King's Ely

King's Ely
Schola Regla Eliensis
The Bishop's Palace, Ely. Sixth form centre of King's Ely.
Address
Map
The Old Palace

, ,
CB7 4EW

England
Coordinates52°23′52″N 0°15′42″E / 52.3978°N 0.2616°E / 52.3978; 0.2616
Information
Former namesEly Cathedral Grammar School; The King's School, Ely; Queen Anne's School; The King's School, Ely (Again)
TypePrivate day and boarding
Cathedral school
MottoLatin: Gratia Dei sum quod sum
(I am what I am by the grace of God)
Religious affiliation(s)Church of England
Established970; 1054 years ago (970)
FounderSt Etheldreda (First version of the school, founded in 673; 1351 years ago (673))

St Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury and Æthelwold, Bishop of Winchester (Founded the current version of the school in 970; 1054 years ago (970))

King Henry VIII (refounded in 1541; 483 years ago (1541))
Local authorityCambridgeshire
Department for Education URN110916 Tables
Chairman of the GovernorsDavid Day
PrincipalJohn Attwater
Vice-Principal (Academic)Jane Thomas
HeadsFaye Fenton-Stone (Acremont)
Richard Whymark (Prep)
Jonathan Shaw (Senior)
ChaplainRevd Dr Ros Lane
Staff220
Employees472
GenderCoeducational
Age2 to 18
Enrolment1250 Students (1050 at King's Ely and 200 at Fairstead House)
Student to teacher ratio5:1
Campus size70 Acres
Houses9 (Senior)
6 (Prep)
4 (Acremont)
Colour(s)Navy and Duck Egg    
PublicationThe Porta
The Elean
King's Sings
The KEStrel
School HymnCoe Fen, "How shall I sing that majesty?", Ken Naylor (1931-1991)
VisitorThe Bishop of Ely
Former pupilsOld Eleans
Websitewww.kingsely.org

King's Ely (renamed from "The King's School" in March 2012)[1][2] is a cathedral school and now an all through co-educational fee-charging day and boarding 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.[3] 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."[4]

The school has produced a number of notable alumni, including, Edward the Confessor, King of England,[5] Lord Browne of Madingley, former chairman of BP,[6] and James Bowman, countertenor.[7]

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.[8][9] Much of the senior school uses the historic monastic buildings of the cathedral, and major school events and twice-weekly services are held there.[10] One of the boys' boarding houses, School House, is claimed to be the oldest residential building in Europe.[11] In its entirety, the school has over 1,000 pupils.[12] 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).[13]

  1. ^ "School gets a makeover". King's Ely. 2012. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  2. ^ "Oldest UK Independent Schools". Emetis. 8 November 2007. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
  3. ^ "King's School Ely :: Independent Schools Inspectorate". www.isi.net. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  4. ^ "St Edward the confessor". Upsdell.com. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  5. ^ "Lord Browne's 'unique' efforts". Cambridge News. 7 May 2007. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
  6. ^ "James Bowman's website". James Bowman. 1998. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  7. ^ Davies, Gareth A. (10 August 2006). "My School Sport: Goldie Sayers". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 14 July 2008.[dead link]
  8. ^ "Team GB's top athletes: Goldie Sayers". BBC Sport. 14 July 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2008.
  9. ^ "Worship". About King's. King's School, Ely. 2008. Archived from the original on 13 July 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2008.
  10. ^ "School House". Pastoral Care. King's School, Ely. 2008. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2008.
  11. ^ "Accounts for year ending 2013" (PDF). Charity Commission. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  12. ^ "King's International Study Centre" (PDF). King's School, Ely. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 December 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2008.