King Edward’s School Bath - more than academics?

[EmmaKay96]

We are considering KES for our 2 junior school age boys. One is bright, sensitive and kind, he has struggled with confidence around other children in the past, our other son is also bright, kind but a little more robust. Neither responds well to shouty teachers and they both need an environment where they will be seen, understood & valued - is this KES can anyone tell me? There are lots of comments on the dry academic side, but I would like to understand the culture and heart of the school. Do they also have good SEN & pastoral provisions? Thanks for any advice

Hi, as a former parent of KES Junior School, I was so struck by the warmth and humour of the school when we first joined. The teachers are exceptional - far from shouty! They really excel in helping children find their passions and and to be confident in being themselves. Also really approachable. Pupil voice is a big thing so children are really encouraged to talk to adults. House system also helps with sense of community and the peer mentoring scheme really helps build confidence of children - senior school pupils act as mentors to Junior School children, as do JS children with younger children in the Pre-Prep. Would def recommend a visit to find out more.

Have you visited yet, OP? Our son is starting pre-prep in September and we visited the junior school to help decide whether that would be the right place for him when he gets to Y3. We absolutely loved the feel of it, and the teachers and pupils we met were lovely. It seemed like it would accommodate a sensitive child perfectly, so while we don’t yet have first-hand experience, our impression matches that of EmmaKay96

@VaVaFrome thanks for the reply! Yes we visited - seems lovely and they say all the right things. Felt a really nice atmosphere as you say. The entrance assessment sounds intense for a little 6 & 7 yo- so perhaps it’s highly selective and we wondered what it is really like before we put them through that. It’s hard to tell from an open day of course so wanted to ask - especially on the pastoral side. Interest in and getting to know more introverted children is not always a given and it’s really what we are looking for in a school. The children at the open day were all brilliantly confident and chatty- they made a point of getting the head children to speak in front of everyone, unrehearsed, but hard to ascertain how much attention is given to the quieter ones - they aren’t the easiest to champion or bestow value on on an open day. So much importance on being outwardly confident in general these days, & as it doesn’t always come naturally to quieter children seems important to find out. It would require a particular type of culture, giving time and effort in really getting to know each child and encouraging them regardless of performance or interest in being openly confident. Just wondered if there was anyone who had experience of this at KES? Fully appreciate they seem lovely and academics all super.
Hope your son loves the pre-prep!

It’s selective but nothing like highly selective. Every selective school will have assessments. You ask about SEN and I think it’s important to know what needs your children have, if you suspect any, before choosing a school.

Thanks @dogsbowl - our children don’t have any SEN - but we would like to know how well SEN children are catered for at KES as we are trying to understand more about their pastoral side and it’s a good marker of that imo.