The Perse School

Independent

National rank

34

31=

Rank last year

94.5%

A-level

A-level

A*-B

88.3%

GCSE

GCSE

A*/A/9/8/7

Independent School of the Year for Academic Excellence in East Anglia 2025

Need to know

Head teacher

Ed Elliott

Gender of entry

Mixed

Total pupils

1,705 (3-18)

Head teacher

Ed Elliott

Gender of entry

Mixed

Total pupils

1,705 (3-18)

Head teacher

Ed Elliott

Gender of entry

Mixed

Total pupils

1,705 (3-18)

UK day fees per term*

£8,642 (11-18)

*Fee correct as of November 21, 2024
Our methodology
Results

A-level 2024 rank: 27=

Grade

%

A*

45.1

A

36.8

B

12.7

A*/A

81.9

A*-B

94.5

GCSE 2024 rank: 38

Grade

%

A*/9/8

73.4

A/7

14.9

A*/A/9/8/7

88.3

What the school inspection says

Date of report
2023
Verdict
Excellent
“Pupils’ intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for learning enable them to achieve excellent examination results in response to high-quality teaching ... Pupils combine their academic success with the active pursuit of an extremely broad range of interests, often at an extremely high level … Pupils develop into young adults with an understated self-confidence, self-discipline, self-knowledge and resilience ... [Their] moral development and the way they respect and value diversity with sensitivity and tolerance are excellent. Pupils are passionate about the school value of kindness and model this towards one another.” There was an additional inspection in 2024.
Read the full report
Read report

About the school

  • Founded in 1615, the Perse School in Cambridge values intellectual curiosity and scholarship. In 2024 it claimed to be the second top-performing co-educational day school in the UK at A-level.
  • Pupils can suggest new clubs and societies in addition to the more than 100 extracurricular groups already on offer, which include outdoor pursuits such as canoeing and bushcraft. There is also a popular visiting speaker programme, through which children hear from academics, business leaders and politicians.
  • The house system forms a critical part of the pastoral care arrangement, and pupils receive emotional wellbeing lessons and are supported by staff trained in mental health first aid. 
  • Alongside A-levels, the school offers the Extended Project Qualification, the Higher Project Qualification (HPQ) and the AQA Level 2 Certificate in further mathematics.
  • Means-tested bursaries are available as well as academic, music, drama, art and sports scholarships in the sixth-form.
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