| King's School, Rochester | |
|---|---|
 | |
 A view of King's School, Rochester | |
| Location | |
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Boley Hill ,, ME1 1TE England | |
| Coordinates | 51°23′15″N0°30′06″E / 51.3874°N 0.5016°E /51.3874; 0.5016 |
| Information | |
| Type | Cathedral school Private day and boarding school |
| Mottoes | Disce aut discede (Translation: Learn or Depart) "Work hard, Play hard, Look after each other" |
| Religious affiliation | Church of England |
| Established | 604 AD[1] |
| Founder | (refounded)Henry VIII |
| Chairman of the Governors | Air Commodore (ret'd) John Maas CBE |
| Principal | Simon Fisher |
| Chaplain | Reverend Stephen Padfield |
| Years taught | Nursery – U6th |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 3 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 700 |
| Houses | 4 |
| Colours | Blue, black and white |
| Alumni | Old Roffensians |
| School Song | "Carmen Roffense" |
| Website | www |
King's School, Rochester, is aprivateco-educationalall throughday andboarding school inRochester, Kent. It is acathedral school and is part of the foundation ofRochester Cathedral. The school claims to be the second oldestcontinuously operating school in the world, having been founded in 604 AD.[1][2][a]
The cathedral school in Rochester was founded in 604 AD, at the same time as the cathedral. It was refounded byHenry VIII in 1541 during theEnglish Reformation when the monastery in Rochester was dissolved.[1] It is the secondoldest school in the United Kingdom afterKing's School, Canterbury.[3]
The current principal is Simon Fisher. Owen Smith is the Vice Principal (Senior School) and Kellie Crozer is the Vice Principal (Junior School) & Interim Head of EYFS.[4][b]
The school is housed in a variety of buildings around Rochester (the school also usesRochester Cathedral for school services).
A 16th-century town house rebuilt as an 18th-century Georgian house, the school took it over in 1950 and purchased it outright in 1968. It had originally been built forRichard Watts who had entertained QueenElizabeth I there in 1573: asked for her verdict on her stay, the Queen had answered, "satis" (from theLatinsatis for "enough"), hence the name of the house.[5] Above the entrance portico is a 1578 bust of Watts who represented Rochester in Parliament between 1563 and 1571. At Satis House are the office of the principal of King's Rochester, administrative offices and the Sixth Form Centre.
The oldest building in use which was specifically built for the school. It was completed in 1742, the tower and additional classrooms were added in 1880 and the building extended with porches either end in 1913. DuringWW2 the building was commandeered for ARP purposes. The wooden roof which had served as the school's assembly hall was removed in 1976.[clarification needed] In 1985, it became the Design and Technology Centre.[citation needed]
This was opened in 1909 byRichard Glazebrook, director of theNational Physical Laboratory. It originally consisted of a science laboratory and an art room and now contains two computing suites.The VenerableSamuel Cheetham was Archdeacon of Rochester from 1882 until his death in 1908.
It contains 6 laboratories and is currently being refurbished by Taskspace.
This was built in 1840 and later named after the last canon of the cathedral to live there, Canon William Herbert Mackean (1877–1960), Canon of Rochester 1925–58. The headmaster's study and the senior school were housed there until both were relocated Satis House in 1986. The property is marked on early maps as the house of the second prebend. During World War 2 the house was used for ARP purposes and is now used by the senior school English, geography, PE, economics and business studies departments.
Opened in 1982 by the Archbishop of York and named after Ernest William Davies (headmaster 1935–57), it houses the school's art, religious studies and language centres (French, Spanish and German). Memorial gates at the entrance from the Vines were dedicated in 2006.
Originally a Richard Watts charitable school (as per the plaque on the façade explains), this is the oldest building in the towns of the Lower Medway in continuous educational use. As a Church of England primary school, St Margaret's, it was taken over by King's School in 1960 and purchased outright in 1968. It is used by the senior school mathematics, history and classics departments. Parts of the building and outbuildings house the offices of the school'sCombined Cadet Force which celebrated its centenary in 2011.
This was opened and dedicated by theArchbishop of Canterbury in 1967. It is regularly used to host school productions, assemblies and other events.
