Established 1615 (1615) Head Edward Elliott Chairman of the Governing Body Sir David Wright Founded 1615 | Senior Deputy Head Daniel Cross Phone +44 1223 403800 Number of students 1,564 | |
Motto He who does things for others does them for himself Profiles | ||
The Perse Upper School is a fee-paying independent secondary co-educational day school in Cambridge, England.
Contents
- History
- Motto
- Competitions olympiads and scholarships
- Fees
- Developments
- Auschwitz theft
- Headmasters blog
- Academia
- Art
- Business
- Engineering
- Film and Theatre
- Law
- Media
- Military
- Music
- Politics
- Religion
- Science
- Sport
- Headmasters
- Notable staff
- References
The school was founded in 1615 by Stephen Perse. Its motto is Qui facit per alium facit per se, usually taken to mean "He who does things for others does them for himself".
The Perse School began accepting girls at 11+ and 13+ in September 2010 and became fully co-educational in September 2012.
History
The school was founded in 1615 at its original site in Free School Lane, Cambridge.
From 1945-1976 it was a Direct Grant school offering free places to 40% of pupils. Following the abolition of the Assisted Places Scheme, The Perse no longer received any state funding and became independent.
The School is a founder member of the Strategic Alliance of Global Educators (SAGE).
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, can be found in Free School Lane, Cambridge.
Competitions, olympiads and scholarships
Pupils regularly compete and score highly in academic competitions and Olympiads, in addition to winning awards including Arkwright Engineering Scholarships and Nuffield Research Placements (previously Nuffield Science Bursaries). Students have won scholarships for summer placements at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and research institutes in Heidelberg, Germany.
British competition results include:
Students have also competed in international competitions including the International Mathematical Olympiad, the Balkan Mathematical Olympiad, the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad, the International Biology Olympiad, the International Rocketry Challenge, the European Union Contest for Young Scientists and the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.
Fees
An old prospectus lists the fees as £3 per term in 1890.
Developments
The Perse School began accepting girls at 11+ and 13+ in September 2010 and became fully co-educational in September 2012.
Auschwitz theft
In 2015, two 17-year-old Perse students were caught attempting to steal items from Auschwitz. After spending a night in jail, the pair were fined and released on probation by the Polish authorities. In December 2015, Polish prosecutors announced that the boys had withdrawn their admissions of guilt, and that they now will likely face a trial. This began in September 2016.
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." The story was quickly picked up by the mainstream media who reported that pupils were "let off punishment for clever excuses".