King's Ely
King's Ely (renamed from "The King's School" in March 2012), is a co-educational public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school) and Cathedral school in the city of Ely in England. It was founded in 970 AD, making it one of the oldest schools in the world. It was given its first royal charter by King Henry VIII in 1541, its second by Queen Elizabeth I in 1562, and its third by King Charles II in 1666. The school consists of a nursery, a pre-preparatory school, a prep school, a senior school, a sixth form, and an international school. King's Ely is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. In 2021, The Independent Schools Inspectorate published their report writing that "King's Ely achieved the highest grading possible in every category inspected and was judged to meet or exceed all regulatory standards for independent day and boarding schools."
| King's Ely Schola Regla Eliensis | |
|---|---|
The Bishop's Palace, Ely. Sixth form centre of King's Ely. | |
| Address | |
The Old Palace , , CB7 4EW England | |
| Coordinates | 52°23′52″N 0°15′42″E |
| Information | |
| Former names | Ely Cathedral Grammar School; The King's School, Ely; Queen Anne's School; The King's School, Ely (Again) |
| Type | Public school Private day and boarding Cathedral school |
| Motto | Latin: Gratia Dei sum quod sum (I am what I am by the grace of God) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Church of England |
| Established | 970 |
| Founder | St Etheldreda (First version of the school, founded in 673)
St Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury and Æthelwold, Bishop of Winchester (Founded the current version of the school in 970) King Henry VIII (refounded in 1541) |
| Local authority | Cambridgeshire |
| Department for Education URN | 110916 Tables |
| Chairman of the Governors | David Day |
| Principal | John Attwater |
| Vice-Principal (Academic) | Jane Thomas |
| Heads | Faye Fenton-Stone (Acremont) Richard Whymark (Prep) Jonathan Shaw (Senior) |
| Chaplain | Revd Dr Ros Lane |
| Staff | 220 |
| Employees | 472 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 2 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 1250 Students (1050 at King's Ely and 200 at Fairstead House) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 5:1 |
| Campus size | 70 Acres |
| Houses | 9 (Senior) 6 (Prep) 4 (Acremont) |
| Colour(s) | Navy and Duck Egg |
| Publication | The Porta The Elean King's Sings The KEStrel |
| School Hymn | Coe Fen, "How shall I sing that majesty?", Ken Naylor (1931-1991) |
| Visitor | The Bishop of Ely |
| Former pupils | Old Eleans |
| Website | www |
The school has produced a number of notable alumni, including, Edward the Confessor, King of England, Lord Browne of Madingley, former chairman of BP, and James Bowman, countertenor.
King's Ely has featured in the local news for its sports results, and it has produced a bronze medal-winning Olympic athlete, Goldie Sayers, who won a Bronze Medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Much of the senior school uses the historic monastic buildings of the cathedral, and major school events and twice-weekly services are held there. One of the boys' boarding houses, School House, is claimed to be the oldest residential building in Europe. In its entirety, the school has over 1,000 pupils. It has a small campus, with other parts in buildings near the city centre. All King's Ely sections share resources such as sports facilities and the refectory in the Monastic Barn (unless in Sixth Form where pupils eat in the Bishop's Palace).