FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We look forward to welcoming all new students to our school, we hope they enjoy the many opportunities we have to offer and wish them a happy and fulfilling time.
Please see below for frequently asked questions. Click to expand each topic.
SENIOR SCHOOL STUDENTS
ACADEMIC AND MUSIC >
HOW MANY PUPILS IN A CLASS? |
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Classes at Kent College have an average class size of 16 pupils with a maximum of 20. |
HOW DOES MY CHILD CHOOSE HIS/HER SUBJECTS? |
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Information about options will be sent out with your offer letter for Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12. Year 7 and year 8 will need to select which modern foreign language they wish to study. |
CAN MY CHILD CHANGE SUBJECTS ONCE THEY HAVE STARTED? |
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Usually yes, depending on his or her timetable. |
HOW DO I BOOK MUSIC LESSONS? |
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Click For Booking Form |
CAN MY CHILD PRACTISE MUSIC ANY TIME? |
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Yes, depending on the instrument and the availability of a practice room. |
CAN MY CHILD BRING HIS/HER OWN INSTRUMENT? |
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Yes, pupils are welcome to bring their instruments to school. |
DAILY SCHOOL BUS SERVICE >
HOW DO I BOOK BUS TRANSPORT? |
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Information about timetable, routes and an online booking form is available on the transport page. The School Office will contact new families about booking for the School Bus in June prior to starting in September. |
FEES >
Where do I find fee information? |
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Click To View |
WHO TO CONTACT? |
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For enquiries about fees please contact Lindsay Brown at fees@kentcollege.co.uk. |
How can I pay? |
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We accept payment by direct bank transfer, Direct Debit or Flywire. Fees are payable by the first day of term. However, if you would like to spread the cost of your school fees over 3 months of the term, we can offer a Direct Debit arrangement. Please speak to Ms Brown at fees@kentcollege.co.uk if you are interested in paying your fees this way. For international fee payers, we take payments through Flywire. Please follow the link to create your account and make payment: https://payment.flywire.com/pay/payment. Please ensure you use your child’s full name as the payment reference. |
What is the deposit for? |
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We request a refundable deposit when a place is offered. The deposit will be refunded when your child leaves the school, after the final invoice has been issued and any remaining unpaid balance is settled with the school. Notice Requirements If you wish to withdraw your child from the School (other than at the normal leaving date in Year 13), you shall either give a term's notice to that effect or shall pay to the School a term's fees in lieu of notice. This means that if, for example, you wish to withdraw your child with effect from the start of the autumn term (ie, at the start of an academic year) then you would need to inform the Head, in writing, that you wish to withdraw your child on or before the first day of the preceding summer term (ie. the final term of the preceding academic year). This applies at all transition points through the College, i.e. from:
If you would like further information on any of the above points please contact the Bursar's office. |
LAPTOP >
DOES MY CHILD NEED A LAPTOP AT KC? |
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Yes, within KC’s modern learning environment, laptops are used daily by students in the Senior School to access shared material by the teachers, complete research and course work. To ensure your child has the most appropriate laptop to work with our school operating systems, laptops must be purchased through Easy4U. Please place your purchase direct with Easy4U. The device will be delivered to Kent College where we will prepare the laptop for use at KC ready for you to collect. |
How does the laptop scheme with easy4u work? |
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Kent College chose the Easy4U laptop scheme for the following reasons:
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MY SCHOOL PORTAL >
What is My School Portal? |
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Through My School Portal, parents, guardians and Senior School pupils have secure 24/7 access to personalised data via one username and password. From one intuitive and simple to use dashboard, you can access emails, reports, attendance records, timetables, sports fixtures and general information from your desktop, tablet or smartphone. |
How do I sign up to My School Portal? |
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As part of the joining KC process, before your child starts with us, you will be sent an email detailing how to register for MSP. Access is easy and once logged in, you should find it simple to navigate around the site. |
SATURDAYS >
IS THERE SCHOOL ON SATURDAY? |
