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The Perse School is a public school (English independentday and, in the case of the Perse, a former boarding school) in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1615 by Stephen Perse, its motto is Qui facit per alium facit per se, taken to mean 'He who does things for others does them for himself'. The School began accepting girls at 11 and 13+ in September 2010 and was fully co-educational by September 2012. 'Perse' is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, an association of the leading UK independent schools.
The organisation now comprises three schools, which together provide for children aged 3 through to 18. The Pelican is the Perse's nursery and pre-preparatory school, and accommodates pupils from 3–7. It is situated on Glebe Road, close to the main school site. Preparatory education is provided by the Perse Prep, also close to the Upper School, just north of the junction of Long Road and Trumpington Road. In Year 7 pupils usually progress to the Upper School, where they sit GCSEorIGCSE examinations and A-Levels.
History
The school was founded in 1615 at its original site in Free School Lane, Cambridge. Its former buildings now house the Whipple Museum of the History of Science.[3] In 1960, the school moved to the site it now occupies as its 'Upper' school on Hills Road. There have been multiple phases of school expansion, particularly in the 21st Century where the school doubled in pupil number. Among notable developments is the Peter Hall Performing Arts Centre, a 400-seat theatre, exhibition and rehearsal space designed by architects Haworth Tompkins,[4] which opened in 2018.
An old prospectus lists the fees as £3 per term in 1890.[5]
From 1945 to 1976 it was a direct grant grammar school, offering free places to 40% of pupils.[6] Following the abolition of the Assisted Places Scheme, The Perse no longer received any state funding and became independent.
The school was ranked 13th in the Sunday Times Parent Power league table in 2019[7] and 6th in the Daily Telegraph national table[8] of A Level, Pre-U and IB results with 83% A* and A grades from 175 candidates.
Motto
The school motto is Qui facit per alium facit per se, usually taken to mean "He who does things for others does them for himself". This is an example of a rebus motto, the Latin sentence ending in a word play on the founder's name "per se" and his benefaction. A blue plaque dedicated to the school's founder, Dr Stephen Perse, was installed in Free School Lane, Cambridge.[9]
In 2018, The Perse School partnered with a Cambridge-based education technology entrepreneur, Rob Percival, to support the creation of an online artificial intelligence maths teaching platform. Blutick in association with The Perse School, exhibited at the BETT Show in London, 2019[35] to launch a free beta version.
Developments
The Perse School began accepting girls at 11+ and 13+ in September 2010 and became fully co-educational in September 2012 .[citation needed]
Headmaster's blog
On his blog the headmaster, Ed Elliott, described his 'ten second challenge' in which he would give students who "commit occasional minor misdemeanours (such as forgetting a book) the opportunity to talk their way out of a punishment".[36] The story was quickly picked up by the mainstream media[37] who reported that pupils were "let off punishment for clever excuses".[38]
Mr Edward C. Elliott, MA - 2008 onwards. Joined the school in 1997 as head of sixth form and was senior deputy head before being appointed headmaster[56]
Glenn Kirkham, captain of the England national field hockey team, served as a sports coach at the Perse from 2005 to 2014, including as assistant director of sport and head of hockey from 2012 to 2014. After three years away from The Perse School, Kirkham returned to the new post of Upper School Director of Sport in September 2017. Kirkham participated at the 2008 Summer OlympicsinBeijing, and the 2010 Commonwealth GamesinDelhi
^Terry Chambers (29 April 2010). "Photo Gallery". www.physics.ox.ac.uk. British Physics Olympiad. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
^Freddo (2 June 2012). "Rocket boys off to NASA". www.cambridge-news.co.uk. Cambridge News. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
^"Martin-Stephen.pdf"(PDF). www.schoolproprietors.co.uk. School Proprietors' Association. Archived(PDF) from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
^"Governing Body". mcsoxford.org. Magdalen College School. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
^"Governors & Council". haileybury.com. Haileybury. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
^"About Us". www.agbis.org.uk. AGBIS. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.