Stephen Perse Cambridge is the current name for our school group based in Cambridge and the surrounding area out to Saffron Walden, in the United Kingdom. Whether you know us historically as the Perse School for Girls, or more recently as the Stephen Perse Foundation (SPF) or The Stephen Perse, these all refer to our family of schools.

No. Stephen Perse Cambridge and The Perse School are completely separate independent schools. The two schools do, however, have a shared historical origin, with both being founded from funds bequeathed from Dr Stephen Perse. Stephen Perse Cambridge was originally founded in 1881 as the Perse School for Girls, while The Perse School was historically the boys’ school. 

Our family of schools includes nurseries, junior schools, a senior school and sixth form, and educates those from ages 1-18. An age and key stage guide for what is offered at each of our schools can be found on our Admissions page:

Yes. All of our schools in all year groups are co-educational.  

Stephen Perse Cambridge is a forward-thinking, vibrant family of schools who do not conform to the rigid, traditional stereotypes of private education. 

We are committed to academic excellence – but not through high academic pressure and narrow definitions of success. We instead foster a love of learning, critical thinking and intellectual curiosity. 

We have a high number of students who attend Oxbridge each year – however, we measure our success not just by the destinations our students reach, but by the confidence, compassion, and individuality they carry with them into the world. 

We pride ourselves on a strong sense of community, and place significant emphasis on kindness and respect for others. People smile and say “hello” as you pass in the corridors, and teachers really get to know their students as people, further adding to the feeling our students have of being seen, understood and appreciated as individuals across all aspects of their school life.

We believe the key to happy, relaxed and confident children and young people is the freedom to be themselves, to explore, learn, be curious, and develop without feeling the need to hide or curtail their enthusiasms to fit in or be cool.

We are also strongly committed to driving social mobility through our innovative bursary programme – which, though our partnerships with Costello Medical and AstraZeneca, funds places in our Sixth Form for selected students of our state school partner, North Cambridge Academy.

Early Years and Junior School

In our Early Years and Junior School settings, pupils are encouraged to be active learners: asking questions, exploring ideas, making mistakes, developing confidence and discovering their interests. Our Thinking Toolkit supports pupils in developing curiosity, resilience, adaptability and the ability to consider different perspectives.

Senior School

The Stephen Perse Cambridge Senior School offers a broad and balanced curriculum, covering six fundamental areas: Creative and Performing Arts, Humanities, Language and Communication, Mathematics, Physical Education and Science.

Teaching is designed to provide stretch and challenge within a supportive environment. Our curriculum approach is designed to cultivate independent thinkers equipped for their GCSE exams, but also in life beyond school. Our students develop and hone critical thinking skills, resilience, personal and social responsibility, all from a global perspective, supported by both traditional and cutting-edge teaching methods.

We also offer (i)GCSE exams in certain subjects. 

Sixth Form

Sixth Form students take four or three A Levels, and may supplement their programme with the Extended Project Qualification or a Stephen Perse Cambridge project, alongside enrichment options.

Twice awarded The Sunday Times International Baccalaureate (IB) School of the Year, we pride ourselves on our agile approach to education. As the university admissions landscape evolves, we have adapted our curriculum away from the IB to focus on pathways that align more closely with current higher education demands, ensuring our students retain a distinct competitive edge.

For more information on our curriculum, please contact us to discuss further or request a prospectus:

Stephen Perse Cambridge offers a broad co-curricular programme across sport, outdoor education, music, drama, clubs, societies and enrichment activities. Our students have access to excellent sports facilities, including a gym at our Senior School, and a dedicated sports ground with nature reserve and a jetty onto the River Cam for paddle boarding and kayaking. Our outdoor education department is superbly resourced, teaching students archery, bushcraft and rock climbing, as well as paddlesports.

Younger students take part in forest school and outdoor learning. Students aged 8 to 11 progress into our Expanding Horizons programme, which builds confidence, independence and teamwork through outdoor and adventure activities.

For more information on our co-curricular programmes, please visit our individual school pages.

No. We phased out the Diamond model in 2022 after careful review showed that its rigid binary structure restricted academic flexibility, and conflicted with modern principles of inclusivity. This strategic decision followed extensive parent, student, and staff consultations alongside two years of successfully running co-educational classes with no operational or academic disruption. Transitioning to a fully integrated co-educational environment allows us to better prepare students for a mixed society.

Yes, at Stephen Perse Cambridge we offer boarding for Sixth Form. Find out more on our Boarding page:

Absolutely, we strongly encourage this! The best way to see us in action is to visit one of our open events, or alternatively, you can book a tour of one of our schools. Details of open days and booking a tour can be found below: 

Most entry points at our schools are academically selective. Please contact our Admissions team for more information:

Stephen Perse Cambridge offers a range of travel options depending on the student's age, site and home location. These include a school bus network serving a number of local villages and surrounding areas, walking and cycling options, and public transport routes. Full current routes and arrangements are available on our Travel to School page.

Our exceptional pastoral care is one of our key strengths.

We have a comprehensive range of pastoral structures in place for all of our students when they need additional support – from School Nurses and Health and Wellbeing Practitioners, to our brilliant in-house School Counsellors and wellbeing dogs. All our students are known individually by our dedicated tutors and Heads of Year, ensuring that they receive support and guidance tailored to their individual needs. 

Bursaries

Yes. At Stephen Perse Cambridge we offer means-tested bursaries in addition to our award-winning North Cambridge Academy bursary programme. Please visit our Financial Assistance page for more information:

Scholarships

• Academic, music and sports scholarships are available from age 11 plus entry point.
• Academic, music, sports and drama scholarships are available at the age 13 plus entry point. 
• Academic, music, sports, drama, art and design scholarships are available at the age 16 plus entry point.

Please visit our Scholarships page for more information:

Stephen Perse Cambridge recognises that students learn and develop in different ways. Our superb Special Educational Needs department works with pupils, families and teachers to understand individual learning profiles and to identify appropriate support, scaffolding and reasonable adjustments.

We aim to create learning environments in which neurodivergent pupils feel understood, safe, valued and able to make progress.

We have a long history as EdTech innovators, and were early adopters of 1:1 iPad provision and remote meeting technology, which The Times newspaper recognised when naming us East Anglia's Independent School of the Decade as we seamlessly transitioned temporarily to remote learning during the COVID pandemic.

We recognise the benefits to teaching and learning technology can bring to enhance and accelerate the learning process, and fully prepare our students for a rapidly evolving professional landscape. However, we are equally aware of concerns around children and screen time.

We aim to strike the right balance at our schools: we do not encourage smartphone use; instead, we ensure we bring all the benefits of technology via our school-issued devices, where students are able to develop their learning and digital skills in a controlled environment with appropriate levels of access and rigorous safeguarding measures in place. Parents are able to fully control their child's device outside of school hours.

We believe AI should enhance human teaching, not replace it. Our teachers use AI tools to create personalised learning assistants powered by our own trusted materials. This ensures every student gets the tailored support they need to thrive and progress at their own pace.

The current Principal is Richard Girvan. However, Richard is leaving us for Fettes College in September 2026 and will be replaced by our current Vice-Principal, Stephen Ward.

Stephen, who joined the senior leadership team at Stephen Perse Cambridge in 2018, has been instrumental in enhancing the educational experience of all of its students. He has made a sustained and transformative contribution to the school’s success throughout his tenure, raising academic outcomes and overseeing a record number of Oxbridge placements in recent years.