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There are no lessons on Saturday, but there are usually sports fixtures in the morning. The School Farm Club also runs on a Saturday morning for senior students and riding lessons are available. Boarders also have a full range of activities on Saturday morning from basketball to archery and day students are welcome to join these. |
SPORT AND RIDING LESSONS>
DOES MY CHILD HAVE TO TAKE PART IN SPORT? |
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We encourage all students to embrace sport and to find a sporting activity that they enjoy in order to support a healthy lifestyle. As well as our key sports, hockey, cricket, tennis and athletics students can also try a wide variety of other sports and wellbeing activities from yoga to basketball and badminton to rowing or archery. If you have any specific concerns about your child being able to engage with our sports curriculum you should contact the Director of Sport who will be happy to discuss any worries with you. |
DOES MY CHILD NEED TO HAVE A MOUTHGUARD? |
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Yes, information about OPRO mouthguard fitting can be found on the Uniform page. |
HOW DO I KNOW WHICH HOUSE MY CHILD HAS BEEN ALLOCATED TO SO I CAN BUY PE KIT? |
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You will be informed which House your child has been allocated to in June ahead of a September start and will be able to order House shirts online from our sports kit provider. |
HOW DO I Apply For RIDING LESSONS? |
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Click For Booking Form |
STATIONERY >
Does my child need to bring pens, books, notepads etc? |
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The following stationery is required:
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TERM DATES & SCHOOL CALENDAR >
What are the school term dates? |
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Click To View |
Where do I find the School Calendar? |
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Click To View |
TRAIN STATION >
WHERE IS THE NEAREST TRAIN STATION? |
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Canterbury West (direct trains to Ashford International and London St Pancras) is approximately 5 minutes by car/taxi. |
UNIFORM >
WHERE DO I FIND OUT ABOUT UNIFORM? | |
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Information about what pupils wear at Kent College, where to purchase uniform and sports kit, as well as dress codes, buying mouthguards and lost property can be found on the Uniform page. All our uniform and sports kit is supplied by School Colours Direct. |
Is there a uniform sizing guide? |
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A sizing guide is available on the School Colours website. In addition sizing samples are also available to try on in the school's Thrift Shop, which is located on the Senior school campus, and is open during term time on Mondays and Fridays, 3.30pm to 5.00pm. Good quality second-hand uniform and sportswear for all years is also available in the Thrift Shop. |
CAN MY CHILD TRY ON UNIFORM BEFORE BUYING? |
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Yes, sizing samples are available to try on in the School's Thrift Shop, which is located on the Senior school campus, and is open during term time on Mondays and Fridays, 3.30pm to 5.30pm. |
WHAT SHOES ARE REQUIRED? CAN MY CHILD WEAR TRAINERS? |
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School shoes should be black leather. Trainer-style shoes, boots or boot-style shoes are not permitted. |
Where do I find Uniform and Sports Kit lists? |
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Uniform and sports kit lists for day students and boarders can be found on our Uniform page in the relevant year group categories. |
Where do I find the School’s Uniform policy? |
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Click To View |
Do I need to label my child’s clothes? |
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Yes, in order to ensure your child’s clothes do not get lost it is essential that all garments are labelled. Clothing labels can be bought from CASH'S. |
Can I HAVE UNIFORM SENT DIRECTLY TO KENT COLLEGE? |
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School Colours do not ship orders outside of the UK. School Colours will send orders directly to Kent College, and we ensure they are ready for you to collect when you arrive at school. You can contact uniform@kentcollege.co.uk to check that your uniform has been delivered. For Day students : Uniform can be collected from the Senior School Office. They will call you to let you know that your uniform is ready for collection. For Boarders : On New boarders Welcome Day Pre ordered uniform and sports kit will be sent directly to the student's Boarding House and can be tried on when they arrive. If you have any fitting issues, there is an opportunity to visit our uniform pop up shop on the day and try on alternative sizes. Boarding House Managers will help to organise the return of any incorrect items. Parents or guardians will need to re-order and new or replacement items online. We provide laptops on site in the pop up uniform shop for you to place orders on New Boarders' Welcome Day |
Who do I contact about uniform? |
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Any questions about the purchase of school uniform should be addressed to enquiries@schoolcoloursdirect.co.uk. If you are collecting uniform from Kent College before term starts or you want to make an appointment to try on uniform in the school holidays at KC you can contact uniform@kentcollege.co.uk. |
