The Junior School is run and located as a distinct unit, for years 4-8, within the King's School, Ely. Entry is normally at age 9 or 11, and most pupils proceed to GCSE and A-level via the Senior School.
On-site facilities include a sizeable drama studio/hall,; science laboratories; a library; dedicated and well-equipped rooms for art, computing and music; and sports fields. A new Technology building, the medieval dining hall, the sports hall and the theatre are shared with the Senior School: the shared use helps prepare pupils for their move to new surroundings at age 13. The choristers of Ely Cathedral are educated in the school, which enjoys a high musical reputation for its orchestra, choir and other ensembles. The three boarding houses incorporate parts of the medieval monastic buildings.
The King's School wants to give every child the opportunity to discover and develop his or her talents, whether those are academic, creative or sporting. Pupils have personal attention from house staff, tutors, subject teachers and the senior staff of the school. In the Junior School a wide range of out-of-school activities supplements the curriculum, including art, music, drama and craft, and sculling, squash and judo in addition to the normal team sports.
What makes the difference between this and other schools? Parents point to the confidence of the children, which comes from the individual encouragement they receive to try, and to succeed at, new activities. Pupils are also conspicuously well-behaved, but the discipline is born out of respect for the staff, not response to a rigid system of rules. Every visitor comments on the friendly atmosphere of the school. 'My children', as one parent put it, 'want to come to school in the mornings.' Taken together, all these characteristics add up to pupils who are self-reliant and mature in outlook. They deal easily but respectfully with adults and face the challenges of the world about them with confidence and enthusiasm.
