Last week, King’s was privileged to welcome Dr Simon Hyde, General Secretary of HMC (The Heads’ Conference), for a visit to meet staff and pupils and gain an insight into life at King’s.

HMC is the leading professional association of Headteachers from some of the world’s best schools. Established in 1869, it was the first organisation of its kind, bringing together school leaders to share expertise and uphold the highest standards in independent education. Today, over 300 schools in the UK and Ireland are members, educating around 290,000 pupils, with an additional 64 international members. HMC schools vary widely in size and structure, from historic boarding schools to city day schools, but all are committed to excellence, innovation, and meaningful partnership work within and beyond the independent sector.

During his visit, Dr Hyde met with the Principal, Ben Charles, and spoke with staff and pupils about a range of topics, including our future-focused curriculum, which encourages independent thinking, creativity and collaboration. This includes the introduction of our new Year 7 Diploma, designed to develop key learning skills, and a commitment to STEAM, the Green Curriculum, and emerging technologies such as AI. King’s has recently been recognised for its responsible and innovative approach to AI integration in education, having been awarded the Good Future Foundation’s AI Quality Mark—the first independent school in South East England to achieve this prestigious recognition.

Dr Hyde also learned about King’s whole-school approach to outdoor learning, which begins with woodland experiences in Pre-Prep and continues through the Preparatory and Senior Schools with opportunities such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and all three contingents of the Combined Cadet Force (Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force). These experiences encourage teamwork, leadership and resilience, while providing pupils with practical skills beyond the classroom.

The visit provided an opportunity to reflect on how schools like King’s are evolving to meet the challenges and opportunities of modern education. Dr Hyde enjoyed a tour of the School led by our wonderful Sixth Form ambassadors, who shared their own perspectives on life at King’s. We are grateful to him for taking the time to visit and look forward to welcoming him back in the future.

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