KSR - A School for Life

A SCHOOL FOR LIFE

THE CAMPAIGN FOR KING’S SCHOOL ROCHESTER

Aims

We wish our pupils at King’s and the members of our community to:

• Be happy and fulfilled

• Develop a love of learning through a unique breadth of experience

• Be adaptable and resilient for a fast-paced changing world

• Make an active difference to the lives of others in our community and beyond

• Develop a sense of identity to lead purposeful lives as their own person

To achieve these goals we need to implement a long-term strategy to develop the School and its offering.

The challenges and opportunities in education have never been greater.

While we will continue to cherish our history and timeless values, we must innovate and adapt in order to stay relevant and to provide our pupils with the best education possible.

Many of the changes we make over the coming years we will fund and enact ourselves, but we have identified key developments for which we will need help from those who care about the future of King’s School Rochester.

THE HEART OF KING’S

‘Ere the heart of brave Paulinus...'(King's School Rochester, School Song)

…‘Justus (name of omen!)’

At the centre of everything we do is the HEART of King’s. By being part of this community, each one of us aspires to the attributes and qualities of:

H APPINESS

We want individuals to flourish and to be happy. We encourage everyone to be themselves and we believe that positive personal connections are powerful. By keeping kindness at the centre of our community we nurture a strong sense of personal and communal wellbeing and care.

E NDEAVOUR

We strive to be the best we can be and we are determined to make the most of the breadth of opportunities available to us. We care about things that matter and we are committed to making an active contribution.

A SPIRATION

We seek to foster a sense of aspiration in all that we do, built on an inner confidence and selfbelief. We aim to ignite our curiosity and encourage ourselves to develop lifelong passions that set us on a path to a fulfilled future in a fast-paced modern world.

R OUNDEDNESS

We seek a balanced approach to life at King’s, ensuring that we educate the whole person. We celebrate everyone’s achievements and appreciate that every one of us is unique and different. We recognise that as a global community it is better when everyone succeeds, not just a privileged few.

TEAMWORK

We believe we achieve more when we collaborate together and we seek to make a positive contribution to the communities within King’s and beyond. We acknowledge that we must work together for a sustainable future ensuring that King’s remains a school for life.

Two areas

Foundation Awards

Our programme of transformational bursaries for talented and financially deserving pupils in the Medway area. This currently supports four pupils but we are targeting eight for the 2027/28 academic year.

£200K per year

To achieve these goals, ‘The Roffensian Foundation

’,

of focus

Inspirational Facilities

2

Over the next ten years we have identified four exciting capital projects to provide greater opportunity and excellence for all our pupils and the wider local community.

£10 million

administered by the School, has been created.

1 A campaign to offer further opportunities at King’s School Rochester

Who qualifies for a Foundational award and why?

Foundation Awards are life-changing transformational bursaries for boys and girls, starting Year 9, with academic and personal potential.

• Applicants do not need to be the finished product, but will need to embrace the breadth of the King’s experience in and out of the classroom and to have the aspiration, with our support, to apply to the best universities or specialist Higher Education establishments to realise their full potential and dreams for the future.

• A successful applicant, will need academic ability, intellectual curiosity and an openness of mind and character.

• Transformational bursaries are aimed at boys and girls currently studying at local, maintained, nonselective schools and whose personal circumstances may not permit them to extend their studies and thereby realise their full potential.

• Applicants will be assessed on their academic potential, but also on other talents and against specific criteria, such as whether you are the first generation of your family with the dream of going to university.

• As a Foundation Award holder, starting in Year 9, they will be able to enjoy all the academic and co-curricular opportunities on offer. They will be able to benefit from the outstanding teaching, facilities and excellent pastoral care at King’s –and our staff will support and help them grow in confidence every step of the way.

• King’s School Rochester will work alongside partner, maintained sector schools to identify those exceptional, talented pupils who would derive the most benefit from a King’s School Rochester education but whose current situation would not allow them to access it.

• We are looking for young people who are aspirational and who have a wide range of academic and co-curricular interests. Applicants should be excited about the prospect of joining this historic school with its strong traditions and also about the wide-ranging opportunities on offer at King’s. They should be prepared to contribute fully to the life of the School.

Life-changing opportunities

The provision of life-changing education has been provided at King’s School Rochester since the School started in 604 AD. In the subsequent years, tens of thousands have benefited from the extensive education it provides, in the wonderful city of Rochester, with a number supported by our Bursarial support schemes.

I graduated with firstclass honours and a scholarship in Geography from Downing College, Cambridge before going on to earn a Masters with Distinction from Kings College, London in International Relations.

