Academic Deputy

The Stephen Perse Foundation

The Stephen Perse Foundation is a family of independent schools combining excellent results and achievement alongside personal wellbeing located across Cambridge and Saffron Walden; educating boys and girls from nursery to sixth form where students gain an exceptional skill set that supports ambition, nurtures talent, encourages creativity and critical thinking leading to success and self-fulfilment.

History of the Stephen Perse Foundation

Formerly the Perse Girls School, founded in 1881, the Foundation developed to become the Stephen Perse Foundation in 2007, and first admitted boys into the Senior School in 2017. The Foundation has grown over recent years, adding a co-educational sixth form to its highly successful Senior School in 2008, and four nurseries and early years settings (three in Cambridge and one at Dame Bradbury’s in Saffron Walden) between 2010 and 2021. The Foundation has been fully co-educational in all settings since 2017 and now comprises four nurseries, two junior schools, a senior school and sixth form.

Predominantly a day school, there are currently 65 (mainly sixth form) boarders. As well as its reputation for academic excellence, The Stephen Perse Foundation is renowned for an innovative approach to education, and a focus on preparing students for the future.

Student Numbers

The Foundation is popular, with healthy school rolls across all settings, and a total of over 1500 students across our sites. 

Buildings and Facilities

The Senior School and Sixth Form benefit from excellent facilities for a city site, which will benefit from a centrally funded Foundation programme of development and refurbishment in the years ahead. The senior school site lies between Union Road and Coronation Street close to the train station and the city centre. Sixth form teaching takes place in dedicated historic buildings on Bateman Street, a short stroll from the Senior School, next to the Botanic Gardens. The current sixth form expansion will increase the classroom, social and dining space for sixth formers, as well as providing additional outdoor space.

In addition to suitably appointed classrooms, there are well-equipped science labs, design and engineering spaces, music teaching, performance and practice rooms, a visual arts centre, study rooms, two libraries and two dining halls. Concerts and plays take place in the Senior School Hall, which is also used for year group assemblies.  Additionally, there is an innovative and well-equipped double height indoor sports hall on site, with a viewing gallery and bleacher seating for larger assemblies. Outside, there is a playground, cricket nets and a roof-top AstroTurf sports pitch; facilities at our nearby sportsground at Latham Road include a full size hockey astro, tennis courts and a grass pitch. The Foundation also benefits from its own nature reserve and access to the river Cam for paddlesports.

Leadership Structure

The Foundation is a Charitable Trust with a typical governance structure of a large voluntary board with a breadth of professional experience. Many of our Governors work within the Colleges or Faculties of Cambridge University, or in the local Cambridge or wider economy. A number of Governors are current or recent parents. Strategic objectives and budgets are proposed by the Principal and the Operational and Educational Executive and refined through discussion with Governing Body committees, before ratification by the Governing Body.

The Foundation is led and managed by the Principal and the Operational and Educational Executive, which currently comprises the Principal, Vice Principal, Chief Financial Officer, Charitable Foundation Director and Senior Deputy Head (11-18). Richard Girvan took up post as Principal in 2020 and the Foundation is part-way through a leadership and management review, with the establishment of a new committee structure of middle and senior leaders within and between our settings. The Principal and Head (11-18) oversee the Secondary School, with the Vice Principal having oversight of the 1-11 settings. Each Junior school site (one in Cambridge and one in Saffron Walden) is currently led day to day by a Head of School and the four nurseries are collectively led and managed by a Head and Deputy Head of Nurseries and EYFS, with on site nursery managers in each setting.

The 11-18 Senior Leadership Team, which will be chaired by the Head (11-18) is constituted of Deputy Heads: Academic; Pastoral; Co-curricular; Data, Assessment Calendar and Staffing (DACS); the Head of Sixth Form; Head of Boarding; and a Digital Leader. The Principal and Vice Principal also attend.

Centralised HR, Finance, Admissions, Estates, Marketing, Facilities, Data, Compliance and IT support departments serve all of the schools of the Foundation and their work is coordinated through a dedicated Heads of Sections committee, overseen by the Principal. The Admissions and Marketing teams are based at Rosedale House, Cambridge.

