insideKENT Magazine Issue 49 - April 2016 | Page 132

EDUCATION

King’s Rochester
TOP RESULTS AND SO MUCH MORE
Founded in 604 AD, King’s Rochester is the oldest Cathedral Choir school
in the world and the second oldest school.

Academic results are impressive at
all levels in this broad-ability school
and in 2015, King’s A level pupils
netted over 80% A* to C grades
with over a third being A* or A and
almost two thirds, A* to B. At GCSE,
nearly half of all grades were A* and
A and just under 70%, A* to B. In
Pre-Prep and Prep, 2015 Key Stage
1 and 2 results again far exceeded
national scores and the latest (2013)
inspection report (ISI) deemed PrePrep, Prep and Senior Schools
“good” or “outstanding” in all areas.
At King’s they recognise that every
child is unique with talents and
strengths which extend far beyond
the classroom. Unsurprisingly, music
plays a central role there and many
concerts are staged in Rochester
Cathedral – the school’s chapel.
The Cathedral Choristers have
recorded for BBC radio and
television, performed on London’s
South Bank and taken part in many
more local festivals in addition to

singing at the daily cathedral
services. Most recently, they
performed at London’s Ronnie
Scott’s Jazz Club alongside the
James Taylor Quartet, the first
Cathedral Choir ever to sing at the
legendary venue. The outstanding
musical abilities of their pupils cross
all musical disciplines from choral
music to strings, piano to
percussion and opera to jazz.

of the King’s Rochester Chorus, impressed the audience with a stunning
and dramatic performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. Internationally
acclaimed singers, Laure Meloy (Soprano), John Pierce (Tenor) and Simon
Thorpe (Baritone) gave dramatic performances of the challenging solos.
Former pupil and music scholar Tabitha Reynolds, returned to the school
and cathedral with an awesome rendition of Elgar’s sublime Sea Pictures.
Since leaving King’s in 2012, Tabitha has been studying at the Royal College
of Music where she gained a full scholarship upon entrance.
King’s Rochester Sports Centre provides first-rate facilities with seven
outdoor (Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) approved) tennis courts, five netball
courts, a large multi-purpose sports hall, fitness gym and physio suite.
Together with a boathouse on the Medway for rowing, King’s pupils also
have a heated indoor pool on site and acce