FAQs

The school term begins in late August to early September, and ends in June. The exact dates for the upcoming academic year will be published on the school website and sent to parents. The school day begins at 8:00 am and ends at 3:20 pm.

Currently, there are 400 children representing 37 nationalities enrolled at the school.

On average, there are 20 pupils per class. A two-form entry system has been adopted from Reception to Year 9. “Setting”, across five sets, is in place for some subjects, which allows for smaller groups and a more personalised learning experience.

The English National Curriculum is provided to learners until Year 11, and the International Baccalaureate (IB) is offered to students who are aged 16 to 18 and attend Years 12 and 13.

Most academic staff teaching the English National Curriculum are qualified British teachers, with the exception of some language teachers who are native speakers. Language educators teaching our Spanish language programmes, including the Spanish validation and the Bachillerato course, are qualified, native Panamanian teachers.

On the whole, most of our pupils speak a combination of Spanish and English during their leisure time at school. English is the primary language of instruction in classrooms. Our young learners represent so many nationalities and all cultures are celebrated, however, English is the common language spoken throughout the school.

All pupils at King’s College study the Spanish language. Spanish-speaking pupils are required to take a minimum number of Spanish classes per week, with the frequency and number depending on their age. Non-Spanish speakers are taught Spanish as a foreign language at all ages.

French is taught from Year 5 onwards.

The amount of homework set depends on the age of the pupil. For learners in the Secondary School division, purposeful, relevant homework tasks are set on a regular basis.

The school is accredited to deliver the Cambridge (I)GCSE and IB courses. At the end of Secondary education, the Cambridge (I)GCSE examinations will be undertaken.

Students who finish their education at King’s College Schools enter universities worldwide. In the past, most ex-students have entered British universities, and a considerable number have been admitted to top institutions, including Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College and LSE. King’s College graduates also attend other prestigious universities in the UK, including Durham, St. Andrew’s, Edinburgh and Manchester, in addition to numerous colleges belonging to the University of London. 

Some students have preferred to attend Spanish universities, including UAM, Complutense and Carlos III, and other ex-students have decided to continue their higher education in other parts of the world, including those who have gained entry to universities in the USA. American institutions that have accepted our learners include Boston College, Harvard, MIT, New York, Princeton and Rutgers. 

Canadian universities include McGill, Dalhousie, University of Toronto and Waterloo. French universities attended by King’s College School alumni include Sorbonne. Some of our graduates have travelled to Japan for their university studies and studied at Aoyama, ICU, Keio, Sofia, Tokyo, Tsukubu and Waseda. After their international studies at King’s, past students have also travelled to Australia, Chile, Korea, Turkey and Venezuela for their university education. 

Generally, the minimum period we can accept pupils at the school is one academic year. However, for certain courses, the minimum required enrolment period is two full academic years. This is the case for the (I)GCSE course in Years 10 & 11, and the IB courses in Years 12 and 13, both of which are intensive 2-year programmes.

King’s College students are used to welcoming newcomers and are very warm, friendly and helpful. The Heads of Departments in the school ensure that “buddies” are always on hand to show newcomers the ropes in the school environment. However, a smooth transition for any new student is much more likely when supported by a desire to make new friends and be part of the school community.

The first step in the admissions process is to submit an application form. This may be obtained from our website or by contacting the Admissions team directly. The procedures for admission vary slightly according to the candidate's age (please see Admissions). Infants are required to provide reports from the school of origin, whilst Juniors and Seniors must take entrance examinations in Mathematics, Reading, Writing and Non-Verbal Reasoning. School reports for the two years before entry must be provided and are also taken into consideration.

We accept children with no English-speaking ability between the ages of 2 and 5. For a limited number of Primary applicants between the ages of 5 and 14, we offer an “Induction English” programme. This is a special course for non-English speaking newcomers of proven academic ability, whose entry to King’s College would not otherwise be possible. They receive intensive English classes in very small groups, and individual support is provided in mainstream lessons.