King Edward’s School, Birmingham, was founded in 1552 and occupied a position in the centre of the city until 1936 when it moved to its present 50-acre site in Edgbaston, surrounded by a golf course, lake and nature reserve and adjacent to the University. It is an independent day school with 839 boys aged 11 to 18.
The School is the founding school of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham, and its sister school, King Edward VI High School for Girls, shares the same 50-acre campus. Academically one of the leading schools in the country, King Edward’s is also renowned for the scale of its provision and its excellence in sport, music, drama, outdoor pursuits and trips and expeditions.
KES and KEHS have a shared mission to provide an outstanding and scholarly education to the brightest pupils, in the heart of Birmingham, irrespective of their social or economic background. Through an unrivalled holistic approach, they enable their pupils and staff to pursue excellence in school and beyond, inspiring them to lead fulfilling lives of contribution, purpose and service in their local community and the wider world.
Both schools aim:
•To offer a rich and ambitious programme of academic, co-curricular and service opportunities in a stimulating and supportive environment
•To foster self-reflective and grounded individuals who have a strong moral compass
•To generate a culture of scholarship, in which academic outcomes and learning for its own sake are both valued
•To celebrate the diversity of their communities, cherishing both difference and all that unites them.
Admission. Most boys enter the school at 11+. In addition, applications at 16+ to enter the Sixth Form are encouraged. 11+ candidates take papers in Mathematics, English and Verbal Reasoning at a level appropriate to the National Curriculum. Many pupils are also interviewed as part of the admissions process. The admissions process for 16+ applicants consists of a personal statement, predicted grades, report from the applicant’s current school and an interview. Please note the school will sometimes consider applicants for entry at 13+, if spaces are available.
Scholarships and Assisted Places. Approximately 25 academic scholarships varying in value from 5% to 50% of the fees are awarded each year. Most of these scholarships are awarded at 11+, but awards are also made to outstanding candidates at 16+ and, very occasionally, at 13+. Music scholarships are also available, at both 11+ and 16+. Sports scholarships will be introduced at 16+ from September 2025. The Assisted Places Scheme offers means-tested support to a number of pupils each year. Most Assisted Place pupils join at 11+, but Assisted Places are also available to those joining the Sixth Form.
Fees per term (2024-25). £6,108
Academic success. The school’s 2024 International Baccalaureate Diploma results were strong with an average point score of 36.7, surpassing the global average of 30.32 points. 31% of the cohort achieved 40 points or above, and two pupils achieved the maximum score of 45 points, a feat accomplished by less than 0.5% of pupils worldwide. Five pupils achieved 44 points, and eleven pupils scored 43 points. At GCSE, 43% grades were 9s, 69% were 9–8s and 86% were 9-7s. In addition, 95% of the cohort took at least 10 GCSEs. Thirteen pupils achieved at least ten straight 9s of whom three achieved eleven straight 9s across their GCSEs.
Curriculum. Lower School: The following subjects are studied by all boys to the end of the third year: English, Mathematics, French, Geography, History, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, (General Science in first year), Latin, Art, Design, Drama, Music, PE, School for Thought and Religious Studies. All boys study one of German, Spanish or Classical Greek in the third year and may take their choice to GCSE or IGCSE and beyond. In addition, boys are required to undertake familiarisation courses in Information Technology. In the Fourth and Fifth year, boys take 10 subjects. All boys must study Mathematics, English Language, English Literature, a Modern Foreign Language and at least two sciences, plus three or four other optional subjects at GCSE or IGCSE.
Sixth Form: All pupils have the opportunity to delve deeply into the subjects they love and to develop qualities and interests that will lead to a rich and fulfilled life at university and beyond. King Edward’s School is reintroducing A Levels as the examined component of a wider Sixth Form curriculum from September 2025, with pupils entering the Sixth Form in September 2024 being the last cohort to take the IB Diploma.
