The Perse School

The Perse School's Cambridge identity is bound to an all-through community that begins with the Pelican School at ages 3 to 7 and continues through Prep, Upper School and Sixth Form. Each stage has its own character, but the 3 to 18 structure keeps pupils connected to a shared academic, pastoral and extra-curricular life.

The curriculum combines intellectual curiosity with independent research, Cambridge connections and an international outlook. Academic work is joined by activities intended to build agency, life skills, responsibility, resilience and perspective. Means-tested fee assistance, partnerships and community projects extend that purpose beyond the classroom and give the day-school model a wider civic dimension.

Upper School entry is assessed in the academic year before admission. The in-person process combines computer-based English, mathematics, verbal and non-verbal reasoning with a creative-writing task, group activity and informal interview. Access needs can be declared early so arrangements are made, while Sixth Form remains a separate 16 to 18 stage with its own admissions information and open events.

What makes The Perse distinctive is the way its stages are separate without being disconnected. The younger years establish breadth and confidence, the Upper School adds demanding assessment and independent work, and the sixth form gives older pupils a more self-directed academic setting within the same Cambridge community.