Prospectus 2023

King Edward
VI School
Inspiring young people in Bury St Edmunds since 1550

Our vision
To be a vibrant learning community nurtu
curiosity and creativity in every young pe
flourish in the world with hope and self-b

Welcome to King Edward VI, a proudly inclusive
11- 16 School which has been providing world class
education for nearly 500 years. We boast a strong
history of academic excellence and a deep commitment
to helping every child achieve. We are proud of every
student in the school and work tirelessly to nurture and
guide them so they can grow into happy, successful
young adults who take pride in what they know and
have confidence in what they do. As an 11-16 school,
we are specialists in child development for this critical
period of ‘growing up’ and experts in preparing
students for GCSE success.
Embedded deep within the community of Bury St
Edmunds, we have long standing links within the area
which create educational opportunities above what
is normally possible. We are proudly part of a local
partnership which provides high quality education for
children from 3-18 years, working closely with many
local primary schools as well as Abbeygate Sixth Form
and West Suffolk colleges.
ring courage, care,
rson, so that they
elief.
We believe that every member of our school
community should demonstrate care for others and the
courage to be the very best they can be. We seek to
develop curiosity in all of our students and the creative
and critical thinking required for success in later life.
If after reading this brochure you would like further
information, please look at our extensive website and
in particular the resources and videos in the ‘JOINING
US’ section.
Deri O’Regan
Headteacher

Amazing curriculum
With 18 subjects taught in Year 7, we believe we have a curriculum
second to none. Alongside the important subjects of Mathematics
and English we teach Biology, Chemistry and Physics
as separate sciences from Year 7. We have an amazing range
of humanities at Key Stage 4 including Psychology, Sociology,
Engineering and Economics and alongside History, Geography,
Philosophy and Ethics, we teach Art, Music and Drama as
well as a special Artsbox course. We teach Computer Science,
Design Technology, Food Technology and an exciting project to
build a computer. We teach French and Spanish in the school as
well as Physical Education.
Academic Excellence
Last year 70% of all GCSE grades were Grade 4 and above,
with 22% of all grades 7-9. Our students achieved a record 220
Grade 8/9s. One of our students achieved an amazing 11 Grade
9s. Progress levels in the school have been consistently high for
many years.
Great Learning
Learning is at the heart of everything we do and to make
this happen we invest heavily in teaching. We have great
teachers at the school and train up many new teachers
every year working with Cambridge University to get
the very best people in front of our students.
We value deep subject knowledge. We work tirelessly to
provide exciting learning experiences on a daily basis,
delivered with inspirational and research-based teaching
methods. We want your child to love coming to school
and love learning.

‘It feels
exciting
to be in a
bigger school
with lots of
opportunities’
George, Yr 7

‘The teachers are really
kind and they make
learning fun’
Lily, Yr 7
Student Leadership
We are committed to developing the leaders of
tomorrow and develop student leadership across
all year groups. Our top student leaders are the
Year 11 Prefect Team, which consists of a Head
Boy and Head Girl, four Deputy Heads and a
team of Prefects. We also have a strong sports
leadership pathway which visits local primary
schools and supports the West Suffolk School
Games activities. We have a well-established
Duke of Edinburgh programme allowing
students to complete both Bronze and Silver.

Debating
We have a lively and fun debating society led by Sixth Form students from Abbeygate
Sixth Form College, who enter national competitions such as the English Speaking
Union’s Churchill Cup.
Church of England
We are a Church of England school and enjoy very close links with St Edmundsbury
Cathedral through our involvement in Lunchtime Recitals, Remembrance Day services,
Christmas Celebrations and our Musician in Residence - the Cathedral’s Organ Scholar.

Extra-Curricular
We have a large and wide ranging
extra-curricular programme with
over 60 activities put on either at
lunchtime or after school. We have
a large number of sports on offer
and aim to have something for
everyone with our amazing sports
facilities (which includes a floodlit
astro football pitch and a full-size
athletics track).
Music
Music is central to life at the school and
our link with the Cathedral. We believe
in providing regular performance
opportunities both in concerts and
school events. Music is most fun
when done together so we run a wide
range of ensembles. Many students
receive music lessons via the school
and our most accomplished musicians
perform with the Sixth Form students at
Abbeygate Sixth Form College, to push
their musicianship further.
Drama and Dance
Drama and the Performing Arts is
exciting and thriving at King Edward
VI School. Our students give regular
performances, many of which they
direct and/or devise themselves.
Our big production last year was
the ‘School of Rock’ which was a
dazzling display of energy, fun and
talent. Many students from Year 7
were able to get involved and shine,
even in their first year at King
Edward VI. We also participate in
Shakespeare Schools Festival and
perform at professional theatre venues
such as The Apex. Our current school
production is Our Fair Lady and will
be performed in February 2024.

Your child’s future starts
Your child’s
learning
The recent success of our students
is testament to our commitment
to the individual – to your
child. We have regular and
indepth communications with
our feeder primary schools, and
respond to our students’ hugely
diverse learning needs, setting
suitable learning challenges and
overcoming barriers to learning
for all. We are exceptionally proud
of our Deaf Resource Base which
offers places for 15 deaf students
from across the County.

here....
‘The pastoral
care, staff and
leadership at
this school are
exemplary.
The choice of
extra-curricular
activities is
amazing.’ Parent
Your child’s transition
We manage the transfer of each child from primary school to King
Edward VI School with great care. If your child secures a place we
will invite you to a transition evening in April 2024 and start building
the partnership with you to make your child’s education a success.
All students will be invited into the school for two transition days on
15 and 16 July 2024. The first day will focus on team building which
is essential for building the confidence and friendships so important
for success at secondary school. Further transition and induction
will then happen for your child in September so that we really get to
know your child before the whole school starts for the new academic
year. There is a dedicated Pastoral Team to support Year 7 including a
full-time Year 7 Pastoral Support Manager.

King Edward VI School
Grove Road Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk IP33 3BH
Telephone 01284 761393
admin@king-ed.suffolk.sch.uk
www.king-ed.suffolk.sch.uk
KingEdwardVISchool