EXTRA INFORMATION FOR BOARDERS
AIRPORT TRANSFERS >
HOW FAR IS THE NEAREST AIRPORT? |
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Gatwick Airport is approximately 1 hour 15 minutes by car/taxi. Heathrow Airport is approximately 1 hour 40 minutes by car/taxi. |
CAN THE SCHOOL ARRANGE AIRPORT TRANSFERS? | ||||||||||||
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Airport transfers are arranged by parents or the pupil’s guardian. Boarding pupils under 16 will need to be collected by a guardian, parent or other named adult from the school. School airport transfer bus The school runs a limited bus service to and from Heathrow airport. This runs on the last day of term and usually on the day that the boarders are due back at the beginning of term. The cost is £75 per pupil per journey or £150 for a return journey and the fee will be added to your school bill. A signup form is sent to all boarder's parents/guardians to complete in the half term prior to travel. If you have any questions about the service please contact the School Office at enquiries@kentcollege.co.uk
Arrival : On arrival pupils should head to the terminal arrival point where a member of KC staff will be waiting with a KC sign so pupils can easily spot them. Pupils will accompany the member of staff whilst they go to other terminals to pick up the rest of the pupils who are arriving before driving on to Kent College. Departure : On arrival at the airport, a member of staff will escort pupils to their terminal and watch them through to departures before they drop the next pupil off at other terminals. Older pupils can progress through the terminal without an escort with written permission in advance from their parents. |
CAN YOU RECOMMEND A TAXI COMPANY FOR AIRPORT TRANSFERS? |
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We recommend Canterbury Airport Transfers tel: +44 (0)1227 455333 |
GUARDIANS >
HOW DO I FIND A GUARDIAN? |
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We recomend that you find a guardian company through AEGIS. Aegis can be contacted at http://www.aegisuk.net. AEGIS registered guardians include; |
LIVING ARRANGEMENTS >
Does my child need to bring their own bedding and towels? |
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All bedding, sheets, duvets and pillows are supplied but students are welcome to bring their own duvet cover if they wish. Students should bring their own towels. We recommend 2 bath towels (large) and 2 hand towels. |
WHAT ARE THE LAUNDRY ARRANGEMENTS? |
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House Managers take care of all the boarders laundry requirements. Pupils put their washing into the laundry bins on the allocated day and it is returned to their cupboard in the Laundry Room washed and ironed. It is essential that all garments are labelled with the student’s name to ensure they do not get lost. |
HOW MANY OTHERS WILL MY CHILD SHARE A ROOM WITH? |
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Most rooms in boarding are doubles while the younger students sometimes share rooms in groups of 2 to 5, depending on their year group and boarding house. There are a number of single rooms available for Sixth Form students. Many rooms have ensuite bathroom facilities while others share larger bathroom facilities. |
CAN MY CHILD PUT POSTERS ON THEIR WALLS? |
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Yes this is permitted in the boarding houses. |
How many casual outfits should my child bring? |
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We recommend 3 sets of casual clothes. The storage capacity provided in the boarding house is limited and for clothing and accessories you should not exceed the capacity of 1 x large suitcase and 1 x small suitcase. Please do not bring more suitcases than this as we cannot store them. |
VISA >
How do I apply for a visa? |
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We work with Sable International to assist families with the visa process. They will begin to contact families directly to issue the CAS and guide you through the application process. For students starting in September, this process with begin in the Summer Term. |
JUNIOR SCHOOL STUDENTS
FEES >
Where do I find fee information? |
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Click To View |
WHO TO CONTACT? |
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For enquiries about fees please contact Lindsay Brown at fees@kentcollege.co.uk. |
How can I pay? |
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Type answer here |
What is the deposit for? |
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Type answer here |
MY SCHOOL PORTAL >
What is My School Portal? |
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Through My School Portal, parents, guardians and Senior School pupils have secure 24/7 access to personalised data via one username and password. From one intuitive and simple to use dashboard, you can access emails, reports, attendance records, timetables, sports fixtures and general information from your desktop, tablet or smartphone. |
How do I sign up to My School Portal? |
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As part of the joining KC process, before your child starts with us, you will be sent an email detailing how to register for MSP. Access is easy and once logged in, you should find it simple to navigate around the site. |
RIDING AND MUSIC LESSONS >
HOW DO I BOOK MUSIC LESSONS? |
