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The Stephen Perse Foundation is a family of
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...
schools in
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
and Saffron Walden for students aged 1 to 18. The Foundation is made up of 3 nurseries (2 in Cambridge and 1 in Saffron Walden, Essex) for ages 1–5, 2 Junior Schools (Junior School Rosedale House in Cambridge and Junior School Dame Bradbury's in Saffron Walden, Essex) for ages 5–11, a Senior School for ages 11–16 (boys joined Year 7 for the first time in September 2017); and the Stephen Perse Sixth Form, for students aged 16–18. The school has a strong reputation for academic excellence and a progressive attitude towards learning and social skills, being named the top Independent school in
East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
by ''The Sunday Times'' on their 'Parent Power' list in 2016. In 2018, Cambridge Centre for Sixth Form Studies joined the Stephen Perse Sixth Form. The Foundation is a
registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...
under English law.


History

In 1615, Dr Perse's will included a bequest of land for the establishment of what was then described as a Grammar Free School, in Cambridge. It became
The Perse School (He who does things for others does them for himself) , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day school , religion = Nondenominational Christian , president = , head_label = Head , h ...
and was originally reserved for boys. It developed along separate lines and operates as a separate organization today, providing coeducational education from ages 3 to 18. In 1881, the complementary but unconnected Perse School for Girls opened, as part of the strong 19th-century movement to educate women. From the Perse School for Girls, the Foundation developed to become the Stephen Perse Foundation in 2007. It opened a co-educational
sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for ...
in 2008. It now provides a complete educational pathway for boys and girls from age 1 to 18. Writer and cartoonist
Ronald Searle Ronald William Fordham Searle, CBE, RDI (3 March 1920 – 30 December 2011) was an English artist and satirical cartoonist, comics artist, sculptor, medal designer and illustrator. He is perhaps best remembered as the creator of St Trinian's S ...
drew from the Foundation and Cambridgeshire High School for Girls (now Long Road Sixth Form College) as inspiration for his
St Trinian's School ''St Trinian's'' is a British gag cartoon comic strip series, created and drawn by Ronald Searle from 1946 until 1952. The cartoons all centre on a boarding school for girls, where the teachers are sadists and the girls are juvenile delinquen ...
books (published 1946 to 1952), which portrayed the girls at a boarding school as juvenile delinquents. Searle donated original manuscripts and diaries to the school, which are held in the school archive. This material includes a letter, dated 1993, which confirms the link. Around the turn of the 20th century, the school accepted boys into its kindergarten, including a young
John Maynard Keynes John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes, ( ; 5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946), was an English economist whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments. Originally trained in ...
. In September 2013, Dame Bradbury's School in Saffron Walden joined the Foundation, as a non-selective school for boys and girls aged 1–11. At the same time, announcements were made of major development plans to admit boys to Rosedale House (then known as the Junior School) and Senior Schools. Boys started at Rosedale House in Cambridge in September 2014, and at the Senior School in 2017, with classes from Year 5 through to Year 11 being taught in a
diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, b ...
formation. This combines the academic benefits of single-sex learning with the social advantages of a co-educational environment.


Awards and accolades

In 2013, the Sunday ''Times'' named the Foundation the
International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB D ...
(IB) School of the Year for the second time. The paper said: "Students at the Stephen Perse 6th Form College in Cambridge are world-class achievers. Their exceptional academic results this year mean that the school is not only ranked first in Britain but also joint first in the world for the international baccalaureate (IB) diploma." In November 2014, the school was awarded the title ''Independent School of the Year 2014'' and also "Outstanding Strategic Initiative" by the Independent School Awards, decided by a panel of independent judges, including the Chief Inspector of the Independent Schools Inspectorate, Christine Ryan. In November 2016, the Foundation was named the Best Independent School in East Anglia by ''The Sunday Times'' on its 'Parent Power' list. The list is acknowledged as the 'most authoritative survey' of the county's best schools, according to the newspaper. The Foundation was ranked at number 18 in a list of 2,000 schools around the United Kingdom. The accolade was based on
GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...
and A Level results – 97.6% of A Level students achieved A* to B grades and 86.1% of GCSE students achieved A* and A grades. In 2017, The same Parent Power survey ranked the school number 40 in the UK and, in 2018, number 74. The Foundation was shortlisted for ''Digital innovation/ed tech school of the year'' at the TES Schools Awards 2017. In 2020 the Senior School received the Sunday Times Schools Guide 2021 award for East Anglia Independent Secondary School of the Decade.


