The Perse School: Cambridge day school for ages 3–18

The Perse School is a selective, co-educational independent day school for ages 3 to 18. It has four divisions in Cambridge and no boarding provision.

Division	Ages or years	Address	Main route after the division
Pelican	Ages 3–7; Nursery to Year 2	92 Glebe Road, CB1 7TD	Continuous assessment for transfer to Prep
Prep	Ages 7–11; Years 3–6	Trumpington Road, CB2 8EX	Continuous assessment for transfer to Upper
Upper	Ages 11–16; Years 7–11	Hills Road, CB2 8QF	GCSEs
Sixth Form	Ages 16–18; Years 12–13	Hills Road, CB2 8QF	A levels, with optional EPQ or internal research award

The addresses matter because the school day starts at different sites. Families should test the journey to the correct division, not only to Hills Road.

Curriculum and qualifications

Pelican covers the Early Years Foundation Stage and the first primary years. Prep continues the primary curriculum in an academically selective setting.

At Upper, almost all pupils take English, mathematics, three separate sciences and at least one modern foreign language to GCSE. The policy describes a broad programme of about ten GCSEs, with some additional off-timetable qualifications.

Sixth Form pupils may start with up to four A-level subjects. Many later continue with three. Additional options include the EPQ, language qualifications and the school’s internal Rouse Research Award.

The school does not offer the IB Diploma. Its senior qualifications are GCSEs and Ofqual-regulated A levels.

Entry points and 2027 application calendar

The formal admissions policy lists the usual entry points as Nursery, Reception, Years 3, 6, 7, 9 and 12. Occasional places may arise in other years.

The policy gives no sibling priority. It also allows the school to reject an application where a family has unpaid school fees or a history of late payment.

Entry route	Apply by	2027 assessment	Published process
Nursery	1 December 2026	Optional play on 8 January; one-hour session during 11–22 January	Small-group play, stories and activities
Reception	19 October 2026	Optional play on 6 November 2026; one-hour session during 9–13 November	Informal activities with early literacy and numeracy
Year 2	1 December 2026	Morning on 6 or 7 January	Personal, physical, mathematical and literacy activities
Year 3	1 December 2026	Half day during 11–15 January	English, mathematics, reasoning and a small-group conversation
Years 4–6	1 December 2026	Half day on 16 January	English, mathematics, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, plus a small-group conversation
Years 7 and 9	Noon on 1 December 2026	16 January	Computer tests, creative writing, group activity and interview
Lower Sixth	Noon on 1 November 2026	21 November 2026	Reasoning and thinking papers, interview, and possible subject tests

The dates above apply to September 2027 entry. The Nursery and Year 2 deadlines fall in December, while the Reception deadline arrives earlier in October.

The registration fee is £200 for Nursery and £240 for every other listed route. The admissions policy waives this fee for families receiving free school meals.

The school normally requests a confidential reference from the current school. Applicants must disclose SEND, disability, behavioural, emotional and social needs at registration.

Pelican and Prep assessment

The current Pelican application accepts Nursery, Reception and Year 2 registrations. Other-year admission depends on a vacancy.

Nursery and Reception sessions last about 50 minutes. Year 2 applicants spend a morning at Pelican. The school assesses the child’s development and learning characteristics rather than using a formal written test.

Prep usually admits Year 3 pupils from both Pelican and other schools. The Prep page says nearly two-thirds of Year 3 come from Pelican, while about 24 usually join from elsewhere.

Years 4 and 5 usually have about three external places each. The school’s current pages disagree on whether a new 24-place Year 6 class relates to September 2026 or 2027.

Prep tests cover reading, writing and comprehension in English. They also cover mathematics, mental mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.

There is no formal individual interview. The Head speaks with candidates in small groups. No remote or overseas Prep testing is available.

Upper assessment

The school publishes about 70 Year 7 places and 40 Year 9 places. Applicants upload a passport page, a school report and up to 500 words about hobbies and interests. The expected report is normally the end-of-Year-5 report for Year 7 or end-of-Year-7 report for Year 9.

The 2027 Upper assessment has two academic parts:

1. A 70-minute computer assessment covers English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.
2. A 30-minute creative-writing task asks for a short story based on a written or visual prompt.

The computer section allocates 30 minutes to English, 20 to mathematics and 10 to each reasoning component. The creative task is normally handwritten unless an access arrangement allows typing.

The day also includes a group activity and a short informal interview. Results are due in early February, with acceptance in early March. Exact dates are not published.

Internal Prep pupils normally transfer through continuous assessment. The Prep Head can withhold a recommendation or require an external entrance test where progress causes concern.

Sixth Form assessment

Between 30 and 40 external students usually enter Lower Sixth each year. Applicants submit a school report, passport details and a personal statement of no more than 500 words.

All candidates sit reasoning and thinking-skills papers and have an informal interview. A candidate without I/GCSE courses may also take subject-specific tests that afternoon.

The standard conditional offer requires at least 58 points from the best eight I/GCSE results. Results below grade 6 receive no points.

Applicants should normally achieve grade 7 in every proposed A-level subject. The school requires grade 8 for sciences and mathematics. Its admissions policy also includes computer science in that grade-8 group.

An EAL applicant to Lower Sixth must provide IELTS evidence with the registration. The minimum is 6.5 overall and 6.5 in listening, reading, writing and speaking.

The school plans to issue outcomes before Christmas and sets acceptance for early January. It does not publish the exact dates.

Published fees for 2026–27

All figures below include VAT where applicable. The three-term totals are simple calculations from the school’s termly rates, not separately quoted annual fees.