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Click For Booking Form |
HOW DO I BOOK RIDING LESSONS? |
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Click For Booking Form |
SCHOOL BUS >
HOW DO I BOOK BUS TRANSPORT? |
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Information about timetable, routes and an online booking form is available on the transport page. The School Office will contact new families about booking for the School Bus in June prior to starting in September. |
SPORT AND ACADEMIC >
DOES MY CHILD NEED TO HAVE A MOUTHGUARD? |
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Yes, from Year 2 upwards all children need a mouthguard. Information about OPRO mouthguard fitting (at school in September) can be found on the Uniform page on the school website. |
IS THERE PRE-SEASON TRAINING? |
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Yes, for Years 5 and 6 there is pre-season training before term starts in September and January. |
CAN MY CHILD BRING HIS/HER OWN MUSICAL INSTRUMENT? |
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Yes, pupils are welcome to bring their instruments to school. |
STATIONERY >
WHAT EQUIPMENT DOES MY CHILD NEED FOR PRE-RECEPTION? |
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Pre-Reception children need a small PE bag that stays in school to hold plimsolls, a change of clothes and Wellington boots. Please also provide spare underwear and baby wipes in case of wetting or soiling incidents. During warmer weather children need a sunhat and suncream. Children may also bring a water bottle. We respect the need for younger children who still need personal comfort toys. These can either be left in their bags or be given a special ‘watching’ place in the classroom. |
WHAT EQUIPMENT DOES MY CHILD NEED? - FOR YEARS 3 UPWARDS |
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From Years 3 upwards we recommend that children bring their own labelled stationery equipment (handwriting pens, pencils, rubbers, 30cm rulers) to school in a named pencil case. In Years 5 and 6 all children are expected to have a handwriting (or fountain) pen, pencil, ruler, pencil sharpener and rubber. Each child needs a school bag (available from School Colours) to keep their books safe when transporting them around school. |
TERM DATES & SCHOOL CALENDAR >
What are the school term dates? |
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Click To View |
Where do I find the School Calendar? |
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Click To View |
UNIFORM >
WHERE DO I FIND OUT ABOUT UNIFORM? | |
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Information about what pupils wear at Kent College, where to purchase uniform and sports kit, as well as dress codes, buying mouthguards and lost property can be found on the Uniform page. |
Is there a uniform sizing guide? |
---|
A sizing guide is available on the School Colours website. In addition sizing samples are also available to try on in the school's Thrift Shop, which is located on the Senior school campus, and is open during term time on Mondays and Fridays, 3.30pm to 5.00pm. Good quality second-hand uniform and sportswear for all years is also available in the Thrift Shop. |
CAN MY CHILD TRY ON UNIFORM BEFORE BUYING? |
---|
Yes, sizing samples are available to try on in the school's Thrift Shop, which is located on the senior school campus, and is open during term time on Mondays and Fridays, 3.30pm to 5.30pm. |
WHAT SHOES ARE REQUIRED? CAN MY CHILD WEAR TRAINERS? |
---|
School shoes should be black leather. Trainer-style shoes, boots or boot-style shoes are not permitted. |
Where do I find Uniform and Sports Kit lists? |
---|
Uniform and sports kit lists for day students and boarders can be found on our Uniform page in the relevant year group categories. |
Where do I find the School’s Uniform policy? |
---|
Click To View |
Do I need to label my child’s clothes? |
---|
Yes, in order to ensure your child’s clothes do not get lost it is essential that all garments are labelled. Clothing labels can be bought from CASH'S. |
Can uniform be shipped abroad for boarders? |
---|
School Colours do not ship orders outside of the UK. School Colours will send orders directly to Kent College, and we ensure they are ready for you to collect when you arrive at school. You can contact uniform@kentcollege.co.uk to check that your uniform has been delivered. For Day students : Uniform can be collected from the School Office. They will call you to let you know that your uniform is ready for collection. For Boarders : On New boarders Welcome Day Pre ordered uniform and sports kit will be sent directly to the student's Boarding House and can be tried on when they arrive. If you have any fitting issues, there is an opportunity to visit our uniform pop up shop on the day and try on alternative sizes. Boarding House Managers will help to organise the return of any incorrect items. Parents or guardians will need to re-order and new or replacement items online. We provide laptops on site in the pop up uniform shop for you to place orders on New Boarders' Welcome Day |
Who do I contact about uniform? |
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Any questions about the purchase of school uniform should be addressed to enquiries@schoolcoloursdirect.co.uk. If you are collecting uniform from Kent College before term starts or you want to make an appointment to try on uniform in the school holidays at KC you can contact uniform@kentcollege.co.uk. |