Established 1886 Headmistress Julie Lodrick Phone +44 1892 822006 Staff c. | Religion Methodist Deputy Head Anthony Kirk-Burgess | |
Type Independent day and boarding Founder Wesleyan Methodist Schools’ Association Address Old Church Rd, Tunbridge Wells TN2 4AX, UK Motto Respice Finem>"Look to the End" Founded 1886, Folkestone, United Kingdom Similar West Kent College, Beechwo Sacred Heart Sch, Tonbridge School, The Schools at Somerhill, Walthams Hall Profiles | ||
Kent College is a girls independent boarding and day school in Pembury, Kent, England, divided into a preparatory school for the age range three to eleven, and a senior school for the age range eleven to eighteen. It was established in Bouverie Road, Folkestone in 1886 by the Wesleyan Methodist Schools’ Association, but is now an interdenominational Christian school. It is a member of HMC and the Girls' Schools Association, and the prep department is a member of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools.
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Location
Set in a 75-acre rural parkland estate in Pembury just outside Tunbridge Wells, the school consists of a Victorian manor house and includes facilities such as The Countess of Wessex Theatre, indoor sports hall, music centre, indoor heated swimming pool, outdoor adventure course, dance studio. Its most recent development includes an astro pitch completed in November 2016, second Sports Hall in September 2015 and Art & Library Centre which was completed in February 2013. The grounds are adjacent to Pembury Old Church, and the nearest railway stations are in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.
History
In 1886, the school was established in Bouverie Road, Folkestone with twelve pupils. John Stainer was one of the founders. The original site of the school is now occupied by apartments, which are named after heads of the school. In 1939, the school moved to its current location in Tunbridge Wells because of the danger to girls being too near the coast during World War II. During the war, the school was hit by a V-1 flying bomb, a German aircraft was shot down inside the school's grounds, and a pilot of a Hawker Hurricane died when his aircraft crashed inside the school's grounds. In 1945, the preparatory school was established in Tunbridge Wells, and in 1989 it moved to the same location as the senior school.
Prep School
The preparatory school is located on the same site as the main school and is housed in its own buildings. Other facilities such as sports facilities, The Countess of Wessex Theatre and the swimming pool are shared with the senior school.
Full, weekly and flexi boarding are all available to prep school pupils aged 10 and above.