 8 for September 2021, increasing over the next 3 years to incorporate younger girl choristers down to Year 4.

King’s St Alban’s sits adjacent to Worcester Cathedral, its close proximity ensuring a seamless flow between chorister commitments and school life. Academic provision is the foundation of the school, but of equal importance is their focus on growing a wide range of life-skills which the choristership journey encompasses. The King’s School is a nurturing and inclusive community, with a strong emphasis on offering opportunities which allow all children to shine and make the best of their innate potential.

Richard Chapman, Head of King’s St Alban’s, commented: “We are delighted and welcome this exciting change in that choristership now reflects the equality that King’s St Alban’s is passionate about. I am thrilled that our Cathedral Choir is already open to both boys and girls and that from September, children of all ages will benefit from both world-class choral training and a first-rate education at our school. It’s a significant commitment to be a chorister and a wonderful opportunity.  Choristers enjoy a stimulating and nurturing experience, develop a whole raft of skills, often go on to successful careers in many fields and develop a life-long passion for music.”

The Dean, the Very Rev’d Dr Peter Atkinson said: “I am delighted that we are now able to make this very significant step forward, giving the girls of the Cathedral Choir the same opportunity as the boys, and at the same time opening up fresh opportunities for children and young people right across the local community. The Cathedral Chapter is very grateful to the Governors and Headmaster of The King’s School for their support for this, which will benefit the Cathedral, King’s, and the City.”

19th November 2020 — The Headmaster and Governors of The King’s School, Worcester are delighted to announce the appointment of Mrs Jennie Phillips as the new Head of King’s Hawford, one of Worcester’s leading 2 – 11 Prep Schools.

Jennie will join in April 2021 from Monmouth School Girls’ Prep School where she is currently the Head. She was appointed from a dynamic field of sitting Heads and Deputies, and was the unanimous choice of the Headmaster, Governors and the staff who met her.

Jennie was educated at Oxford High School, and read Education at the University of Exeter. A keen hiker and swimmer, Jennie is married to Eddie and they have two daughters, Amelia and Daisy, who are all excited about the move.

Reflecting on her appointment, Mrs Phillips said, ‘I am absolutely delighted to be joining the team at King’s Hawford. The school has a wonderful warmth and a sense of community which is clearly held dear by parents, staff and pupils alike. I very much look forward to getting to know the school community and building on the excellent work of Mr Jim Turner, whilst working closely with Mr Richard Chapman, Head of King’s St Albans, under the Head of our Foundation, Mr Gareth Doodes. We will work together to provide parents with the choice of two outstanding, vibrant Prep school learning environments with high aspirations, that prepare our pupils well for the next step in their journey as they move on to King’s Worcester at the age 11.’

The Headmaster of the King’s Foundation, Gareth Doodes, celebrated Jennie’s appointment. ‘Jennie Phillips was the outstanding candidate throughout the process and will bring drive, energy and an abundance of enthusiasm to King’s Hawford. A natural communicator and a passionate educator, Jennie is also the first female Head in our Foundation’s near 500 year history. Such a milestone is something about which we are extremely proud, and I’m looking forward to working with such an inspiring leader in the years to come.’

There will be plenty of opportunities for parents and prospective parents to meet Mrs Phillips at various events during the Spring Term, either online or hopefully in person, including at our forthcoming Open Mornings.

14th October 2020 — Now more than ever, education needs focus, momentum and continuity to ensure that pupils not only survive the effects of lockdown, but thrive. During the last lockdown, King’s Worcester delivered more than 10,000 remote lessons, 20 virtual assemblies, 30 virtual music concerts and two virtual art exhibitions for its Senior and Sixth Form pupils. The school is now leading the way in delivering a hybrid model of learning ensuring that educational continuity is at the heart of the King’s education.

During a year of change and uncertainty the education sector has had to rapidly overhaul the way it operates and although at times it has been challenging, teachers are excellent at innovating and adapting to change. Many teachers at King’s Worcester have become digital champions, and the latest technology has been implemented across the foundation of schools to ensure that learning can be continued online at the switch of a button.

