Kelly College is a coeducation

Coeducation

Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...

al independent school

Independent school

An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...

 situated in the outskirts of Tavistock, Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

, with around 350 students ranging from ages 11 to 18; there is an associated preparatory school

Preparatory school (UK)

In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...

 for primary school children, Kelly College Preparatory School, nearby.

The college has eight hectare

Hectare

The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...

s of landscaped grounds, including playing fields, set on the edge of Dartmoor

Dartmoor

Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...

 and including a stretch of the River Tavy

River Tavy

The Tavy is a river on Dartmoor, Devon, England. The name derives from the Brythonic root "Taff", the original meaning of which has now been lost...

, and five separate boarding houses, each with its own facilities. The college enjoys a good academic reputation, and is renowned for its strength in sports, particularly swimming

Swimming (sport)

Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...

 and rugby

Rugby football

Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...

.

It is at present under the headship of Mr. Graham Hawley who joined the college in August 2008, succeeding Mr. Mark Steed. The college's motto is
fortiter occupa portum - "defend your harbours bravely". This is a quotation from Ode XIV from the first Book of Odes by Horace

Horace

Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...

.⁽¹⁾

It offers many extracurricular activities for its students, such as the CCF (Combined Cadet Force

Combined Cadet Force

The Combined Cadet Force is a Ministry of Defence sponsored youth organisation in the United Kingdom. Its aim is to "provide a disciplined organisation in a school so that pupils may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self reliance,...

) in addition to a wide variety of sports and academic subjects.

History

The school was founded in 1877 after Admiral Benedictus Marwood Kelly left the great part of his real and personal estate to Trustees, founding a charity which he directed should be called "The Kelly College", which should be for the education of the "sons of Naval

Navy

A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...

 officers and other gentlemen". The school opened in October 1877, under the Headmastership of Robert West Taylor, late fellow of St John's College, Cambridge

St John's College, Cambridge

St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....

, with twelve boys on the school roll. It became co-educational in the late 1970s, initially with entrants into the Sixth Form, and in September 1991 welcomed thirty one girls into the First Form, fourteen of whom became Kelly Veterans in 1998.

The governing body have not yet decided whether to follow many other independent schools and a fast growing number of successful state schools by offering the International Baccalaureate or the Pre-U as the sixth form option.

Houses

The School has six houses; School House (founded 1877), Courtenay House (founded 1901), Newton House (founded 1939), Conway House (founded 1975), Marwood House (founded 1983), Russell House (founded 2002). Conway House is a mixed house for students in years 7 and 8; the remaining houses are for students in years 9 to Upper Sixth.

External links

• The school's official website
• The school's page at "D'Arch's school guide", with some data about the school
• A page from "ISBI Schools", with some information from the head
• Another page on the school, from "Intense Educational Ltd."