The school occupies three sites within walking distance of each other, and Cambridge city centre, close to the University Botanic Gardens, with state,of-the-art sports facilities a short distance away on Long Road and a Boathouse for rowing on the River Cam.

In 1904 the swelling numbers necessitated a change of venue and 'The Elms' on Bateman Street was purchased for £6,000.

It had previously belonged to Benjamin Hall Kennedy, former Regius Professor of Greek at Cambridge University.

The school sees the 17th-century nun Mary Ward as a role model for pupils because of her radical vision for social justice, in the form of education for girls in the sixteenth century.

It aims to give the girls self-belief and confidence, able to cope with set-backs in life (as experienced by Mary Ward) alongside an academic education.