My education through Prep and Senior school at King’s gave me a strong foundation to pursue my academic career as well as teaching me key life skills that enabled me to enjoy my time at university to its fullest potential. I started boarding at King’s when I was 13 years old and I was encouraged by my teachers and peers to engage with a variety of diverse experiences, from public speaking to rugby to mentoring. Living away from home taught me about independence, but also about the importance of actively participating in the community around me and making it a better place.

I took these lessons forward into my university days, where I became a keen sportsman and a mentor to younger students. I am still driven by the same ethics of curiosity and teamwork as I start my career as a trade analyst for Clarksons Research.

One thing I know about King’s has stuck with me throughout my time here, it’s that Kings is a community. When I started at Kings, leaving my last school, it felt like I was starting over, which was scary, but I had more support than I knew what to do with.

The Chadlington scholarship let me enter this School, and find my place with people who care about me. Everyone I’ve met has wanted me to succeed, and I’ve been given the tools to do so which is more than I could have asked for. Without this scholarship I wouldn’t be the person I am today, and I would give everything I have to give every child this same opportunity.

Since I started, there has always been something new to try, something new to experience that you can’t find anywhere else, and I think I’ll always be looking for ways to bring Kings with me after I leave, to share it with as many people as I can.

Cameron Watson (2011-18)

Kairi Saywell (2020-22)

Adam Snelling (2017-21)

My experience at King’s has laid a solid foundation, giving me the confidence to succeed. The combination of a high academic standard and emphasis on extracurricular activities has provided me with a well-rounded skill set.

Michael Grant (1955-66)

I was an only child, and sadly lost my father when only a few months old. My father was serving as a Corporal in the Royal Air Force at the time, leaving my mother in a very poor financial position. The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund came to my rescue, and sponsored me from the age of eight as a ‘Boarder’ at King’s School Rochester for the next ten years. I thrived at King’s, leaving as Head of School and went on to enjoy a career in global IT companies which were ‘beyond my wildest dreams’.

As a regular public speaker, I frequently quote my education at King’s as ‘ having generated nearly every single good thing in my entire life’. I remain a staunch supporter of the School, which has inspired me to devote much of my life to ‘making the world a better place’.

Aidan Hook (2020-22)

I attended King’s on a Chadlington scholarship, allowing me to join a community that has afforded me endless opportunities. My love for public speaking and debating was welcomed immediately: I was encouraged to compete in the Medway Rotary youth speaking competition and my success at the event was praised by my teachers and peers. I was given the chance to hone my public speaking skills via chapel addresses and readings in our Rochester Cathedral services. I found these moments have undoubtedly played a crucial role in helping me develop the public speaking skills needed for my desired career as a barrister.

Joining King’s made me feel like a valued member of this community. There are few schools where students have the opportunity to meet with a former PM; David Cameron’s visit was a once in a lifetime moment that will stay with me forever. I found the emphasis this School places on the balance between academia and co-curricular activities is what makes this School so unique. Receiving the privilege of becoming Head boy, after only one year, serves as a testament to the fact that all people, from different walks of life, can join King’s and make the absolute most of it.

A campaign to equip King’s School Rochester for the future

Facilities updates

The Governors and Principal are developing plans to sequentially update the School’s facilities, and improve our buildings in various locations of the campus over the next ten years.

The focus is not only to improve the facilities used for the education King’s provides all its pupils, but to also allow the School to extend the current outreach programme, allowing our partners and the local community to utilise the facilities to support and develop the lives of children, and the adult population of Medway.

Within all the plans, the Governors have defined it is mandatory to deliver environmentally sympathetic and sustainable solutions, to ensure we are not damaging our planet of tomorrow.

• The first phase focuses on STEM learning in the Main School complex, which will enable King’s to provide cutting-edge education to its pupils in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology, and to create the Engineers for our future.

Once this is progressed, three follow-up phases will be evaluated and assessed. At which time the costing and timelines for deliverables will be confirmed.

• An update of the existing space in Old St Margaret’s, which will provide improved facilities for academic development in creative thinking, digital and cultural literacy, equality, diversity and inclusivity, within a green curriculum.

• New self purpose facility for all co-curricular activities to support sports, environmental and sustainable educational activities on the Alps.

• Creation of a performing arts centre at Vines Church for use by the School and all local partners.

STEM Project

Enabling Scientific and Engineering futures

The Plan

The vision is a refurbishment of the Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology facilities, within the current historic footprint. STEM education is essential for preparing pupils for the future. STEM fields are growing rapidly, and the future demand is high. King’s is committed to providing it’s pupils with the best possible STEM education, and this project is a major step forwards. The School believes STEM education is vital for everyone.