Curriculum

The Stephen Perse Foundation aims to foster modern scholarship through exceptional teaching and a dynamic, flexible and rigorous academic curriculum. We recognise that we are educating children in preparation for life in an ever-changing, global and digital world. Students gain an exceptional skill set at Stephen Perse; an all-round education that supports ambition, nurtures talent, and encourages creativity and critical thinking, leading to personal achievement and educational growth. Students have access to iPads across the curriculum (The Foundation has ‘Apple Distinguished School’ status) and digital skills are learnt and applied within lessons in tandem with the acquisition of core academic knowledge and skills. Teaching is delivered by subject specialists, inspiring and enabling students to develop in the creative subjects, languages, mathematics, English, sciences, humanities and physical education. Breadth and choice are central to the curriculum and students generally take ten GCSEs in Year 11. 

Sport

Physical activity and an enjoyment of being outdoors are important facets of our education for all our students. As well as the generous provision within curriculum time, there is a good range of sports clubs to choose from and coaching in football, hockey, cricket, netball, rugby, fencing and basketball. There is an emphasis on sportsmanship and fair play, as well as teamwork and we strive for a balance between stretching the best athletes and being inclusive. There are a growing number of house competitions, and the overall House Sports champions are announced at the end of the year. There is an extensive fixture programme across the range of sports with local schools organised by the Director of Sport and a number of teams compete regionally and nationally.

Performing Arts

The music department is a busy part of the school, with hundreds of students visiting the music rooms each week for individual instrumental and singing lessons, and rehearsals for choir, bands, orchestras and chamber music ensembles. Music is studied by all students in Years 7-9 and students can choose to pursue further study at IGCSE, or A level. In all parts of the school, our aim is to provide a musical programme which is stimulating, fun, friendly and open to all, whilst also providing opportunities for the most gifted students to excel. Opportunities exist for music making in a wide variety of styles and on a full range of instruments.

We are committed to fostering a love of drama by providing opportunities to shine both on stage and behind the scenes. Drama is taught as a discrete subject in Years 7 to 9, teaching all students valuable performance and theatre-making skills, as well as inspiring creativity, building confidence and encouraging teamwork. For those who enjoy the subject, we offer Drama IGCSE as well as a whole host of enrichment opportunities to get involved with our busy programme of theatre productions. Speech and Drama lessons are also available privately - these are taught in small groups or individually, leading to LAMDA qualifications.

Visual Arts

Our Visual Arts Centre is an excellent facility, providing opportunities for students to explore and learn different disciplines, including fine art, digital art, textiles, film-making, sculpting pottery and print-making. At Key Stage 3, modules are also offered in textiles and fashion, creative communication through Graphics, Photography and Photoshop, and Art and Music.

Students can choose to pursue different options for GCSE and beyond, each designed to promote high levels of visual literacy, excellent transferable skills in investigation and research, presentation of ideas and complex concepts to an audience, and the opportunity to create their own unique, and often highly accomplished, pieces of work.

Languages

The English department aims to develop enjoyment of the subject, and a love of reading that stays with students beyond school. The Key Stage 3 syllabus is reviewed and updated annually, and goes far beyond the National Curriculum in building skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening.  All students take English Language and Literature at IGCSE and there are very healthy numbers who pursue English Literature at A level. Beyond the classroom, courses include study days on set texts, as well as theatre and museum trips.

Modern and Classical languages feature heavily in the curriculum at Key Stage 3 and beyond. In Years 7 to 9, students study two modern languages from: French, Spanish, German and Mandarin Chinese. All students study a modern language at GCSE, with many choosing to pursue two. Heritage speakers may additionally sit GCSEs in their native language. Enrichment courses are also offered at Key Stage 4, with students able to try Italian, Mandarin, Japanese and Russian. There are clubs for all languages, trips and exchanges abroad, cultural language related visits to theatres, galleries and museums and local and national language competitions.

The School has a strong and successful Classics department, which has developed and published its own Latin textbooks, De Romanis 1 & 2. All students learn Latin at Key Stage 3. At GCSE, students can choose to continue with Latin as an optional subject; in addition, a two year accelerated course in Classical Greek is available as an option, with students able to choose either or both. Classical Civilisation will run as a GCSE option for the first time in 2022.

Humanities

The Humanities Faculty aims to guide students towards an understanding of what it is to be human, with Key Stage 3 courses in Geography, History, Religious Studies and Philosophy. Students are encouraged to study at least one humanities subject at GCSE.

