The Perse School

Since 2008, Ed Elliott (50s) who knows The Perse as only someone who has been there since 1997 can. Has lead the school through a period of huge change and development, not only the move to co-ed which saw pupil numbers double, He has taken the

By assessment: 'observed play' for nursery (32 places) and reception (about eight places); entry into prep for external applicants (another 30 places) by the school’s own entrance tests in English and maths and verbal reasoning, as well as an

About 95 per cent move from the prep to Perse Upper. Others to eg The Leys, Stephen Perse Foundation, King's Ely. Top university destinations year after year are Oxbridge (23 in 2025), Durham, Imperial, Warwick and UCL and more or less everyone heads

In 2025, 90 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 80 per cent A*/A at A level (94 per cent A*-B).

Deserves its reputation as one of the hardest schools to get into for the best possible reasons. The Perse’s trademark academic thoroughness starts in the pre-prep, even if the youngest pupils don’t realise it. Children in the nursery (usually around

Learning support is widely praised by parents and pupils. The department is well staffed and has a purpose-built suite near the library. Every pupil can access up to three ‘booster sessions’ per year that are tailored to their particular needs. In

As you would expect the school boasts a mass of quality extracurricular activities for all ages. Outstanding among these is the Perse Exploration Society which provides a progressive outdoor education, starting in year 3, when all pupils are taught

The prep head is a keen sportsman and revels in his school’s recent successes in national and local competitions. Lots of fixtures, A-D teams in each year group for girls and boys, with every child representing the school.

Senior school sport

The school's history – over 400 years of it – is chequered and includes embezzlement in the 18th century, an assault on the head in the 19th and an incendiary bomb hitting it in 1941. Huge site feels more like a very well-funded higher education

This is a big school and a lot of effort has been put into ensuring the pupils don’t get lost pastorally. Each form has two tutors, there are peer listeners, anti- bullying ambassadors and a team of counsellors. Even the youngest children have

A clear mobile phone policy is a really important part of modern schooling. This school has provided us with their policy.

School puts emphasis on making parents’ lives as easy as possible. For busy Pelican parents, wrap around care is provided from 8am to 5.30pm, start and end times extended slightly at the Prep where's there's also a very popular late stay option. High

Scholarships are mostly five per cent, occasionally 10 per cent. Determined to maintain its direct grant tradition and increase the amount of means-tested financial support available to bursary applicants. Recently spent over £1m on fees assistance

The Perse is not for everyone, sixth formers told us. It is very big, very academic and the pace is very fast. Not the place for someone who prefers to stand and stare, but if the family and child want to be surrounded throughout their education by