Site and facilities

The main school site occupies a city block, three sides bordered by residential streets and the fourth by the University of Cambridge Department of Chemistry. This houses the Stephen Perse Senior School (ages 11–16), with Rosedale House (ages 3–11) occupying a site close by. The Stephen Perse Pre-Prep was established in 2010, after the Foundation purchased the Madingley site on the retirement of the previous owners. In 2017, the school completed a major building project on the main site. It now offers an indoor sports hall, a rooftop multi-use games area, 10 new classrooms, and flexible learning spaces. The main site includes a dining room, hall, library, visual arts centre, and a sick bay, with renovations in other classrooms. All classrooms contain interactive whiteboards. There is a class 3 listed gymnasium on site too, as well as ICT rooms, which are available to use before school, after school, and at lunchtimes. In 2013, the refurbished library and classrooms in Rosedale House were covered by ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'' newspaper in a feature on inspirational teaching spaces. The school also contains astroturf playing fields, a
fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires ...
land nature reserve, and a pavilion.


Pupils

There are currently approximately 800 pupils: 80 in the Pre-Prep, 140 in Rosedale House, and 140 in the Sixth Form; and 450 in the Senior School. Usually there are four classes in years 7 and 8, and five classes in years 9, 10 and 11. In Rosedale House, there are two classes in years 3, 4, 5, and 6. Each pupil and teacher is part of a house named after a notable contributor to the school, for example, head teachers and people who donated money to the school. The houses are: * Cattley * Clark * Kennett * Pollock * Rose * Street * Sutherland The plans to introduce
iPads The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating s ...
for educational use in the Senior School started in September 2012. This was extended to the Sixth Form from September 2013. In 2013 it was announced that the school will be accepting boys for the first time in to Rosedale House in 2014 and then the Senior school in 2017, becoming coeducational.


Curriculum

There is a large range of opportunities for learning at the Stephen Perse. Students learn French from Year 3 and Spanish from year 4, and can choose to learn German, Mandarin Chinese, or Russian from year 9. For GCSE, there are many options available, with students taking 10 or 11 GCSEs. All students take Maths, English Language, and English Literature IGCSEs; and Biology, Chemistry and Physics GCSEs. Students also take an IGCSE in French and/or Spanish. Students choose up to four options from History, Geography, Religious Studies and Philosophy, German, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Art, Drama, Design and Technology, Music, Latin, and Greek. Critical Thinking is taught as a non-examined course, as is Physical Education. Students can take a short course Physical Education GCSE as an extra-curricular activity. Recently, a new lesson was introduced in Rosedale House: Thinking Skills. This includes a range of topics from social to political, encouraging sharing points of view through debating, and asking questions about the wider world. It is based around the Philosophy for Children programme (
P4C Philosophy for Children, sometimes abbreviated to P4C, is a movement that aims to teach reasoning and argumentative skills to children. There are also related methods sometimes called "''Philosophy for Young People''" or "''Philosophy for Kids''". ...
). The Sixth Form students choose either the
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...
or A Levels (Music is taught through the
Cambridge Pre-U The Cambridge Pre-U is a school leaving qualification from Cambridge Assessment International Education that is an alternative to the current A Level qualification. It is principally aimed at students aged 16–19, and has recognition for university ...
qualification). All students in the Sixth Form take the IB course in
Theory of Knowledge Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics. Ep ...
. From September 2013, A Level students will also have the opportunity to take an Extended Essay (from the IB) for qualification. The school has been an
International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB D ...
World School since 2007 and was named the ''Sunday Times'' IB School of the year in 2010 and 2013. In 2013 the school was reported as holding the joint-highest IB results in the world, with a student average score of 42.2 points. In 2018, the average IB points score was 36, as reported in the Sunday Times Parent Power Survey ranking. The school makes extensive use of technology in the curriculum. It has been featured by
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...
regarding the innovatory use of iTunes U courses.


