About Us
The King Alfred School (KAS) adopts a progressive approach to education through its innovative curriculum, focussing on the whole child’s academic and personal success.
Located on the fringes of Hampstead, in London, across two green and leafy wooded settings, we are an informal, relational, coeducational, mixed ability and non-denominational school.
Since its foundation in 1898, KAS has been committed to education reform and is a leading voice in current educational change through its co-founding role in Rethinking Assessment.
With over 700 students from Reception age through to a flourishing Sixth Form, we have a vibrant and friendly community where the emphasis, both academically and socially, is on discovering and maximising the potential of each child.
The school stands out from the prevailing educational environment as a school which achieves academic success without unnecessary pressures, and social success through the development of relationships and responsibility rather than external discipline. At the heart of our ethos is a child-centred approach. We appreciate that every child is unique, and we get to know every individual. It is a school that is genuinely loved by students, parents and staff alike.
The village green setting of the main school site contributes to the community feeling with Lower School classrooms all opening out directly onto play areas, parents encouraged to spend time in the grounds and all children offered opportunities for outdoor learning. Most children will join at Reception and continue on to the Sixth Form. Transition from Lower to Upper School is a natural one and for KAS students does not depend on assessments or examinations.
KAS has a Lower School (Reception to Year 6) and an Upper School (Year 7 to 13), but we operate as one school in which all parts belong to a whole. Age groups are encouraged to mix, with Upper School students helping out in Lower School, enriching each other’s lives.
We offer a wide curriculum with specialist teachers in Lower School covering subjects outside the core areas: Information Technology, French, Art, PE and Music. In the Upper School, GCSE studies include six core subjects and three optional subjects and students all take part in Choice afternoon where they can choose from a range of non-academic activities. At Sixth Form students usually take three A levels and we offer a full range of subjects alongside the UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Performing Arts & Production Arts and The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). All students are also involved in a wide range of enrichment activities and there is a huge variety of after school clubs available.
The King Alfred School is a happy, compassionate school in which the emotional, physical and social development of our students are held in equal regard to their academic progress.