A joint venture with Medway Council, the King's Rochester Sports Centre was officially opened in June 2014 and provides among its modern facilities, netball and tennis courts and a gymnasium which are also available to the general public.[6] The school also has aboathouse byAllington Lock near Aylesford on theRiver Medway which opened in 1984. The school has a long rowing tradition with King's School Rochester Boat Club being founded in 1961.
Source:[7]The main building was opened in 1958, extended in 1984 and with a new wing added in 1992. The part of King's Rochester was called the Junior School until 1989.
St Nicholas HouseThe late Victorian former vicarage for St Nicholas Church, was purchased in 1946 and used as the Junior School until the new buildings were opened in 1958. From 1958 until 1974 it was a boarding house and now contains Preparatory School administrative offices. Adjacent to St Nicholas House was a wartime decontamination shelter which had been converted to Junior School changing rooms. An additional floor and gabled roof were added in 2000 and opened that year in memory of David Dann (King's Scholar 1942–52) and a Governor of the school, to provide additional music facilities.
RookwoodPreviously used as a Junior School boarding house, as the first site of the Pre-Preparatory School (opened in 1988) and for the Nursery School and is now used for extra support lessons. From 1946 to 1961 it was the Headmaster's house.
St Ronan'sBuilt in 1908, acquired in 1948 and now used as a supplementary boarding house until boarding capacity at School House was increased in 1972 and now houses the Music Department.
The PavilionSituated above a bank on the west side of the paddock. The original building was created in 1905. An extension to the north, later called the Colours Room, was added in 1920 in memory of Major Maurice Miskin (1903–10), who was killed in action in 1918. The 25m Rifle Range immediately to the south and used by the Combined Cadet Force was built in 1926.
Conference CentreOpened in 2006, the Conference Centre consists of a small hall on the ground floor and a basement used as a dining hall for the Preparatory and Pre-Preparatory Schools.
Chadlington HouseKing's Rochester Pre-Preparatory School was opened in 2000 and named Chadlington House after Old Roffensian life peer Peter Gummer (Lord Chadlington). This modern building also now houses King's Nursery School.[8] In 2017 'Armadilla Pods' were constructed in the grounds for music lessons.[9]
| House | Colour | Inception | Origins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crick | Dark Green | 1951 | Thomas Crick – Dean of Rochester (1943–1958) |
| Parker | Pale Blue | 1913 | William Parker – Headmaster of the School (1913–1935) |
| School House | Purple | ???? | School Boarding House (senior and preparatory school) (House was merged with the other 4 Day Houses in 2021) |
| Storrs | Cerise (Red) | ???? | John Storrs – Dean of Rochester (1913–1928) |
| Whiston | Gold (Yellow) | ???? | Robert Whiston – Clerk in Holy Orders and Headmaster of the Cathedral Grammar School (1842–1877) |
| Headmaster | Years as Headmaster | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Rev. Robert William Whiston | 1844–1877 | 33 years |
| John Langhorne | 1877–1893 | 16 years |
| Rev. John Bennett Lancelot | 1893–1901 | 8 years |
| Rev. Thomas Frederick Hobson | 1901–1910 | 9 years |
| Rev. Richard Frederick Elwyn | 1910–1913 | 3 years |
| Rev. William Parker | 1913–1935 | 22 years |
| Rev. Ernest William Davies | 1935–1957 | 22 years |
| Rev. Canon Douglas Vicary | 1957–1975 | 18 years |
| Roy Ford | 1975–1986 | 11 years |
| Ian Robert Walker | 1986–2012 | 25 years |
| Jeremy Walker | 2012–2018 | 6 years |
| Roger Overend (interim) | January – April 2019 | 4 months |
| Ben Charles[4] | 2019–2025 | 6 years |
| Simon Fisher | 2025-Present |
| Head | Years as Head | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| John O'Kill | 1977–1990 | 13 years |
| Chris Nickless | 1990–2001 | 11 years |
| Roger Overend[10] | 2001–2018 | 17 years |
| Tom Morgan[4] | 2018–2024 | 6 years |
| Kellie Crozer[4] | 2024–Present |
| Head | Years as Head | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Anita Parkins[11] | 1990–2009 | 19 years |
| Sarah Skillern[12] | 2009–2016 | 7 years |
| Catherine Openshaw[4] | 2016–2020 | 4 Years |
| Kellie Crozer[4] | 2021–Present |
In 2025 the Pre-preparatory and Preparatory Schools were merged to form the Junior School.
