“OUR son, Patrick, joined King’s Ely Senior in Year 9 and he settled in immediately. Despite starting during the Covid months of 2020, King’s made sure he was welcomed and happy. Patrick threw himself into all that King’s offers, including joining the Rowing Crew, and in doing so making some wonderful friends and finding his ‘place’ within the school.

“Living south of Cambridge, we were initially concerned about the travel involved in getting to King’s and the early mornings involved. Our concerns soon disappeared, as in reality it is extremely straightforward and easy. Patrick catches the train into Cambridge Station, where he meets his friends (and, it seems, most of King’s!), and they get the Ely train together. He loves the freedom and independence this gives, and we feel that it has greatly increased his self-confidence and maturity.

“We have found King’s to have an excellent balance of nurture and encouragement of independence. The teaching staff are very helpful and have always replied quickly and thoroughly to any questions we have had. From our first parents’ evening we were blown away by the staff and how incredibly enthusiastic they are, and Patrick finds them very approachable and fun. The staff seemed to very quickly assess and understand Patrick, and continue to gently push him to achieve his academic best. As a result, Patrick is thriving and he fully intends to stay on for Sixth Form.

“Patrick makes full use of the school’s Bouldering Cave at lunchtimes, attends Engineering Clubs, is involved in the Robocop Competition, and he is a Digital Champion. In his first year at King’s, he also got involved in the sound production side of the school play and we were impressed that the students who stayed on after school were given dinner with the boarders. King’s always seems to go that bit further in looking out for the students’ well-being and the little things like this make such a difference. Patrick has also joined some of the optional weekend trips that are offered – a weekend kayaking on the Thames was a highlight! There are so many opportunities on offer, and King’s has been fantastic at keeping things going despite Covid, from live lesson online learning to trips and extra-curricular activities.

“We are thrilled that we made the decision to send Patrick to King’s – our only regret is that we didn’t do it earlier.”

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