A King’s High education opens doors, hearts, and minds.
As one of the UK’s leading schools for girls, we are educating the Changemakers of the future – young women who will go out into the world and make a positive difference, inspired by strong values and a powerful sense of social responsibility.
We welcome students aged 11 to 18 and work with them to nurture talents, build confidence and enable them to succeed and thrive. We are proud to put each girl’s wellbeing and aspirations at the heart of all we do, preparing them for a life of fulfilment and to be a force for good in society.
In our rapidly-changing world, we know that our students will need core skills and values to enable them to thrive: creativity and curiosity; empathy and emotional intelligence; teamwork, networking and leadership opportunities – as well as the digital skills that are so valuable in the age of Artificial Intelligence.
There is no typical King’s High girl. Instead, we celebrate individuality, diversity, and difference as we respond to the unique strengths and interests of each and every student. Whilst our academic results are superb, our focus is on the complete educational experience and our extensive co-curricular programme and partnerships in our local community attest to this fully.
As part of Warwick Schools Foundation, we operate within a wider family of schools that provides unparalleled opportunities to combine the very best traditions of girls’ education with all the benefits of co-educational opportunities outside of the classroom, whether that is for our day or our boarding students in Way House. We are delighted to now offer boarding for girls from Year 9 upwards.
We are the only school in the UK to have been Finalists for Senior School of the Year for four years running, winning this prestigious award in 2021-2022 and 2025-2026. Ranked in the top 2% of schools in the country for the strength of sport, we are also national award winners for the creative and performing arts and future-readiness.
In September 2019 we moved from our home of 140 years on Smith Street in Warwick into our world-class, state-of-the-art new school on our Foundation campus. As one of the largest investments in girls’ education in the UK, Project One Campus is testament to our determination to create inspirational spaces for our students.
It is my great privilege to be Head Master of this exceptional school and I look forward to welcoming you to our remarkable community of Changemakers.
Dr Stephen Burley
Head Master
Meet the Head Master
Dr Burley grew up in the north east of England and, as a schoolboy, used to cross the River Tyne each day by ferry to travel to school. His encounter with inspirational teachers bred a love of reading and literature that has driven his academic and intellectual interests ever since.
He studied English Literature at University College London, taking a first class degree, and a love of Medieval and Romantic literature, on to St Catherine’s College, Oxford where he completed an M.Phil in 2003. He returned to London to complete an interdisciplinary PhD thesis which explored the literary, political, philosophical and religious culture of the late eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. It was this project that resulted in his book, Hazlitt the Dissenter, published by Palgrave MacMillan in 2014.
Dr Burley’s teaching career began in London and has taken him to Bogotá, Kent, Oxford and, most recently, to Warwick. After working as English teacher and Resident Tutor in a sixth form girls’ boarding house at The King’s School, Canterbury, he was appointed Assistant Head of English at Sevenoaks School and then Head of English at Headington School, Oxford. In January 2017 he joined King’s High as Deputy Head Academic before his promotion to Head Master in 2021.
His passion for education is founded on his belief that inspirational teaching transforms lives. He believes that wellbeing and happiness should be at the heart of every student’s experience. He is an advocate of dynamic, forward-thinking, innovative education that develops the confidence and skills that prepare young people to be the Changemakers of the future.
Dr Burley has been crowned winner of the highly sought-after ‘Best Head of a Public School’ Award at Tatler Schools Guide Awards 2025. This prestigious accolade, for a Head who goes ‘above and beyond’, recognises Dr Burley’s outstanding leadership, dedication, and tireless commitment to making King’s High such an exceptional school.
