The Stephen Perse Foundation is a family of private schools in Cambridge and Saffron Walden for students aged 1 to 18.

[5] In 1615, the will of Stephen Perse included a bequest of land for the establishment of what was then described as a Grammar Free School, in Cambridge.

In 1881, the complementary but unconnected Perse School for Girls opened, as part of the strong 19th-century movement to educate women.

[7] Around the turn of the 20th century, the school accepted boys into its kindergarten, including a young John Maynard Keynes.

Their exceptional academic results this year mean that the school is not only ranked first in Britain but also joint first in the world for the international baccalaureate (IB) diploma.

In November 2016, the Foundation was named the Best Independent School in East Anglia by The Sunday Times[17] on its 'Parent Power' list.

[citation needed] The main school site occupies a city block, three sides bordered by residential streets and the fourth by the University of Cambridge Department of Chemistry.

The Stephen Perse Pre-Prep was established in 2010, after the Foundation purchased the Madingley site on the retirement of the previous owners.

It now offers an indoor sports hall, a rooftop multi-use games area, 10 new classrooms, and flexible learning spaces.

The main site includes a dining room, hall, library, visual arts centre, and a sick bay, with renovations in other classrooms.

In 2013, the refurbished library and classrooms in Rosedale House were covered by The Guardian newspaper in a feature on inspirational teaching spaces.

[23][24] This includes a range of topics from social to political, encouraging sharing points of view through debating, and asking questions about the wider world.

The Sixth Form students choose either the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme or A Levels (Music is taught through the Cambridge Pre-U qualification).

[26][27] In 2013 the school was reported as holding the joint-highest IB results in the world, with a student average score of 42.2 points.

[28] In 2018, the average IB points score was 36, as reported in the Sunday Times Parent Power Survey ranking.

When students reach Year 9, they can be instructed in rowing, volleyball, basketball, squash, badminton, cricket, touch rugby, lacrosse and dance.

Students have the chance to try Fine Art, from painting to drawing to sculpting, Textiles, which includes fashion designing and creations with a variety of materials, and Digital Media on the Macs.

[31] Lord Williams of Oystermouth, Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge and former Archbishop of Canterbury, spoke at the leavers' service in 2013.