As King Edward’s School looks forward to its 475th anniversary, Chief Master & Principal Kirsty von Malaisé reflects on the legacy of nearly five centuries of community
In an age where many teenagers spend too much of their precious time scrolling through a stream of disconnected 15‑second videos, where families feel the squeeze of competing demands, and where pernicious ideologies can reach young people at the tap of a screen, schools have the potential to be one of the most stable communities available to them. The chapter of life that is adolescence is one of tribe‑finding, of passion‑seeking, and of identity‑forming; in recognising this and in acting intentionally, a school can offer the sense of belonging that young people need.
Intentional belonging
Here at King Edward’s, our most recent ISI inspection (November 2025) awarded the school a coveted “significant strength” for the striking sense of belonging our boys experience by being educated here. Such belonging does not emerge by chance. It is built- carefully, consistently- through the culture of everyday school life. High expectations of engagement in lessons ensure that every voice matters. Oracy is prized, not merely as a transferable skill but as a way of thinking and participating; our frequent appearances in national public speaking finals stand testament to the value we place on being able to articulate thoughts and ideas with skill and nuance.
But belonging is forged just as powerfully beyond the classroom. Our staff are not only excellent teachers- they commit wholeheartedly to clubs, societies, and co‑curricular life, as they understand their enormous value. There is, quite literally, something for everyone every day of the week, often including weekends. From 1st XI hockey to pop choir, from debating to birdwatching, both the quietest boy and the most gregarious will find their interests and their people. Trips, exchanges, and a host of expeditions create shared experiences that build strong fellowship.
The larger story: 475 years of community
When a boy joins King Edward’s School, he joins a story far larger than himself: a 475‑year tradition of scholarship, adventure, service, and fellowship. Generations have walked these corridors, discovered and developed talents here, and built their futures from this place. Each pupil becomes a new chapter in a narrative that began long before them and will continue long after they leave.
This sense of stepping into an enduring story strengthens belonging. It gives our boys anchors as well as sails. They are not simply members of a school- they are inheritors of a legacy.
“All those who wander are not lost”: Tolkien and the power of fellowship
J.R.R. Tolkien, one of our most distinguished Old Edwardians, understood the power of belonging more than most. His worlds resonate because they are built around fellowship: diverse companions, each bringing their gifts, united not by sameness but by purpose. Tolkien’s characters do not succeed alone; they achieve lasting success together.
Like Tolkien’s Fellowship, our community thrives through difference, shared endeavour, and the knowledge that one’s place is strengthened by the presence of others.
King Edward’s is one of the most diverse independent schools in the country, and this diversity enriches us. We mark religious festivals, celebrate heritage, and run awareness‑raising initiatives such as Neurodiversity Celebration Week, which has built mutual understanding across pupils and staff alike. Pupils naturally “belong” to one or more micro-communities within the school, but it is our responsibility to ensure that boys are also integrated, that cross‑cultural and cross-age friendships form, and that the divergence of ideas is consciously valued in school.
The co‑curriculum as character, connection, and culture
Independent schools have long been incubators of talent- academic, sporting, and artistic. We have always known that co‑curricular life builds character. Today, it also builds something more essential: connection. In clubs and activities, boys learn teamwork and communication; they develop passions driven not by assessment, but by curiosity and joy. These experiences create the weft of community.
Belonging happens when boys feel known, seen, and valued- and it is in the co‑curriculum that this flourishes most freely.
Belonging beyond school: the lifelong impact
The impact of belonging does not fade at graduation. Our alumni return again and again, drawn not only by nostalgia, but by gratitude for this strong connectedness they perhaps took for granted when younger. They mentor pupils, speak at events, offer guidance and opportunities. They feel the impulse to give back to the community which shaped them.
Tolkien once suggested that the wider world is full of challenge, but that we travel through it better when we travel together. Our role is to prepare boys for that world, and to give them a community to which they can always return. That, after all, is the power of a 475‑year‑strong fellowship.