In the Sixth Form, students can choose from a range of additional humanities and social sciences subject options at A level including: Business, Economics, Politics, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology. The PSHE curriculum also includes workshops and seminars for each year group on citizenship, politics, poverty, ethics and ecology.

Science

The study of science at Stephen Perse acquaints students with the building blocks and structures of the universe and explains the processes and discoveries that bring change and progress. Biology, Chemistry and Physics are a key part of our core curriculum from Year 7 to 11, with all lessons taught by a subject specialist. In Year 7 and 8 students have a double science lesson each week. In Year 9 this increases to a double and single lesson per week. IGCSE is offered as three sciences or double award. Science subjects are hugely popular at A level.

Design Engineering

Design engineering centres around a well-developed workshop with a huge range of tools and equipment to allow students to tackle the most challenging and advanced projects. As well as a large range of hand tools there are metal and wood lathes, a laser cutter, two 3D printers and CNC mill, sanders, power fret saws, drilling machines, a vacuum former and plastics oven, line benders and a brazing hearth/forge. There are three design studios which are fully equipped with desktop computers and drawing equipment and a quieter space to design and model ideas. Options at GCSE include Design and Technology, and 3D Design, and students may also continue the subject at A level or as part of the EPQ.

Co-curricular

Students at Stephen Perse enjoy a breadth of opportunities to take part in activities that develop friendships, confidence, team skill and talents as part of a rich and diverse co-curriculum. Options are offered across the faculties of the School, with additional extracurricular activities also available, ranging from climbing to kayaking, gardening, Model United Nations, young enterprise, sailing and self defence.  From Year 10 to 13, enrichment sessions are an integral part of the curriculum, with students able to build their own individual programme of activities to reflect their interests. Large numbers of students also participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

Pastoral Care and Student Wellbeing

Pastoral Care is overseen by the Deputy Head Pastoral, supported by Heads of Year and Assistant Heads of Year. Frontline pastoral support and oversight is provided by co-tutors, who each have responsibility for around 10-12 students across Years 7-11. In the Sixth Form, the Head of Sixth Form and the Head of Boarding oversee day to day pastoral provision, managing a team of tutors who are responsible for providing pastoral support and university guidance to small groups of around ten students.

An emphasis is placed on ensuring every student is known and that student’s personal and academic progress is guided and supported by teachers and tutors alike. Weekly student welfare meetings and year team meetings, ensure pastoral care is carefully coordinated so that no child drops through the gaps. Full time school counsellor provision is available across the school and staff trained in Mental Health First Aid provide wellbeing support and guidance to students and colleagues.

Learning Support

Our dedicated learning support team offers a range of support, treating every student as an individual to tailor resources and teaching for students with SEND. Provision includes: appropriate adaptations for the school curriculum; access to one-to-one sessions with a member of the department; access to mentoring from older students; specialist assessment where required. Regular whole staff training on SEND issues allows teachers to develop their knowledge and skills and deliver high quality teaching and support in the classroom setting. Access to specialist provision is arranged, where appropriate, including hearing and visual impairment services, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, etc.

Universities and Careers Guidance

An in-house programme, Inspire and Guide, includes interesting and insightful presentations from a broad range of visiting speakers on a whole host of subjects and sectors. Additional guidance sessions and careers tools help to focus students on their personal development and to identify, build and acquire key life skills and experiences, as well as inform important decisions to help them plan for their futures.

Partnerships and Public Service

We encourage a range of community service and charitable activities, both within and outside school. Each term, our student-led charities committee selects a charity and use their organisational and entrepreneurial skills to arrange fundraising events – from cake sales, food bank collections to car washing – in their form groups. In 2021-2, participation in the Big Give Christmas Challenge saw the Foundation raise over £27,000 in just two weeks in support of the Foundation’s bursary fund.

We have a strong and growing partnership with North Cambridge Academy, providing teaching support and extension in a number of academic subjects and 100% bursary places for students to join our Sixth Form. Other partnerships include the Cambridge Youth Panel, to whom we donated 50 iPAds in December 2021 in support of their work to address digital inquity in the city.

A Foundation Bursaries, Charitable Development, Partnerships and Public Service Committee has been created, chaired by the Charitable Foundation Director, with representatives from across all Foundation settings. The committee will further develop the Foundation’s strategic plan for widening participation and access programmes within the Cambridge and Essex community, and beyond.