King's Ely
King's Ely is a co-ed boarding and day school in Ely, Cambridgeshire, educating pupils aged 2 - 18 and founded in 970 AD. Boarding fees are £11,652 - £19,639 per term. Our advice on this school is independent and free.
- Type
- Co-ed boarding & day
- Boarders from
- 8 - 18
- Ethos
- Church of England
- Guardian required
- Yes
About King's Ely
The story, ethos and character of King's Ely.
- Setting
- City
- Ethos
- Church of England
- Head
- Mr John Attwater
King's Ely has been educating young people for over a thousand years — it's one of the oldest schools in Europe, founded in 970 AD and set right in the shadow of Ely Cathedral. That heritage sits comfortably alongside a genuinely modern outlook: pupils learn in a theatre, dedicated creative arts studios, a music centre and a sports hall, all built into a townscape of historic buildings.
Ely itself is easy to reach — London is around 80 miles away, Cambridge just 17, and Stansted airport under an hour by car, which matters for families travelling in for the term or for a visit. As of September 2025 the school has 1,132 pupils on its roll, aged from 2 right through to 18, drawn from more than 40 nationalities.
That mix of history and everyday school life is what most visiting families notice first — pupils cutting through the close on their way to a chemistry lesson, choristers rehearsing before Evensong, the cathedral bells marking the hours of an ordinary Tuesday.
Academically, King's Ely takes pupils through to university entrance at 18, via iGCSE or GCSE and then A Level. What earns it real loyalty from families, though, is the pastoral side — it's consistently one of the things people mention first, and it matters enormously for a child settling into boarding life away from home for the first time.
With over 40 nationalities represented, no single group dominates the community, and pupils leave used to working alongside people from entirely different backgrounds — good preparation for university and beyond, wherever in the world that ends up being.
Academics at King's Ely
What pupils study at King's Ely — and where it takes them.
The curriculum for younger pupils and Year 9 is deliberately broad — a genuine mix of maths and science, languages, the arts and history, designed to develop rounded thinkers rather than early specialists. Every pupil studies Maths, English, the three sciences, Geography, History, Religious Studies, Design & Technology, Computing, Art, Music, Drama, PE and PSHE, alongside one or two modern languages — French, German or Spanish — unless they're receiving EAL or learning support instead.
International pupils get specialist ESOL support from Year 3 onwards, so language is no longer a barrier by the time GCSE options are chosen. Alongside the academic timetable, the school's own Ely Scheme adds an outdoor education element that most UK day schools simply don't offer.
Programmes offered
Subjects offered
Where our leavers go
70% secured places at the top 34 UK universities, including Oxford (Chemistry, Keble; Music, New College; & Ancient History, Somerville); UCL, Imperial, King's, London; St Andrews, Edinburgh, Manchester, Durham. Similarly, Students are going to a diverse range of international institutions and courses.
Subject choices range from Architecture, Artificial Intelligence, STEM, Medicine, Law, International Business Management, International Relations, MFL, History to name but a few. Students are well supported by their specialist trained Sixth Form Tutors and a Higher Education programme which includes visiting speakers and timetabled sessions with the Director of Higher Education.
Figures are indicative — contact us for the latest results.
Boarding at King's Ely
Day-to-day boarding life and pastoral care at King's Ely.
- Boarding houses
- Girls 4, Boys 3, Mixed 0
- Exeat weekends
- No
- Guardian required
- Yes
- Saturday lessons
- No
Boarding is genuinely central to life at King's Ely, not an add-on to the day school. Across the senior school there are five boarding houses — Etheldreda for girl choristers, Hereward Hall and Hill House for sixth-formers, School House and Wendreda for Years 9–11 — plus two more in the Prep school. The school makes a deliberate choice not to separate international boarders into houses of their own: everyone lives, eats and socialises together.
That shows up in the small things: an inter-house match, a drama rehearsal, choristers singing evensong in Ely Cathedral itself. Pupils who board here tend to leave comfortable mixing with people from very different backgrounds, which families regularly tell us is one of the most valuable things their child takes away from the experience.
A genuine home away from home
Most boarding accommodation is shared, which the school sees as part of the experience rather than a compromise — pupils from different backgrounds are deliberately mixed together in rooms, and a new arrival is usually paired with someone who already knows the ropes. Years 9 to 11 share rooms of three or four; by Year 12 most pupils are in doubles, with some larger dorms for those who prefer the company; Year 13 pupils get their own room for quiet study ahead of exams.
Weekends are properly planned rather than left empty — there's a running programme of Saturday and Sunday activities and full-day trips, plus evening access to the gym, sports hall, library, art studios and music rooms during the week.
We can arrange trusted UK guardianship for international families.
King's Ely admissions
How children join King's Ely, and how we make it simple.
Tell us about your child
Share their age, interests and what you're looking for. Our advice is completely free.
We shortlist & introduce
We match you to the right schools and make the introductions to their admissions teams.
Assessment, offer & enrolment
We guide you through entrance assessments and interviews, and handle visas and guardianship if needed.
What you'll typically need
- Recent school reports or transcript
- Passport copy
- English-language evidence (if applicable)
- Completed registration form
- A reference from the current school
King's Ely accepts new pupils at several points in the year, not just September — entry is possible in January and in the summer term for pupils staying up to two or three terms, which gives families more flexibility than schools that only take a single annual intake. As your independent advisors, we handle the initial conversation with the school's admissions team on your behalf.
Getting started is straightforward: the school needs a recent school transcript, translated into English, and a copy of your child's passport. Once King's Ely has reviewed these and confirmed there's space in the right year group, we guide you through registration and everything that follows.
As your advisors we manage the application end-to-end at no cost.
King's Ely fees & funding
What King's Ely costs, what's included, and how we help with funding.
What termly boarding fees include
- Tuition
- Boarding accommodation
- All meals
- Pastoral & house care
- Most academic materials
Funding & scholarships
Registration deposits, EAL tuition, uniform and trips are usually charged separately. Many schools offer academic, sport, music and art scholarships plus means-tested bursaries — ask us and we'll send a full, current breakdown for King's Ely.
Fees change year to year and by entry point. As your independent advisors we hold up-to-date figures and can compare King's Ely against similar schools so you know exactly what to budget.
Figures shown are the latest we hold — we'll confirm current fees on enquiry.
King's Ely location & travel
Where King's Ely is, and how to get there.
King's Ely sits right in the historic heart of Ely, in Cambridgeshire — the Old Palace, on Palace Green, is literally in the shadow of Ely Cathedral. London is under an hour away by train, and the school can arrange airport transfers for an additional cost if you're flying in, with Stansted the closest major airport at around 45 miles.
Families visiting for open days or to drop off a boarder often stay at one of two hotels a short walk from the Old Palace — Poets House and The Lamb Inn — both within sight of the cathedral. It's a genuinely walkable, compact city, which makes settling a child in, or just visiting for the weekend, far less stressful than a larger campus further from the centre.
Inside King's Ely
King's Ely — frequently asked questions
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Considering King's Ely for your child?
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