St Edmund's School Canterbury is a private day and boarding school located in Canterbury, Kent, England and established in 1749. The extensive school grounds were acquired in 1855. The school currently caters for girls and boys aged 3–18, including the Choristers of Canterbury Cathedral.
The choristers of Canterbury Cathedral began their education at the school in 1972. Grant house was established from the former Big School. After 20 years the school reverted to the traditional 4-house system.[2]
In 1982, girls were admitted to the school for the first time.[3]
In 2016 the school was fined £18,000 and ordered to pay costs of £9,670, after a seven-year-old child nearly drowned at the Summerfest event held at the school. The school did not ensure the lifeguards held the relevant qualifications and it could not be sure the guards had any experience or competency.[4]
The main building houses classrooms, boarding facilities, dining hall, library and administration offices. Further buildings provide teaching areas for Art, Design Technology and Science. The Francis Musgrave Performing Arts Centre comprises a purpose-built music school with recording studio, practice rooms and recital hall. There is also a 450-seat theatre for concerts and drama productions.
Sports facilities include a sports hall, gym, all-weather astro pitch, golf course, playing fields, 8 tennis courts, a shooting range and a swimming pool. Additional boarding houses are set in the grounds of the school.
The Junior School and Pre-Prep School are located on the same site in their own buildings.
Houses
The Senior School is divided into four day houses:
Name
Named After
Baker
Baker. A Victorian benefactor of the school
Wagner
Wagner. A Victorian benefactor of the school
Warneford
Dr. Samuel Warneford. A Victorian benefactor of the school, who donated the site and the building of the current location in Canterbury.
In 1972, the previously independent Canterbury Cathedral Choir School, which educated the choristers of Canterbury Cathedral, joined the Junior School as the Choir House. Choir House remains at a detached location beside the cathedral, and provided transport conveys the choirboys between the two sites.
Heads
The name of the first Headmaster, between the years 1751 and 1762, is unknown.
The Good Schools Guide note that after the schools' rebranding it was no longer marketing itself as a music and drama school, nor did it continue to describe itself as "non-selective".[5]
The Independent Schools Inspectorate reported in 2015 that the school met all the requirements of the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations.[6]