Sport and the arts

Younger pupils play hockey, netball, rounders and tennis. They also do gymnastics and Athletics, and the school offers a range of sports clubs. When students reach Year 9, they can be instructed in rowing, volleyball, basketball, squash, badminton, cricket, touch rugby, lacrosse and dance. Many Stephen Perse teams compete regionally in hockey, rounders, netball, and tennis and several students compete at National level in their chosen sports. In 2013 there was a hockey tour to
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
. Drama is taught throughout the school. Every year group is given the chance to perform in a play, or help backstage or with lighting. Every other year, Years 10-12 put on a musical, which is performed at the Mumford Theatre. Each year in Rosedale House, Year 5s are the main focus of the Christmas Concert, and near the end of the Spring Term, the Year 6s put on a play as well. At the end of every year, the Year 4s also put on a show, accompanied by the other Years in singing. Students have the chance to try Fine Art, from painting to drawing to sculpting, Textiles, which includes fashion designing and creations with a variety of materials, and Digital Media on the Macs. There are many orchestras and choirs that students can join. The Singers, a choir open from Year 10, regularly goes on choir tours in Europe, and sometimes sings
Evensong Evensong is a church service traditionally held near sunset focused on singing psalms and other biblical canticles. In origin, it is identical to the canonical hour of vespers. Old English speakers translated the Latin word as , which became ...
at
Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is an Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral has its origins in AD 672 when St Etheldreda built an abbey church. The present ...
. There is also a Senior School Chamber Choir, and a Middle School Chamber Choir, which have around 15 students in each by audition, and the Jazz Singers, Year 7 choir, Middle School Choir, and Year 7 boys choir, which are attendable by all. There is a Christmas carol service, a spring concert and Jazz on a Summer's Evening.


Extracurricular activities

The Stephen Perse Foundation holds the
British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...
International School Award in recognition of the work the school undertakes with schools in Finland, Hungary, Portugal, Italy, France, Russia, Spain, Germany and Japan. The school has a speaker programme.
Lord Williams of Oystermouth Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, (born 14 June 1950) is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he held from December 2002 to December 2012. Previously the Bis ...
, Master of
Magdalene College Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mar ...
, Cambridge and former Archbishop of Canterbury, spoke at the leavers' service in 2013.


