Sixth Form Co-Curricular & EnrichmentLooking to a world beyond

Music

We want every King Edward’s pupil to experience the widest range of music making possible, by learning an instrument, joining a choir or ensemble, or attending concerts, recitals and band sessions. Our music department is a hub of creative activity and a place where all musical abilities, interests and tastes are celebrated.

The Countess of Munster Music School at King Edward’s provides over 5,000 individual lessons and concerts, competitions, UK and international tours and examinations. Our school has over twenty choirs, orchestras and bands for our pupils to become involved in, including our Chapel Choir, Camerata, Lower School Choirs, Senior Vocal Ensemble, Junior Vocal Ensemble, Orchestra, Chamber orchestra, Saxophone Quartet, Brass Quintet, Percussion Ensemble and 10+ Bands. Our Battles of the Bands, House Music and Musician of the Year competitions open to all.

Our exceptional choirs and orchestras regularly perform externally, with our Chapel Choir singing at St Peter’s Vatican City, Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls Rome, St Mark’s Venice, Guildhall, Mansion House, St Bride’s Fleet Street, St Clement Danes, Guildford, Chichester, Winchester, Westminster, Southwark cathedrals and St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Our programme of performances in Witley is comprehensive, allowing musicians specialising in every instrument with the opportunity to display their talents to peers, parents and external audiences in a number of settings, ranging from intimate showcases to larger scale performances.

Music technology learning is popular at King Edward’s with pupils able to develop their skills in our state-of-the-art Mac Suite and recording studio which is of excellent benefit to our BTEC Music Technology pupils. We have an impressive track record of pupils progressing to sound production and engineering programmes in addition to more traditional courses at the Royal Academy of Music, Oxbridge and other universities.

Whether playing for simple pleasure or are focused on a professional career as a musician or in music production, King Edward’s really does provide extraordinary musical opportunity for all.

Sport

King Edward’s Sixth Form sports programme is extensive.

From individual trophies, to House competitions, from specialist sports to national arenas, we provide opportunities to develop skills or achieve personal best, where pupils are supported to enjoy the simple pleasure of taking part in activities or work together for collective competitive glory.

The sports programme at King Edward’s is extensive. Our core sports – cricket, football, hockey, and netball – each have a dedicated Head in addition to our Director of Sport and Head of Girls’ Games. Over 100 school teams benefit from competitive and recreational opportunities in our core and a broader range of sports, including athletics, golf, rugby, swimming and tennis, during the week and at weekends, with a wide-ranging touring programme being offered to encourage our pupils to experience and enjoy different sporting environments.

80% of King Edward’s pupils represented the school in a sports team during 2023/24, with this number being consistent between girls and boys. This team representation rate significantly exceeds PADSIS (The Professional Association of Directors of Sport in Independent Schools) benchmarks.

In 2024, King Edward’s has been included in The Cricketer’s Top 100 Senior Schools, reflecting the growth of our cricket programme since the appointment of Rikki Clarke (ex-England) in 2021 for both boys and girls.

In our Elite and Developing Performance pathway programmes, cited by the Professional Association for Directors of Sport in Independent Schools as an example of excellent practice, we work with partners to support and mentor pupils with the highest ambitions in a wide range of sports, including Toby Roberts (Old Witleian 2022; Olympic Gold Medallist, Sport Climbing, 2024). Many of our pupils gain county, divisional and national honours and representation; our percentage participation rate per age group is significantly above national averages and we currently have a national age group champions in swimming, and American football as well as current pupils and recent alumni participating in national performance pathways in athletics, cricket (including county capped players, football (including independent schools FA and professional club academy selection, golf, hockey (including national triallists), skiing and squash.. We also support our pupils in gaining coaching and sport leadership qualifications whilst at King Edward’s.

Whether engaging in sport for simple pleasure or are focused on a professional career is sport, King Edward’s really does provide extraordinary sporting opportunity for all.