On 10 September 1946, Mr Fotheringham, Mayor of Johannesburg and member of the Governing Body, announced to the school Governing Body that he was prepared to present the school cadet corps with the equipment necessary to form a pipe band.

Under the tutelage of former Black Watch Pipe Major, George Ackroyd, the King Edward VII School Pipe Band made its first public appearance at a sports day on the 25th of March 1950, with Drum Major P.J. Scott leading the Band to rapturous applause.

Mr J. S. Fotheringham is regarded as the founder of the King Edward VII School Pipe Band.

There was a patch in the 1950’s where there was talk of disbanding the Band. The then School Pipe Major John Farmer took it upon himself to ensure that this never happened.

Throughout its illustrious history the King Edward VII School Pipe Band has produced some of South Africa’s most successful pipers and drummers. Most notably, Pipe Major Chris Mulinder who returned to the Band in 1975 to tutor the Pipe Corps and is to this day still an integral part of any piper’s career at KES.

Former Pipe Major Craig Sked, a member of Scottish Power Pipe Band, won the prestigious Oban Silver Medal in Scotland and former Leading Drummer Callaghn Soligram and Peter Davidson played and tutored for the World Championship winning pipe band Benoni Mac-Talla in 2009. Most recently, former pipe Major Kgabe Molepo competed at the World Championships in 2017, with the Auckland and Districts Pipe Band from New Zealand.

Highlights of the Band’s school calendar are the trip to the small town of Kaapsehoop to remember fallen soldiers from the World War 1 battle of Delville Wood and the Armistice Parade in November which is often the first parade for newcomers to the Band. This is always an impressive affair featuring the haunting lament played by the Pipe Major.

Today, the Pipe Band still endures through the hard work and dedication of many tutors who have given up their time to ensure that not only does the School have a pipe band but also that the band does exceptionally well in competitions. The band’s tutors are drawn from pipe bands with just as an illustrious history as the King Edward VII School Pipe Band. These include the South African Irish Pipes and Drums, Transvaal Scottish, Richmond Avenue and Benoni Mac-Talla.

In 2021, the King Edward VII School Pipe Band celebrated its 75th birthday.

The World Knowledge Olympiad is an interesting online competition which quizzes students about general world knowledge such as politics, sports, culture and music. The aim of the Olympiad is to test the general knowledge of learners from Grades 8– 12 and encourage them to access appropriate media sources to expand their knowledge and understanding of the world around them.

In so doing learners develop 21st century skills such as curiosity, self-driven learning, personal initiative and global awareness, which creates more-aware students who are able to participate in conversation and discuss a wide range of issues and topics. King Edward VII School has been a part of this competition for many years and in 2019 a Grade 8 student, Adam Langson, was ranked first in the country in the junior division.

Any student with a keen interest in world affairs, sport, culture, geography, history and economics is encouraged to enter this competition whether it may be for the purposes of competing or just having some fun.

The Model United Nations (MUN) is an academic simulation of the United Nations. Participants are assigned topics within a particular body or agency, like a Security Council session on the situation in South Sudan, and a country to represent.

The boys then participate in teams of two-three members per competition as 'delegates' of their assigned country, researching the topic from their country's perspective, writing policy briefings and then engaging in the debate and negotiation process with other countries’ delegates.

While keeping in line with their country’s stance, the ultimate goal for each session of MUN is for delegates to work together to create a resolution to the issue being discussed. This competition is particularly stimulating for boys with a keen interest in diplomacy and foreign policy. It enables them to remain informed and engaged in affairs in South Africa and around the world by participating in various high level panel discussions with learners from different schools.