Vision and Values

The King's School Vision

Our Vision 

King’s aims to inspire young people to become confident, kind and ambitious adults who live fulfilled lives for the common good.

The positive attitudes, actions and achievements of famous former King’s students provide apt and ambitious aspirations for current students too. 

Our Values

Courage

King’s believes in having and applying the courage of our convictions: to inspire change for the better; to challenge complacency and injustice; to seize opportunities and to be open minded and not limit ourselves for fear of failure.  

Former student Joseph Tombs V.C. courageously entered No-Man’s Land and his citation for the Victoria Cross reads:

- “For most conspicuous gallantry near Rue du Bois, on 16th June 1915.  On his own initiative he crawled out repeatedly under a very heavy shell and machine gun fire, to bring in wounded men who were lying about 100 yards in front of our trenches.  He rescued four men, one of whom he dragged back by means of a rifle sling placed round his own neck and the man’s body.  This man was so severely wounded that unless he had been immediately attended to he must have died.” -

Friendship

King’s believes in building deep, lasting relationships built on the mutual trust and support that helps us all to contribute positively together.

The C17th poet laureate, and former King's student, Colley Cibber advised:

- When we are conscious of the least comparative merit in ourselves, we should take as much care to conceal the value we set upon it, as if it were a real defect; to be elated or vain upon it is showing your money before people in want.-

Honour

Honour propels us towards doing the right thing for the common good; upholding the highest values and standards; leading by example; taking personal and group responsibility leading to the mutual trust implicit in the school’s motto:

- honi soit qui mal y pense -

- Evil be to him that evil thinks - which is also the motto of the knights of the garter. - 

Humility

We recognising that our successes are due to the support and work of others. 

In the words of our most famous former student Isaac Newton, to the success of others.

- If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants. -

Perseverance

Students are encouraged to try their best in all aspects of life, however challenging this may be at times we need to stay the course however difficult.

Former student, the WWI fighter pilot Albert Ball V.C. DSO & Two Bars and M.C. encapsulates the quality of perseverance.  Despite being a student of modest ability Albert was always curious and engaged.  He enjoyed carpentry, model making and photography. Albert formed his own engineering business, Universal Engineering Works, at the age of seventeen before funding his own flying training and was credited with 44 victories at the time of his death which contributed to him being described as “Lone wolf of the skies”.

Responsibility

Taking responsibility for our own thoughts as well as actions; understanding when we are wrong and acting to correct this builds a respect for others and ourselves. 

The Old Boy William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, was Elizabeth I’s chief adviser. When the queen appointed him Secretary of State she had no doubts about his sense of responsibility declaring:-

- “This judgement I have of you, that you will not be corrupted by any manner of gifts, and that you will be faithful to the state; and that without respect of any private will, you will give me the counsel you think best”. -

Our vision and core values at King’s link closely with those of our founder Bishop Richard Foxe 

- a man of wisdom, knowledge, learning and truth. - 

William Frost, steward for most of Fox’s episcopate, wrote of him-  - trusted and trusting, an honourable man -