Overview
We are delighted to announce The Perse’s first two international schools. These two new schools are important next steps in an educational journey that began over 400 years ago. The new schools will be operated under licence agreements with The Perse School Cambridge International and will share our core values of endeavour, intellectual curiosity and scholarship, breadth and balance, and one another and our environment.
The Perse School Suzhou
The Perse School Suzhou is planned to open in August 2021 in the very heart of the ancient city, only a 25-minute high speed train ride from central Shanghai. We anticipate The Perse School Suzhou will teach Cambridge IGCSE and IA levels, along with some bespoke Perse curriculum, to Chinese and international students of high school age (15-plus). We continue to explore other opportunities in China, including in Shenzhen.
The Perse School Singapore
The Perse School in Singapore opened in January 2020 for pupils aged six to 11. The Perse Singapore teaches the Cambridge Primary programme, incorporating Singapore maths and Mandarin as a second language. The campus is at Upper Bukit Timah, a residential area in Singapore, and across from Bukit Timah nature reserve.
History
The Perse School was founded in Cambridge, United Kingdom, in 1615 by Stephen Perse MD, a Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University. Today, The Perse School’s campuses remain located in Cambridge and comprise a pre-school (for children aged three to seven years), a prep school (for students aged seven to 11 years) and an upper school (for students aged 11 to 18). The Perse has a strong Governing Board who are experienced and dedicated and come from a variety of backgrounds. Two of the Governors of The Perse School are Fellows at Gonville and Caius College and one is a Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge University.
Results
The Perse School, Cambridge has an enviable track record in academic success. In 2017, The Perse was placed second in the UK for our A level results (The Times and Daily Telegraph league tables). In 2018, The Perse was the top performing co-educational school in the UK at GCSE (The Times), and our A level results ranked us in sixth place in the Daily Telegraph league tables. Our university destinations are similarly impressive with 49 out of 178 students in the cohort progressing to Oxford and Cambridge, 21 to Durham and 17 to University College London to name our top four destinations of choice in 2018.
Breadth of Curriculum
Our students also dedicate time and energy to working with our partner schools through the Strategic Alliance of Global Educators and the Christel House charitable schools project. Beyond the classroom, The Perse School also offers a wealth of opportunity in music, drama, sport and outdoor pursuits, along with a vibrant programme of more than 100 clubs and societies. The Perse School believes that it is through these extra-curricular opportunities that students take on responsibilities and become responsible whilst developing important life skills such as organisation, resilience and creativity.
Alumni
Distinguished alumni include Nobel Prize winners Sir George Thomson and Ronald Norrish, literary critics F.R. Leavis and E.M.W. Tillyard, actors Marius Goring and Josef Behrmann, cartoonist Mel Calman, theatre director Sir Peter Hall, film-maker Humphrey Jennings, scientist and theologian The Rev Dr John Polkinghorne, aviation pioneer Sir Arthur Marshall, and many distinguished academics.
