Welcome to the Senior School virtual open day experience. It will highlight how we are renowned for academic excellence achieved through a progressive curriculum and this means excellent results at GCSE which is a necessary and important first step towards successful university applications and thereafter future careers. The Senior School is the gateway to the Stephen Perse Sixth Form which offers both the International Baccalaureate and A level programmes.
Find out how we offer a co-educational environment where boys and girls are taught and learn together to better reflect real world situations and career progression. Individuality matters too – placing the students at the centre of school life allows each one to flourish. It is hugely important that every student feels valued here and that each of our young people is celebrated. Our academic success goes hand-in-hand with our students’ wellbeing, achieved through exemplary pastoral support across all age groups. This is the result of the motivation and professionalism of our superbly well-qualified and hugely dedicated teachers.
Wellbeing and Pastoral Care
Principal Richard Girvan speaks about wellbeing and pastoral care in the Senior School with Mrs Cherry Blanchard, Year 7 Pastoral Leader and Assistant Director of Music in the Senior School and with Dr Shahzad Rahman who is Pastoral Deputy Head.
Learning Wheel
Principal Richard Girvan is joined by Stephen Ward, Senior Deputy Head of the Stephen Perse Foundation. Mr Ward speaks enthusiastically about the purposeful dynamism that exists across the Foundation attributed to the able and highly committed staff and the excellent relationships between teachers and students.
Inspire and Guide Programme
Join Principal Richard Girvan as he speaks with Dr Allison Curry, Head of the Foundation’s Inspire and Guide and Careers Programme.
Foundation approach to Digital Learning and Pedagogy
Principal Richard Girvan speaks with Ms Katharine Radice, the Foundation’s Pedagogical Leader and teacher of Classics and Miss Aisling Brown, Digital Leader and teacher of Computer Science and Theory of Knowledge.
Welcome from our Principal and Head of Senior School Mr Richard Girvan
Students join the Senior School at the Stephen Perse Foundation for our renowned academic excellence achieved through a progressive curriculum – they achieve excellent results at GCSE which is a necessary and important first step towards successful university applications and thereafter future careers.
Sport at the Senior School
There's a strong link between sport and wellbeing, so being active is an important part of life at the Stephen Perse Senior School.
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Reception area
Senior School hall
Drama studio
Classroom
Activity hub
Science lab
Dining hall
Dining hall - view two
Sports hall
Music space
Science lab
Multi-use games area
DT lab
DT lab - view 2
DT lab - view 3
DT room
Classroom
Playground
Playground - view two
Visual Arts Centre - Mac suite
Visual Art Centre - Classroom 1
Visual Art Centre - Classroom 2
Visual Art Centre - Classroom 3
Visual Art Centre - Classroom 4
Latham Road sports ground
Latham Road Astroturf
Latham Road tennis courts
Take a look around our Senior site
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.
Our school buzzes with the sound of music, whether it’s pop, jazz, classical, instrumental, choral or orchestral. We perform a wide range of concerts every year, both in and out of school, including our Michaelhouse Concerts. There’s also a musical every second year, which provides a fantastic opportunity to be involved either in leading roles, in the chorus (even if you don't sing at any other time), or playing in the band.
Our Enrichment Programme
Our students benefit from an exceptional Enrichment programme with sessions twice a week that span a diverse range of skills and activities.
From sports to debating, and from performing arts to journalism, there are many ways to challenge yourself, try new things and extend your interests.
See the outstanding Visual Art and Design Engineering portfolios of last year's GCSE, A Level and IB students.
How many pupils are there in the Senior School?
There are 564 pupils in the Senior School, in year groups of around 120.
How does the ‘diamond structure’ work?
The diamond structure means that we offer a co-educational experience at the lower age groups in the foundation, and again at the sixth form, but split into single-sex groups for certain aspects of the secondary experience where we feel this provides the most benefit to the students. This gives us the best of both, taking the best parts of a single-sex education and merging it with the best parts of co-education.
- Year 7 - All classes apart from languages taught in the diamond - languages not in a diamond to facilitate greater choice
- Year 8 - All classes are currently in the diamond but languages won’t be next year
- Years 9-11 - Maths, English and Science in the diamond
- Sixth Form - fully co-educational
What is the boy/girl mix?
In Years 7-9, where the Senior School is currently co-ed, the split is nearly 50:50 in each year group. Currently Years 10 and 11 are all girls being the last year groups to go through from before the school went co-education. In the Sixth Form we are currently 60:40 girls:boys, with the intention of moving closer to 50:50 as the co-ed Senior School year groups move through.
How many staff do we have?