Division	Tuition per term	Calculated three-term tuition	Registration	Securing and induction fee
Nursery, three full days weekly	£4,324	£12,972	£200	£700
Reception to Year 2	£7,445	£22,335	£240	£840
Prep	£8,641	£25,923	£240	£840
Upper	£9,482	£28,446	£240	£840
Sixth Form	£9,482	£28,446	£240	£840

The registration charge is non-refundable, even if the child does not attend the assessment. The securing and induction fee is payable on acceptance and is also non-refundable.

Nursery tuition covers three full days each week. An additional Nursery day costs £116.64.

Pelican and Prep tuition includes lunch and a morning snack. Upper and Sixth Form lunch is optional and costs £368 per term, or £1,104 across three terms. One term’s notice is required to stop lunch.

The Upper fee includes tuition, books, curricular public examinations, some curricular trips, materials, games equipment and UCAS fees. It excludes external music exams.

Other possible extras include uniform, transport, private music or drama lessons, non-included trips, activities, extra GCSEs and exam-result enquiries. The school does not publish a complete price list for these items.

Childcare, devices and transport

Pelican’s 2026–27 early session runs from 8:00 to 8:30 and costs £4.62. Its late session costs £11.13 to 16:15 or £23.94 to 17:30.

Post-club tea plus late care costs £13.88. Holiday care runs from 8:00 to 17:30 and costs £75 per day or £344 per week.

Prep late stay costs £5.80 from 16:30 to 17:00, another £5.80 from 17:00 to 17:30, and £8.62 from 17:30 to 18:00. Collection after 18:00 can add £30 each time.

Years 7–11 receive a school-managed device through nine termly usage charges. The student keeps it afterward, but the school does not publish the charge amount.

Sixth Form uses bring-your-own-device. Substantial bursary recipients may receive device support.

The school operates two morning and afternoon bus routes. Bookings cover a whole term and are billed in advance. Return pricing requires the same stop in both directions.

Stop	Michaelmas single / return	Lent single / return	Summer single / return
Cambourne	£267.98 / £429.42	£218.50 / £350.15	£218.50 / £350.15
Madingley Park and Ride	£172.03 / £275.92	£140.27 / £224.98	£140.27 / £224.98
Royston	£248.79 / £398.33	£202.86 / £324.79	£202.86 / £324.79
Melbourn	£229.60 / £367.89	£187.21 / £299.97	£187.21 / £299.97
Harston	£172.03 / £275.92	£140.27 / £224.98	£140.27 / £224.98
Trumpington Park and Ride	£152.85 / £245.48	£124.63 / £200.16	£124.63 / £200.16

An afternoon-only Prep-to-Upper connection costs £95.94 in Michaelmas and £78.23 in each later term. Cancelling a bus place requires one full term’s notice.

Bursaries and scholarships

Entrance bursaries are available for Year 6 and Upper School entry, including Sixth Form. They range from 5% to 100% and depend on academic admission, financial need and available funds.

There are no entrance bursaries for Pelican or Prep Years 3–5. Prep and Upper may consider hardship support after an unforeseen financial change, normally after the pupil has attended for at least 12 months.

A bursary may cover tuition, Upper lunch and school-device usage charges. Higher awards may include help with some extras. Uniform and equipment are not automatically covered, although an offer may include an allowance.

The family must request an entrance bursary on the registration form by the admissions deadline. Assessment considers income, assets, housing equity, both parents’ households and discretionary spending.

Awards are reassessed annually and may rise, fall or end. A family taking a full-fee Year 6 place cannot later seek an Upper entrance bursary on unchanged finances.

The admissions policy offers no entry scholarships except in Lower Sixth. Sixth Form candidates are automatically considered for academic and Dr Perse awards.

They may also apply for up to two awards from art, drama and theatre, music, or sport. Each scholarship is a one-off £500 payment, not a tuition reduction.

Current pupils may be invited to audition for a £500 music scholarship at the end of Year 7 or Year 9. External Year 7 and Year 9 applicants should not budget for an entry scholarship.

SEND, learning support and EAL

The school welcomes applicants with SEND or disabilities but says its facilities are limited. Admission depends on whether reasonable adjustments allow the school to meet the pupil’s needs.

Needs and requested access arrangements must be disclosed during registration. The school may decline a place if significant undisclosed needs emerge after assessment.

The school screens pupils at several stages and can provide internal assessment and learning support. Support may address literacy, numeracy, communication, executive function, study skills, reading and exam technique.

The public fee-inclusions sheet says learning-support sessions are free. The newer SEND/EAL policy says support requires prior agreement about charging. Families should resolve this conflict in writing.

Parents pay for assessments by external educational psychologists, medical specialists or other professionals. A privately commissioned report does not automatically establish public-exam access arrangements.

The school can ask a pupil to leave after consultation if it cannot meet the need after reasonable adjustments. This can also happen if parents refuse necessary assessment or support, or withheld important information.

Most pupils identified as using another home language receive no separate EAL teaching. Where English limits curriculum access, the school may provide classroom recommendations or short-term academic-vocabulary support.

Day-school, residence and immigration limits

The Perse has no boarding or school-arranged host-family programme. It does not hold a Child Student sponsor licence.

Every applicant must already have the right to live and study in the United Kingdom. Non-British and non-Irish applicants must supply evidence with registration.

The general admissions policy expects pupils to live with a parent or legal guardian. It usually defines a reasonable journey as no more than 45 minutes for Pelican and one hour for Prep or Upper.

The Sixth Form overseas page is stricter. It says international candidates must relocate with their parent or parents and cannot live with a host family or educational guardian.

All entrance testing takes place at the school. Travelling to Cambridge for a test does not solve immigration, housing or guardianship requirements.

Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.