The Perse School
Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 8QF
- Phase
- Independent schools
- School type
- Other independent school
- Ages
- 3 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Headteacher
- Mr Edward Elliott
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- South Cambridgeshire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,900
- Pupils on roll
- 1,774
- URN
- 110923
- Local authority
- Cambridgeshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01223403800
About this school
The Perse School is an independent school in Cambridgeshire. It teaches children aged 3 to 18 and has 1,774 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has not yet inspected The Perse School under its current framework. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
The Perse School has not been inspected by Ofsted yet. It opened in its current form in September 1980, and new or converted schools usually wait a few years for their first inspection.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 190 | 186 | 196 |
| Attainment 8 score | 81.8 | 81.2 | 82.9 |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 99% | 98.4% | 98.5% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 100% | 98.4% | 99.5% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 87% | 78% | 83.7% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 7.9 | 7.8 | 8.1 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Perse School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Cambridgeshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 81.8 | 38.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 81.2 | 38 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 82.9 | 36.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,705 |
| 2023/24 | 1,705 |
| 2024/25 | 1,735 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 0%
- Pupils with an EHC plan
- 3
- Pupils on SEN support
- 327
Location
Nearby schools
-
Abbey College Cambridge0.4 miles
Independent schools · Cambridgeshire
-
St Faith's School0.9 miles
Independent schools · Cambridge
-
Cambridge Muslim Secondary School0.9 miles
Independent schools · Cambridge
-
St. Andrew's College Cambridge1.0 miles
Independent schools · Cambridge
-
St Mary's School1.1 miles
Independent schools · cambridge
Common questions
- What year groups does The Perse School teach?
- The Perse School teaches children aged 3 to 18. It is an independent school in Cambridgeshire.
- Who is the headteacher of The Perse School?
- The headteacher of The Perse School is Mr Edward Elliott, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Perse School been inspected?
- Ofsted has not inspected The Perse School under its current framework, so no current judgement is shown. That is common for newer schools and is not a mark against a school.
- How big is The Perse School?
- The Perse School has 1,774 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 18.
- Is The Perse School full?
- The Perse School has capacity for 1,900 pupils and 1,774 on roll (93%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The Perse School a faith school?
- No. The Perse School has no designated religious character.
- How have The Perse School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 81.8 in 2022/23 and 82.9 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What are The Perse School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Perse School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 24 July 2026.