Sixth Form Co-Curricular & EnrichmentLooking to a world beyond

Our aim is for our Sixth Form students to thrive and achieve in all aspects school-life – academically, socially, creatively, emotionally and beyond, and our co-curricular and activities programme is of immense importance to the overall, rounded education offered in Sixth Form at King Edward’s.

For every student, engaging in activities beyond the curriculum can enrich their whole School experience and connection with other pupils. We provide an encouraging, high-performance environment where pupils are supported to enjoy the simple pleasure of taking part in activities and those wishing to excel in their passions are supported in their goals, whatever they be within or beyond the provision of our generous scholarships in art, drama, design technology, music and sport.

Our Sixth Formers have access to upwards for 50 co-curricular clubs and societies altogether each week. Many clubs are led by passionate teaching staff; some are student-led, and others provided by external experts. Activities predominantly take place after school or on Saturdays, with most attracting no additional charge. We also offer an extensive trips programme, with a range of opportunities to travel with the school locally, in the UK and internationally on academic and co-curricular adventures. Recently our Business and Economics Sixth Form students travelled to New York,  other to the Observatory Science Centre, Herstmonceux, The National Theatre, Westminster Abbey and East London Mosque and the UK Houses of Parliament.

Drama

Sixth Form students play a vital part of the drama offering at King Edward’s, taking leading roles both on and off stage as members of our backstage crew, leading on stage management, lighting, sound, and projection. We aim to offer a variety of play texts from large scale musicals to smaller student written productions. Groups of Sixth Form students run their own productions; cast, directed and publicised by the students themselves.

We are excellently located for visits to the West End, Chichester Festival Theatre and other touring venues, and we also welcome visiting practitioners from professional companies to Witley each year. Our LAMDA lessons are offered exclusively through our professional partnership with Creative Connection, and exams at grade 6 and above carry UCAS tariff points.

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.

Join Us for a Personal Visit… we can’t wait to welcome you.

We warmly invite you to visit us and explore all that our SIXTH FORM has to offer here at King Edward’s. Personal visits usually last around 90-minutes including a meeting with our Head, Mrs Joanna Wright, and opportunities to meet with pupils and tour the school.
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Book a Sixth Form Open Morning

The best way to experience what life is like at King Edward’s is to join us at an Open Morning. You will have the chance to talk to pupils and teachers about what makes our school such a special place, and to answer any questions you have about life here.

Friday, 21st March 2025 Sixth Form (Age 16-18)

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