| St Edmund's School Canterbury | |
| Coordinates: | 51.2917°N 1.0597°W |
| Motto: | Latin "Fungar Vice Cotis" |
| Type: | Public school Private day and boarding school |
| Religious Affiliation: | Church of England |
| Head Label: | Head |
| Head: | Edward O’Connor |
| Chair Label: | Chairman of Governors |
| Chair: | Air Marshal C.M. Nickols, CB, CBE, MA, FRAeS |
| Address: | St Thomas' Hill |
| City: | Canterbury |
| County: | Kent |
| Country: | England |
| Postcode: | CT2 8HU |
| Local Authority: | Kent |
| Urn: | 118998 |
| Enrolment: | 570 |
| Gender: | Coeducational |
| Lower Age: | 3 |
| Upper Age: | 18 |
| Colours: | Red & Black |
| Free 1: | Old Edmundians |
| Free Label 1: | Former pupils |
| Free 2: | "The Chronicle" |
| Free Label 2: | Yearbook |
St Edmund's School Canterbury is a private day and boarding school located in Canterbury, Kent, England and established in 1749. The extensive school grounds were acquired in 1855. The school currently caters for girls and boys aged 3–18, including the Choristers of Canterbury Cathedral.
The school charges full boarders up to £40,272 per annum (2021/2022)[1] and is among the most expensive Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) schools in the UK.
The School is currently headed by Edward O’Connor (2018 – Present)
St Edmund's School Canterbury was first established in 1749, as the Clergy Orphan Society (later the Clergy Orphan Corporation) in Yorkshire. In 1812, the school moved to St John's Wood at the nursery end of Lord's Cricket Ground. An associated school for girls was located on the same site, but later moved to become St Margaret's School, Bushey, in Hertfordshire.In 1855, the school moved to Canterbury. The acquisition of property and financing to build the school was provided by Samuel Wilson Warneford. The main school building was designed by Philip Charles Hardwick, architect of Charterhouse School and Adare Manor. The chapel wing of the school was completed in 1858 and remains in daily use.
The choristers of Canterbury Cathedral began their education at the school in 1972. Grant house was established from the former Big School. After 20 years the school reverted to the traditional 4-house system.[2]
In 1982, girls were admitted to the school for the first time.[3]
In 2016 the school was fined £18,000 and ordered to pay costs of £9,670, after a seven-year-old child nearly drowned at the Summerfest event held at the school. The school did not ensure the lifeguards held the relevant qualifications and it could not be sure the guards had any experience or competency.[4]
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the school’s patron.
The main building houses classrooms, boarding facilities, dining hall, library and administration offices. Further buildings provide teaching areas for Art, Design Technology and Science. The Francis Musgrave Performing Arts Centre comprises a purpose-built music school with recording studio, practice rooms and recital hall. There is also a 450-seat theatre for concerts and drama productions.
Sports facilities include a sports hall, gym, all-weather astro pitch, golf course, playing fields, 8 tennis courts, a shooting range and a swimming pool. Additional boarding houses are set in the grounds of the school.
The Junior School and Pre-Prep School are located on the same site in their own buildings.
The Senior School is divided into four day houses:
| Name | Named After | |
|---|---|---|
| Baker | Baker. A Victorian benefactor of the school | |
| Wagner | Wagner. A Victorian benefactor of the school | |
| Warneford | Dr. Samuel Warneford. A Victorian benefactor of the school, who donated the site and the building of the current location in Canterbury. | |
| Watson | Watson. A Victorian benefactor of the school |
| Name | Named After | |
|---|---|---|
| Becket | ||
| Chaucer | Geoffrey Chaucer | |
| Marlowe | Christopher Marlowe | |
| Roper |
| Name | Named After | |
|---|---|---|
| Owen (Senior School) | Owen. A benefactor of the school | |
| School House (Junior School) | N/A |
In 1972, the previously independent Canterbury Cathedral Choir School, which educated the choristers of Canterbury Cathedral, joined the Junior School as the Choir House. Choir House remains at a detached location beside the cathedral, and provided transport conveys the choirboys between the two sites.
The Good Schools Guide note that after the schools' rebranding it was no longer marketing itself as a music and drama school, nor did it continue to describe itself as "non-selective".[5]
The Independent Schools Inspectorate reported in 2015 that the school met all the requirements of the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations.[6]