As part of this campaign King’s would be keen to work in a joint venture that allows the project to develop in a mutually beneficial fashion, involving stakeholders from committed organisations, and including pupils.

King’s is committed to making the facilities accessible to the community and they will be open for use after school hours and on weekends.

Key Benefits

• Flexible Learning Spaces

• State-of-the-art Computer Labs

• Maker Spaces

• Robotics Lab

• Virtual/Augmented Reality Stations

• Interactive Whiteboards & Display Screens

• Professional Audio/ Visual Recording Equipment

• Lecture theatre

• Food tech space

• All supported by an infrastructure of

High-Speed Wireless Connectivity and robust cybersecurity systems.

STEAM Vines Church

A hub for co-curricular, environmental and sustainable

The Plan

To renovate the existing building and replace the setup with 21st century facilities and equipment appropriate for professional level music and drama performances.

sustainable activities

Key Benefits

• Providing a dedicated facility for encouraging and supporting the performing arts, which is available for both the School and local Community.

• The revised building will be designed to be more energy-efficient and sustainable, reducing the School’s environmental impact.

Alps Pavilion Project

A hub for co-curricular, environmental and sustainable

The Plan

The vision is to develop a facility on the Alps to support sports and other educational activities held on the site.

The solution could be developed to allow for subsequent extensions to the ground floor or an additional second storey.

sustainable activities

Key Benefits

• A sustainable, 21 century building to future proof the provision of sport and co-curricular activities.

• Changing and washroom facilities for all sports played on site.

• Hospitality facilities for during and post-match.

• General purpose areas for use by other educational or CCF activities on the Alps.

• Storage and medical facilities.

• Capability to be rented out for other sporting or social events outside of the School day.

Old St Margaret’s Project

A platform for Academic development

The Plan

The Old St Margaret’s building is a historic and beloved landmark of our School.  However, it is in need of some significant updates.  We are excited to announce the plans to extend and reconfigure the building to allow for more multi-functional spaces and a sustainable building.  This project will be a major improvement for our School, providing much-needed space for our growing pupil body and staff.

In addition this project will also improve the School’s visibility and reputation.  The revised building will be a more welcoming and attractive space, appealing to new pupils and staff.  It will also be a source of pride for the school community, and will help preserve this important landmark for future generations.

Key Benefits

• Providing much-needed additional space for pupils and staff, allowing for increased enrolment and improved learning and teaching facilities.

• A more environmentally friendly environment. The revised building will be more energyefficient and sustainable, reducing the School’s environmental impact.

• Improved learning and teaching facilities. The new classroom spaces will be larger and better equipped, providing pupils with a better learning environment.

• The new multi-functional spaces will allow the school to host larger events and activities, increasing the school’s community engagement.

Campaign Leadership

The Roffensian Foundation initiative will be led by the Executive members of the School, with the support of a team loyal to the benefits King’s School Rochester can bring to our pupils and the local community.

Lord Chadlington OR

Richard Oldfield Former parent

Stephen Russell ......... OR

Karen Hebden OR, former parent and Member of Staff

Kishn Thandi OR

Lisa Settle ...................... Former parent

Wayne Smith Governor and former Member of Staff

Executive Members

Ben Charles ................... Principal

Diane Godwin .............. Bursar

Mark Snoswell Development Director

How to support us

We are very grateful for any support you can make to the Roffensian Foundation and if you would like to support us, please contact Mark Snoswell on 01634 888555 or via email msnoswell@kings-rochester.co.uk

Donations can be made to either our Foundation Bursaries or Projects campaigns via the Rochester Cathedral King’s School Endowment Trust (Registered charity number 1084266-1).

Roffensian Foundation Projects

• By making a single gift by cheque or by direct transfer to the Rochester Cathedral King’s School Endowment Trust.

• By making a regular gift by Standing Order to the Rochester Cathedral King’s School Endowment Trust.

• Remembering King’s School Rochester in your Will, or donating in memory of a loved one, is a simple tax-effective way to make a gift to the School. Such gifts are exempt from inheritance tax.

• Subsequently, we will offer membership to the 604 club. This will be a separate organisation with an annual fee, which will entitle members to certain VIP events and benefits.

Through our Development Office we will process all donations, and ensure your contribution is allocated to an initiative you feel is most appropriate. The team will also ensure you receive regular updates on the achievements of the Foundation and KSR, and acknowledge all those who support our campaign, however, we will of course respect any wish for anonymity.