The Perse School was founded as a grammar school for Cambridge in 1615 under the provisions of the will of Dr Stephen Perse, Fellow of Gonville and Caius College. The Perse Preparatory School was officially established in 1910 in Bateman Street and moved to its present site in Trumpington Road in 1956. It is the Junior School of The Perse School and is self contained on its own site some 1 _ miles away from the Upper School.

The School’s aims revolve around a curriculum which achieves excellence, activities and leisure pursuits that encourage well rounded educational development and a good pastoral system under the care of the Form Teachers.

A broad and balanced education is provided in a friendly atmosphere and we aim to ensure that all pupils make the most of their talents. We set out to achieve high academic standards and equally high standards in cultural, sporting and other aspects of the curriculum. Reliability, consideration for others, good manners and self-discipline are all highly valued.

• To use their language effectively and imaginatively in reading, writing and speaking.
• To acquire the necessary mathematical and scientific skills needed to live in today’s world.
• To meet the full potential of all boys, giving them the opportunity to attain success, promote an enjoyment and fascination for these subjects as a whole.
• To begin to understand the world in which we live through the study of history and geography.
• To develop creative and practical skills in music, drama, art, craft, design and technology.

All boys are taught English, Mathematics, Science, Geography, History, Information and Communication Technology, Religious Studies, Music, Art, Design & Technology, Personal and Social Education, Physical Education and Games.

French is taught to pupils from the age of 7. It is taught in a very practical and playful style of learning at first, gradually moving on to a more academically demanding and creative approach as progress is made through the School.

As a result of the move towards full co-education, the Prep School will admit about sixty boys and girls each year at 7+, organised into three forms. In September 2008, we will also offer places to boys and girls at 9+, probably turning the current two-form year group into three forms.

Selection to the Prep School at 7+

Selection at 7+ takes place in January of the year of intended entry.  In 2008 the entrance tests will be held on January 14, 15 and 16.  Those entering are expected to have completed Key Stage 1 of the National Curriculum, Level 3. Children attend a half-day assessment session which tests ability in English, Maths and Non-verbal Reasoning. There is also a short informal interview. Further details and specimen papers are available from the School Office.

Selection to the Prep School at 8+, 9+ and 10+

Children are assessed in English, Maths and Non-verbal Reasoning, and there is also a short informal interview. Details about the levels of attainment expected are available from the School Office. At 8+ and 10+ entrance tests are carried out when a vacancy occurs. Separate arrangements are in place for girls wishing to join at 9+ in September 2008 and parents who are interested should contact the School Office.

To obtain a hard copy of the School Prospectus please contact the School Office or register online.

Registration forms (see Admission Documents) should be sent into the School Office with the registration fee, no later that 9 December of the year prior to entry.

School reports will be requested from current schools before the entrance tests.

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you require any other information that you have not been able to find on the web site.

 A day school for boys aged 11 to 18 and girls aged 16+ in a co-educational sixth form.

(We will admit girls at 11+ and 13+ from September 2010.)

We aim to provide the best possible all-round education for the children of Cambridge and its surrounding area. Our pupils are drawn from a variety of backgrounds and are united by their pursuit of very high academic standards. We also provide pupils with a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities and the encouragement to develop their sporting, artistic, intellectual and musical talents. In short we aim to produce happy and successful pupils well-equipped for twenty first century life.

Challenge

The Lower School curriculum is broad and stimulating. Pupils are taught by subject specialists, often in specialist classrooms and laboratories, and establish learning habits which will take them to GCSE and beyond.

Some subjects are familiar from primary school. Others seem quite different. Biology, Chemistry and Physics are taught separately throughout the school, and always in purpose-built laboratories; Latin is new for almost everyone. We aim to encourage a love of learning and the confidence to rise to new intellectual challenges.

Perse pupils are trained to think independently and to engage constructively with a diverse and complex world. They may be reflective thinkers in one lesson (there are lessons in Thinking Skills), collaborative team-workers in the next. The Perse is an exciting place of energy and ideas.

Breadth

A broad-based curriculum is essential for balanced intellectual development. The Perse therefore provides a wide core of compulsory subjects to GCSE, including three separate sciences and a modern foreign language. Pupils make guided subject choices in the Third Form, and choose three or four additional subjects to study for GCSE.

Pupils are valued as individuals who progress at different rates, and require increasingly flexible learning opportunities, including early Maths and French GCSE qualifications for many.

"The unexamined life is not worth living." We do not believe that Socrates had GCSEs in mind when he wrote those words, and we are also passionate about our non-examined curriculum! This includes classes for all in Engineering Technology, and the opportunity to learn new languages outside the usual curriculum such as Japanese.

Flexibility

Flexibility and opportunities for specialisation are the watchwords of the Sixth Form curriculum. Most students study four subjects to AS, and three subjects to A2 (five at AS and four at A2 for some of the brightest).

The advantage of A-levels and the new Pre-U qualification is the great freedom that students have to construct their own curriculum - either focused on preparation for specific University courses, or spanning the Arts / Humanities / Sciences divide.

Innovation

The Perse has been a pioneer of international IGCSEs in Mathematics and the Sciences, finding that these courses are in some cases more rigorous and offer a better preparation for further study than conventional GCSEs.

The Cambridge Pre-U is a new development which we are exploring at post-16. Pre-U is an alternative to A-levels, developed by examination boards in conjunction with Universities, and potentially offering more rigorous and innovative courses. Perse teachers have been closely involved in developing several Pre-U specifications. We plan to offer the Pre-U in a small number of subjects in the first instance.

The Perse prides itself on offering an all-round education that emphasises the value of participation in clubs, societies, overseas visits, sport, music and drama.  We believe that extra curricular opportunities help develop pupils' self confidence, organisation, team working and leadership skills as well as providing hobbies for life and a chance to make new friends.  There are currently over 40 different clubs and societies ranging from climbing to Philosophy and scouts to lego robotics.  The exact number and range of societies on offer varies with pupil and staff interests;  some such as scouts have an unbroken 100 year history, others may come and go.

A particular feature of our extra curricular programme is the Enrichment afternoon for Fifth and Sixth Form pupils.  It takes place once a fortnight and through a wide range of activities enables students to:

• Learn new skills that would not be acquired in the classroom, such as woodworking or horticulture,
• Develop leadership skills through officer positions in the Combined Cadet  Force,
• Acquire new interests such as Archaeology or Law,
• Serve the wider community through one of over 100 community service placements based in charity shops, old people’s homes, schools, and hospitals,
• Learn to cope with new challenges in preparation for an expedition to the Amazon bush,
• Work towards a Duke of Edinburgh's Award.