St John's College School

Set in the heart of Cambridge, St John’s College School has long enjoyed and deserved a national reputation for the exceptional quality of education and care it provides, which focuses on fostering the aptitudes and nurturing the growth of each child.  St John’s has been awarded national Best Prep School and national Best Prep School Head awards in the Tatler Schools Awards.  Its teaching has been rated ‘inspirational’ by the Independent Schools Inspectorate and it is the first of the very few to have achieved the coveted ‘exceptional’ grade for children’s attainment. At St John’s, we believe in a childhood filled with affection, in which children know that they are known and valued, in which they learn to trust themselves and each other, in which they find and express their voice, discover the difference they can make for themselves and others, learn to think for themselves, to question, to collaborate, to be independent, to own and take charge of their learning and their lives.

A curriculum that believes in children draws from them the highest and the deepest levels of attainment. Though we are not selective in our Kindergarten, our children are on average at the 85th centile on national tests or ability before they leave.  Our exam results are outstanding and our 60 leavers gain on average around 25 scholarships to the strongest schools.  Up to one-third of our past pupils in due course gain Oxbridge places each year, more than in the most academically selective of schools: our children continue to be exceptional learners.

The School is located in leafy Grange Road, a short walk across the playing fields from the centre of town and the College, at the heart of which sits the Chapel, home to the internationally renowned College Chapel Choir.  The School site has undergone significant rebuilding or redevelopment in the last five years to ensure the facilities, layout and fabric of the buildings fully support the delivery of the School’s ethos.

The majority of children proceed at 13+ to day schools in Cambridge, each of which sets its own Entrance exams, predominantly in English and Maths. About one-third of the children proceed at 13+ to boarding schools via Common Entrance while others will proceed via Academic Scholarship examinations.