Upper School

Welcome to the King Alfred School Upper School.  Our aim in the Upper School is to ensure that students can progress and achieve their individual potential.

Most students entering the Upper School do so at Year 7 where we provide a nurturing, stabilising environment, helping students to overcome any obstacles at this crucial transitional stage and offering extra support for new students to the school to help them to acclimatise and make new friendships.

King Alfred School is a secure environment with a child-centred approach, in which all children are encouraged to be creative, inquisitive, discuss ideas and listen to each other without fear, over-anxiety or pressure of unnecessary external tests.

It’s an exciting phase in a student’s education and we take pride in supporting each child to develop an enjoyment of learning and the personal qualities and skills to be a successful learner. Underpinned by outstanding pastoral support, we offer a broad and balanced curriculum which includes academic studies, a varied extra-curricular programme, extensive opportunities to learn beyond the classroom and comprehensive careers guidance.

Small mixed ability teaching groups of up to 18 in the Middle years and tutorial groups of up to 13 in the GCSE years and in the Sixth Form, enable all students to play an active part in their learning.

Students are encouraged to think for themselves and become more confident through taking on responsibilities and taking risks. Rules are kept to a minimum and are based on rationality, safety and mutual respect – one of our guiding principles. The emphasis on trust, informality and open communication results in an atmosphere in which each individual student is valued and heard.

Our students achieve academically but the mark of a KAS student is that they are resilient, compassionate and filled with an appetite for the possibilities of life.