While King’s Worcester reopened in September and welcomed all pupils back to school it had to ensure that it could respond rapidly to changing guidance. Like many other schools, pupils and teachers had to self-isolate.

Katie Beever, Deputy Head Academic, said: “We’ve worked hard to ensure that no child misses a day of their education. Whilst the majority of pupils are learning in the classroom with their peers, thanks to the blended service the school is offering, teachers are able to offer remote learning for those who can’t be there in person. In addition to this we have a raft of King’s Alumni who have also been recruited to supervise the classroom to enable teachers to be beamed into lessons from home and our digital infrastructure is set up and ready to switch over seamlessly to online teaching in the event that a group of pupils is advised to stay home.”

Over the last six months, schools have had to act as a consistent support for pupils and their families, providing comfort and reassurance when needed, as well as delivering the same high levels of education and pastoral care.

During the remote learning period, The King’s Foundation has carefully monitored every year group and were thrilled to discover that pupils maintained a high standard of work, with many even ahead of where they were expected to be.

Although the future remains unclear with new safety regulations being implemented daily, the one thing that will remain consistent is the adaptability and commitment of care The King’s Foundation provides for all pupils to ensure they continue to be inspired, energised, and truly unstoppable.

13th August 2020 — The King’s School, Worcester students this morning are celebrating an excellent set of A level results. With these results, students have been accepted onto an impressively wide range of courses at leading Universities, including Engineering, Art, Midwifery, Law, Medicine, Physiotherapy and Business Management. Overall, 45% of results were graded at A* - A, 73% graded A* - B and 90% of results graded A* - C.

In addition to A level results, Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) results were outstanding with 50% of projects awarded A* grades, 81% A* - A grades and 100% awarded A* - B grades. These exceptional results were achieved by our largest ever EPQ cohort of 42 students who produced dissertations and artefacts to answer a diverse range of questions. This qualification is equivalent to half an A level and provides an additional area of expertise supporting university applications.

Jon Ricketts, Acting Headmaster, praised the students on their achievements. “The Upper Sixth collecting their results today can be exceptionally proud. I’d like to congratulate all students on their outstanding academic success and for their diligent application over the past two years of their courses. I have been very impressed with the way they have dealt with the disappointment and uncertainty following the cancellation of public examinations.

“Furthermore, I would also like to pay tribute to the teaching staff at King’s, not only for their outstanding support and dedicated teaching but also for their careful and meticulous work that enabled the awarding of these grades in these unprecedented circumstances. The last six months has been an unsettling time for all. We have been impressed with the adaptability of both pupils and staff, who have adjusted rapidly to our new distant learning offering. We are delighted with what has been achieved in the wider school too and very much look forward to welcoming the school community back in September.”

Josh Hand, Head of Sixth Form, celebrated the extensive accomplishments made by pupils, adding, “A level results represent only one part of this year’s achievements. The students have brought great commitment and enthusiasm to King’s School life whether inside or outside the classroom. Throughout their time in the Sixth Form, on the sports fields, in the school’s theatre whether playing in a musical concert or performing in a drama production, or volunteering within the school community, our students have endeavoured to experience it all. They leave King’s with not only impressive results but a broad range of interests and skills to take them into the next stages of their lives.”

2nd July 2020 — King’s Worcester has been celebrating its best ever team swimming performance after taking home three relay trophies at the recent schools’ swimming competition held at Perdiswell Swimming Pool. King’s took five Senior School teams to the Bromsgrove School Invitational Relays where they were up against 26 schools and 78 teams competed in this annual prestigious event. Schools came from all over the country to compete, including Newcastle under Lyme, Nottingham and Bedford.

The competition was fierce, starting with the heats, followed by the A finals for the fastest swimmers and B finals for the second fastest swimmers. For the first time ever, King’s Worcester was placed in the top eight making the A finals in all events.