The School’s curriculum goes beyond preparation for examinations. For example, PE and games are compulsory for all and Friday afternoons are set aside for the entire school to pursue non-academic activities: Combined Cadet Force, Leadership, service in the community, outdoor pursuits, Art, Information Technology and many more.
Music and drama. The School has a rich musical and dramatic life. Many of the musical groups and theatrical productions take place jointly with King Edward VI High School for Girls. There are over ten different musical groups and choirs. The Ruddock Performing Arts Centre, which is shared by KES and KEHS, can seat more than 400 people in the main auditorium and has excellent facilities for music and drama.
Games. Rugby, cricket, hockey, and water polo are the major team games in the school. However, many other games prosper including archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, chess, cross-country, cycling, fencing, fives, golf, kayaking, squash, swimming, table tennis and tennis. The school has extensive playing fields for all these activities plus its own swimming pool and international-standard athletics track. Additional facilities include a hockey pavilion, astro pitch, and a modern sports centre with a sports hall with cricket nets, cardiovascular fitness room, multipurpose space, classroom, and changing rooms.
Societies and clubs. The School has a very wide range of clubs and societies including African and Caribbean Society, Christian Union, Islamic Society, Birdwatching, History Society, Senior and Junior Dramatic Societies, Art Club, Debating Society, Mentoring Society, Sustainability Society, Chess Club, Model United Nations, Spectrum, Table Tennis and many more.
CCF, Outdoor pursuits and expeditions. The Royal Naval, RAF and Army Sections of the Combined Cadet Force are very popular amongst pupils. In addition, the KES Award and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme have grown substantially in recent years, so that the majority of pupils in the third year gain the KES Award and over 40 each year undertake the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. All of this forms part of a strong tradition of trips and expeditions, ranging from cycling and caving and walking and skiing trips, to language trips to Europe, to major expeditions to Lapland, Costa Rica to study biodiversity, a trip for physicists to CERN, scuba diving in Gozo and skiing in Canada. Recent sports tours have taken the rugby team to South Africa, the hockey team to the Netherlands, and the cricket team to Dubai and the West Indies.
Forms and houses. In the first five years, each form has an average of 25 pupils. In the Sixth Form, forms are on average 12 in number, and often comprise pupils together from the Lower and Upper Sixth. There is also a house system, comprising eight houses, which continues to provide an important element of pastoral support and competition in sport, music, drama, debating and general knowledge.
Charitable status. The Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham is a Registered Charity, number 529051. The purpose of the Foundation is to educate children and young persons living in or around the City of Birmingham.
Governors & Staff:
Governing Body: The Independent Schools Governing Body
Chair of Governors: Mrs Olivera Rarty
Chief Master & Principal, KES and KEHS: Mrs Kirsty von Malaisé, MA Hons (Cantab), MA (Mus)
Director of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, KES & KEHS: Mr Martin Lea, BSc Sheffield, PGCE
Senior Deputy Head (Pastoral), KES: Dr Daniel Kennedy, BA, MA, PhD (all UCC), PGCE
Deputy Head (Co-curricular), KES: Mr Matthew Bartlett, BA York
Deputy Head, KEHS & KES: Mr Henry Coverdale, BSc Cardiff, MA Southampton, MBA Birmingham, PGCE
Deputy Head (Community), KES & KEHS: Mr Andy Duncombe, MA Cantab, PGCE
Deputy Director of Sixth Form, KES & KEHS: Mrs Joanna Whitehead, BSc Birmingham, PGCE
Director of Strategic Projects, KES & KEHS: Ms Deborah McMillan, BSc Dundee
Bursar - Estates and Finance: Mrs Zoe Robinson, BSc Warwick, ACA
Bursar - Operations: Mrs Jenny Butterworth, BSc Sheffield Hallam, FCA
Director of External Relations: Mrs Jo Bullock, BSocSc Manchester, CIPR Diploma
Director of Admissions: Mrs Neelam Hall, BA Birmingham City University
Director of Development: Mrs Laura Salt, BSc Birmingham