Co-Curricular Life

Start Your Adventure

King Edward’s School aims to provide a thriving and continuously evolving co-curricular programme by offering a broad range of opportunities for pupils. We expect engagement from pupils with our co-curricular programme, and our watchwords are breadth and opportunity.

We pride ourselves on the development of rounded and grounded young people, and know that talents and interests discovered, nurtured and developed at school can help shape a future. Traditional strengths across our co-curricular programme include a creative writing club who publish an annual anthology of short stories and poems, as well as debating and advocacy societies including Model United Nations and KES Pride. Textiles and Crafty Club keep creative hands busy and a plethora of Sports, Music and Drama and Academic clubs help to ensure we offer something for everyone.

The School has an enviable reputation for its performing arts and sports programmes. A partnership with Bath Philharmonia provides outstanding learning and performance opportunities for our musicians, whilst the school’s rich sporting heritage and strength in all major team sports, including an innovative gender-neutral cricket programme, is further enhanced by close links with organisations such as Bath Rugby Academy and the England Hockey Academy based in Bath, in support of our elite sports programme. Participation is notable too, with opportunities for all to represent the School. The development of The Rose Drama studio has enhanced our provision for the ambitious productions on offer to every year group each year. Recent shows have ranged from the musical, We Will Rock You, to Alice in Wonderland and Antigone.

Sport

The School enjoys a strong sporting tradition, where all pupils are encouraged to take an active role in the curricular and co-curricular opportunities available.

Explore

Drama

The KES Drama department aims to nurture a sense of community through participation in school plays, drama clubs, theatre trips and professional workshops.

Explore

Music

Music is at the heart of our school: we strive to encourage independent musicians capable of performing with poise, passion, connection and skill.

Explore

‘Pupils’ engagement with the broad and varied extra-curricular programme is outstanding.’
ISI REPORT 2023

responding to pupil interest

Our determination to respond to new interests among pupils, ensures our co-curricular offer never stands still in its ambitions, as evidenced by our rapidly expanding esports, coding, F1 in Schools and cipher challenge programmes.

These areas of our programme are supported by a flagship multimedia suite, developed in partnership with Lenovo.

OUTWARD BOUND

Our prodigiously active Combined Cadet Force is one of the oldest School CCFs in the country and includes a vibrant Corps of Drums. DofE enjoys high levels of pupil participation and completion rates across all three levels of the award, and the school has a long history of taking part in the Ten Tors Challenge.

EXPLORE MORE

Residential and day trips

Residential and day trips enrich learning through discovery and play an important part in providing opportunities for developing independence and self-reliance. Here at King Edward's, there are numerous opportunities to take part in subject-based visits and exchanges, co-curricular trips, conferences and tours.

KES_Bath_private_school_in_bath_southwest_england

FINDING A BALANCE

With our pupils able to enjoy a plethora of opportunities, it is also very important to achieve balance and wellbeing. We monitor and support our busiest pupils to ensure that they are not overstretched.

Teachers work closely together to enable the keen sports player to attend the orchestra, take a lead role in the play, attend a walking or debating weekend, as well as fit in some well-deserved down time.

ACTIVITIES WEEK

Taking place in the penultimate week of the academic school year, Activities Week is a highly popular programme of diverse trips and activities which depart to various areas of the UK and Europe, involving almost all our pupils from Year 7-10.

All pupils in Year 7 travel together to an outdoor activity centre in Dorset, where they experience a wide range of activities and challenges. Year 8-10 pupils opt from several trips that range from: cultural opportunities in Paris, Nice, Berlin, Cologne, Barcelona, Venice and Marbella; subject focused trips in Iceland or Pompeii; outdoor activities and water sports in Bude and Tall Ships Sailing, and home based activities such as Adventure Sports, Build a Games Console, Coding and Puzzles, Golf, Show in a Week, and Creative Arts.

The programme continues to develop and diversify each year as staff propose and launch new trips. This helps keep the programme fresh and exciting for our pupils.

Activities Week is often the departure point for trips and expeditions to further afield locations, such as the recent expedition to Kenya, focusing on project work with Moving Mountains Trust, before trekking up Mt Kenya and experiencing a Safari in the East African Rift Valley, and the U16 Rugby, Netball and Hockey tour to Canada.