Our school was first established to educate the boy choristers of the worshipping community of Ely over 1,000 years ago. In the 11th century, King Edward the Confessor was educated here and throughout our history we have maintained strong links with Ely Cathedral.

In 1541, King Henry VIII founded a College of Canons at Ely Cathedral to replace the monks whose monastery had been dissolved in 1539 and the school received its Royal Charter. For much of the school’s history, the King’s Scholars constituted the entire school. Over the centuries, the school has grown to number nearly 1,000 pupils, with children of all faiths and none and from every corner of the globe. In 1970, King’s Ely became co-educational and in 1973, Queen Elizabeth II visited the school and instituted the first Queen’s Scholars.

Despite being over 1,000 years old, King’s Ely is at the forefront of educational discourse nationally, especially so over the past decade. Although we cherish our history, schools are about the todays and tomorrows of our pupils, and while we learn from the past, we look to the future. Today, King’s Ely is a vibrant community that offers all you would expect of a 21st century school and a great deal more.