Notable alumni

*
Margery Allingham Margery Louise Allingham (20 May 1904 – 30 June 1966) was an English novelist from the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", and considered one of its four "Queens of Crime", alongside Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and Ngaio Marsh. Alli ...
(1904–1966), writer * Taqui Altounyan (1917–1992), writer and traveller * Anne Atkins, novelist, broadcaster and journalist * Anna Bidder (1903–2001), zoologist and co-founder of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge *
Vicki Butler-Henderson Victoria Jemma Butler-Henderson (born 16 February 1972) is a British racing driver, former presenter of ''Top Gear'' and current presenter of ''Fifth Gear''. Biography Butler-Henderson was born into a racing family. Her grandfather used to race ...
(b. 1972), racing driver and TV presenter * Prof Christine Carpenter (b. 1946), historian, Cambridge University * Olive Cook (1912–2002), writer and artist *
Stephanie Cook Stephanie Jayne "Steph" Cook, MBE (born 7 February 1972) is a British retired modern pentathlete. She was the Olympic champion at this event in 2000. Cook was born in Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. She was educated at Bedford High School ...
(b. 1972), modern pentathlete, 2000 Olympic gold medallist * Anastasia de Waal, head of family and education at Civitas *
Christine Hamill Christine Mary Hamill (24 July 1923 – 24 March 1956) was an English mathematician who specialised in group theory and finite geometry. Education Hamill was one of the four children of English physiologist Philip Hamill. She attended St Pau ...
(1923–1956), mathematician *
Jacquetta Hawkes Jacquetta is a feminine given name which may refer to: * Jacquetta of Luxembourg Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Dowager Duchess of Bedford and Countess Rivers (1415 or 1416 – 30 May 1472) was a prominent, though often overlooked, figure in the War ...
(1910–1996), archaeologist and writer * Lucy Hawking (b. 1970), journalist and novelist * Miriam Hodgson (1938–2005), editor of children's books * Sharon Hunt (b. 1977), equestrian and 2008 Olympic medal-winner *
Bridget Kendall Bridget Kendall (born 27 April 1956) is an English journalist who was the BBC's Diplomatic correspondent working for the corporation's radio and television networks. Since July 2016, she has been Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge: the first woman ...
(b. 1956), BBC diplomatic correspondent *
Helen King (police officer) Helen Mary King (born 26 April 1965) is a British academic administrator and retired police officer. Since April 2017, she has been Principal of St Anne's College, Oxford. Her previous career was as a police officer, serving with the Cheshire C ...
(b. 1965), Principal of St Anne's College, Oxford and senior police officer *
Nicola Lindsay Nicola Lindsay (born in 1944 in London, England) is an English writer/actor, living for the past forty years in the Republic of Ireland. She writes novels, poetry, screenplays, children's books and material for radio and the theatre. Biography ...
, novelist, broadcaster and actor * E. Jennifer Monaghan, reading educator and historian of literary education * Philippa Pearce (1920–2006), children's author * Jean Rhys (1890–1979), author, known for '' Wide Sargasso Sea'' *
Angela Rumbold Dame Angela Claire Rosemary Rumbold (née Jones; 11 August 1932 – 19 June 2010) was a British Conservative politician who served as the Member of Parliament from a 1982 by-election until the 1997 general election. Education She was educ ...
(b. 1932), politician *
Rosalind Runcie Angela Rosalind Runcie, Baroness Runcie (née Turner; 23 January 1932 12 January 2012) was a classical pianist and the wife of Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury. Family and early life Runcie's father was J. W. Cecil Turner, a Worcestershi ...
, pianist and wife of the
Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...
*
Phyllis Starkey Phyllis Margaret Starkey (née Williams; born 4 January 1947) is a British Labour party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Milton Keynes South West from 1997 to 2010. She had previously served as Leader of Oxford City Counci ...
(b. 1947), MP, biomedical researcher *
Meriol Trevor Meriol Trevor (15 April 1919 – 12 January 2000) was a British Roman Catholic writer of children's books, historical novels and biographies. Her two-volume biography of Cardinal Newman won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1963. Biogr ...
(1919–2000), writer *
Barbara Wootton Barbara Wootton, Baroness Wootton of Abinger, CH (14 April 1897 – 11 July 1988) was a British sociologist and criminologist. She was the first of four women to be appointed as a life peer, entitled to serve in the House of Lords, under the L ...
,(1897–1988) economist, sociologist, Labour politician * Sarah Martins da Silva, gynaecologist and scientist


Headteachers

* Miss Street 1881–1909 * Miss Kennett 1909–1926 * Miss Cattley 1926–1947 * Miss Scott 1947–1967 * Miss Bedson 1967–1979 * Miss Bateman 1979–1989 * Miss Smith 1989–2001 * Miss Kelleher 2001–2020 * Mr Girvan 2020-


See also

*
Perse School (He who does things for others does them for himself) , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day school , religion = Nondenominational Christian , president = , head_label = Head , ...


References


External links


The Stephen Perse Foundation
– official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephen Perse Foundation Educational institutions established in 1881 Schools in Cambridge Independent schools in Cambridgeshire Girls' schools in Cambridgeshire 1881 establishments in England Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association Diamond schools Charities based in Cambridgeshire