The U15 girls (Jessica Day, Eve Hind, Amelia Venables, Catherine Rendall-Baker & Gabriella Barry) performed very well in both of their relays placing 5th in the medley and 7th in the freestyle. With only one member in each of the relays being in the correct age group and the rest being two to three years younger, this result is particularly impressive.

Similarly, the U15 boys (Harry Chandler, Daniel Arridge, Ben Gooch and Henry Halford) were also going to find it tough with only Henry in the correct age group and the rest being under 12. The boys fought well on both relays and placed a credible 7th in both races.

In the U18 competition, King’s fielded two teams in the girls’ races. This was another King’s first and they proved to be a force to be reckoned with. In the medley relay, with a Worcester County record holder swimming the butterfly and an English National champion on the breaststroke, it was no surprise that they were going to be tough to beat. The A team (Naomi Marsden, Hannah Woodcock, Gabriella Barry and Josie Armstrong) stormed to victory, beating the King’s B team (Alexandra Barry, Isabella Woodcock, Hannah Dixon and Isabella Trow) into second place by 6 seconds and King’s High, Warwick into third place by a further three. In the freestyle relay the A team once again dominated the pool. The team, this time consisting of Hannah Woodcock, Gabriella Barry, Alexandra Barry and Josie Armstrong, won gold convincingly with a clear three second lead. King’s B team (Naomi Marsden, Isabella Trow, Hannah Dixon and Isabella Woodcock) again had a battle with King’s High Warwick for second place but just lost out by 0.06 seconds taking third place overall.

The U18 boys had great competition in both relays. Oliver Osborne, Leo Rendall-Baker, Henry Halford and Daniel Day looked pure class in their medley, winning first place a second clear of both Abingdon and King Alfred’s School. In their freestyle it was the same three schools battling it out for the medals. In a very exciting race the boys were placed third on a blanket finish, with Oliver Osborne swimming a blistering 25.68 seconds on the last leg.

Lizzie Monkhouse, Head Swimming Coach at King’s Worcester added, “It was a very exciting day for King’s Swimming. With all teams making ‘A’ finals and bringing home three trophies for the cabinet, this is the best performance so far. We have a tremendous wealth of talent at King’s and it was a privilege and pleasure to watch and support all swimmers. All swam well without exception but special mention must go to Henry Halford and Gabriella Barry who swam in their age group (U15) as well as in the U18s, both swimming 8 races in quick succession. Well done, swimmers!”

9th February 2020 — This week the Department of Education published the 2019 A level results and we are delighted to share the news about King’s Worcester. In Worcester, King’s topped the pile with 32% of our pupils achieving A level grades at AAB or above.

With 133 pupils taking 408 exams in 2019, all of whom are entered for at least three A level subjects, this news is testament to the commitment of pupils and staff. Acting Headmaster, Jon Ricketts praised them on their achievements, commenting “I am delighted with the hard work of both the pupils and the staff and this outcome is well deserved on their part.”

To be recorded as achieving AAB or higher, pupils have to enter at least two facilitating subjects which include: biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, further mathematics, geography, history, English literature and classical or modern languages.

When sharing the news with our Upper Sixth, we asked why King’s pupils achieve such success in exams: “It’s not just that the teachers are great here, they know their subjects inside and out, they make learning fun and engaging too. What sets King’s apart is the pupil teacher relationships, they really want everyone to do well and always go the extra mile to help pupils achieve their very best.” Harry, Upper Sixth pupil.

The news received this week follows the recent successes of many of our current Upper Sixth pupils, from the five pupils who have received Oxbridge offers and Imogen Gillgrass who was offered 11 Sports Scholarship offers to America, to all the other exciting daily offers being received by our Upper Sixth pupils. There really is a buzz of excitement around the Sixth Form at present!

To view other local schools in the Local Worcestershire Education list search “Worcestershire” here https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/1335365/?utm_source=embed&utm_campaign=visualisation/1335365%27.