There are 133 members of staff teaching across the Senior School and Sixth Form, with most teaching across both sites. They represent the full-time equivalent of 108 teachers, giving us a 1:7.3 pupil:teacher ratio
What is the curriculum structure?
In Years 7-9 we follow a broad curriculum modelled around our 'Learning Wheel'. Students have a choice of foreign languages and can opt for various modules in our Art, Design, Music and Drama rotation. This extends into our Year 10/11 phase where students typically study 10 (I)GCSEs, which is enhanced with our Inspire & Guide programme, Enrichment programme, and our Non-Examined courses which ensure that students are encouraged to develop beyond the confines of the curriculum.
What sort of student do we hope to produce?
We aim to produce young people who are confident, but not arrogant, equipped with the skills necessary to make a meaningful difference in the world. They are all unique, and their journey through school, and beyond will be particular to them. We don’t aim to create a model ‘Stephen Perse child’, instead we embrace their differences, and support them to become the best versions of themselves.
What are the headline exam figures?
Students consistently achieve outstanding exam results in GCSE, A-Level and IB examinations. In 2020, 73% of GCSE were grades 8 or 9, 61% of A Levels were graded A* or A and at IB 49% of all grades were awarded at Level 7 (the highest grade). These results place us 33rd in the national league tables.
What are our major sporting achievements?
Individual successes at National and International standard in a variety of sports.
County Champions in Netball at U14 and U16 level 2018. Regular competitors at Regional level in netball.
Recent competitors in the netball World Cup tournament.
Currently we offer PE GCSE half course to students into Year 10 as a co-curricular option. We are hoping to offer the full course in Sept 2020.
What types of co-curricular activities do we undertake?
We offer a huge range of co-curricular options through our sports, music, drama, enrichment and clubs programmes. This includes everything from elite level sport and music, through those just starting out. We put on numerous drama productions every year, alongside a thriving co-curricular Arts and Design offering.
In addition to all of this we offer clubs in everything from ‘Greek Tragedy Reading’, MedSoc, Model United Nations, Teen Tech Club, Law Society, Robotics and Movie Club.
How does pastoral care work?
Senior School students are organised into Form Groups, with two Co-Tutors attached to each. This means that each Tutor only has 10-12 students to look after, so they can really get to know them and support their individual needs. Each team of Tutors within a Year Group is overseen by a Pastoral Leader with the help of an Assistant Pastoral Leader. The Pastoral Leaders meet with the Deputy Head of School weekly to discuss their particular cohort, and also work closely with the Healthcare Practitioner and School Counsellors to provide a cohesive and holistic safety net of support for each individual student.
What are our fees?
Senior School Fees are £6,080 per term.
Do we give bursaries and scholarships and how are these allocated?
We offer a range of scholarships for pupils joining the school in Year 7, details of which are available from our website.
In addition we are to offer limited bursary support to families where we feel their financial circumstances would prevent them from excelling as part of the Stephen Perse Foundation. Further details about bursaries are also available on our website.
What is available for those who need to arrive early or leave late?
Morning: The Dining Room is open from 7.45am onwards. Breakfast is available, if required, at a nominal cost. Students must not be anywhere else on site other than the Dining Room before 8.10am.
After School: For students who have to remain in school, a Late Stay facility is available each day until 6.00pm. Students must not be on the premises after 4.15pm unless in the designated Late Stay room or in a club/activity under the supervision of a member of staff.What is the approach to technology at the School?
The Stephen Perse Foundation is an innovative and progressive school, where the use of technology forms an integral part of what we do. All students in the Senior School and Sixth Form are issued with their own iPad, which provides them with access to an incredible range of resources, literally at their fingertips in every lesson.
Here is a selection of podcasts with our sixth form students on a variety of topics from their campaigns to increase subtitles in cinemas for deaf children to the organisation and hosting of the Cambridge Model United Nations.
Ep. 42 - Introducing the new Principal and Head of Senior School
Meet our new Principal and Head of Senior School Richard Girvan as he talks about starting his new role.
Stephen Perse Podcast: Ep. 39 - Staying artistic and creative in lockdown
Join former Head of Senior School Dr Andy Kemp, as he chats to Curriculum Leader of Visual Arts Mr Ben Keeble about the amazing art projects that are helping students to stay creative during lockdown.
Episode 40: Using remote teaching to keep children engaged in Drama
Join former Head of Senior School Dr Kemp, as he chats to the Drama department about the many ways they are using remote teaching to keep children engaged in Drama.
Key dates and application process
Please click here for detailed information on the assessment process and the key dates and application deadlines.