THE PREP DIFFERENCE

Ethos & Values

Our values shape everything about the children’s experience at the Prep. They influence how children learn, how they treat one another and how they view themselves as they grow. This helps the children become curious, happy and inspired, with a sense of kindness and belonging, coupled with a love of learning that grows from their very first day.

The Perse School Values - Endeavour, Breadth and Balance, Intellectual curiosity and scholarship, and one another and our environment.
The Perse School Values – Endeavour, Breadth and Balance, Intellectual curiosity and scholarship, and one another and our environment.

Intellectual Curiosity & Scholarship

The Prep hums with inquisitive children, eager to ask questions and find out more. We seek to balance the acquisition of knowledge, with skills and understanding that set up children to thrive now and in the future. Alongside this, our curriculum helps instil the attitudes and habits that lead to successful learning. Our curriculum is broad and ambitious, packed with active learning and opportunities to bring the classroom experience to life, whether via hands-on science experiments or lively debate and discussion.

Breadth & Balance

Children are encouraged to try new things, follow their interests and make the most of the opportunities around them. More than eighty clubs give pupils the chance to discover new passions or develop existing ones, whilst first-rate sport for all sits alongside inter-school, regional and national fixtures. Outdoor education provides chances to connect to the natural world. Music and drama are equally vibrant, with concerts at the Prep and the Upper’s Performing Arts Centre, and productions from Year 3 to Year 6 ensuring every child has the chance to shine. Trips, that make use of our Cambridge location, as well as those that venture further afield, afford children the chance to learn in a new environment .

Endeavour

Pupils are encouraged to see challenge as an important part of learning. Across lessons, sport, music, drama, outdoor education and the wider life of the Prep, children learn to persevere when something feels difficult, reflect on their progress and take pride in the effort that leads to improvement. Whether tackling a tricky problem, preparing for a performance, representing the School or trying something new for the first time, they develop resilience, independence and the confidence to keep going.

Valuing One Another & Our Environment

Kindness, respect and responsibility underpin daily life at the Prep. Children are known and supported as individuals but also encouraged to look beyond themselves: to listen thoughtfully, treat others with care and play an active part in the community. Through form time, House life, pupil voice, assemblies, charity fundraising and everyday interactions, pupils learn that their words and actions matter. They are also encouraged to value the world around them, taking responsibility for shared spaces, the school grounds and the wider environment. The Prep Eco team leads on these initiatives across the school whilst Gardening Club provides the chance to enjoy the natural world. All of this helps children develop empathy, confidence and a strong sense of belonging.

Leaders implement a rich, age-appropriate and inclusive curriculum. It is systematically planned to balance pupils’ acquisition of knowledge across all required areas, with their development of relevant skills such as problem-solving, teamwork and perseverance.

ISI Inspection Report 2026