Providing the best all-around education possible is at the heart of the King’s College educational philosophy. Our goal is to prepare our students so that they can flourish in today’s world.

We recognise that a successful education has many different strands and we have identified eight key dimensions that inform the King’s Teaching and Learning Philosophy. This approach places our students at the centre of everything we do.

An All-Round Teaching and Learning Philosophy

Founding Headmaster Graham Bruce determined that King’s College should “provide the best all round education it is possible to achieve”. That commitment remains today and is now evident in the eight key dimensions: learning, internationalism, democracy, environment, adventure, leadership, service and spirituality.

Each of these dimensions guides our approach to teaching and shapes the environment we create for our students. Every King’s student benefits from our all-round Teaching and Learning Philosophy.

A student with an all-round education is a good thinker, capable of deep understanding and able to apply their knowledge in different situations. They have a strong sense of who they are and they are prepared to drive themselves. They value freedom of thought and speech, they see themselves as global citizens, they aspire to make a difference.

 

The qualification journey

Our curriculum has been developed to offer the best possible learning experience and to meet the needs of every student.

We have a two-year lower school curriculum for Year 9 and Year 10 students. This programme combines traditional academic subjects with a wide range of life skills and thinking skills to give students a strong base for the future.

In Year 11 our students can access the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) pathway and the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) pathway. In Year 12 and Year 13 they choose between these two great qualifications. We are proud to offer this choice to our students.

As students progress to more senior levels at King’s they
have more choices about their subjects. We encourage
our students to retain a broad range of subjects for as
long as possible, giving them more opportunities when
they consider future study options and other endeavours.

 

A positive environment

Our teachers’ commitment paired with our innovative teaching and learning philosophy creates an environment that supports excellence.

Our class sizes rarely exceed 22 students per class, providing a low pupil-to-teacher ratio. This ensures students benefit from greater individual attention in the classroom. All students are encouraged to push themselves and to reach their highest potential.