Stephen Perse Foundation Schools
www.stephenperse.com
www.damebradburys.com
Foreword
From Tricia Kelleher, principal Do you enjoy learning? At the Stephen Perse Foundation everyone is a learner. While our pupils enjoy the benefits of a creative and innovative learning environment, our staff strive to inspire and engage through using a wide range of pedagogical approaches. We draw inspiration from our location in Cambridge. In a city boasting the scholarship of Cambridge University and the enterprise of Silicon Fen, the school is well placed to build on its strong academic tradition in a dynamic, fast-changing world. We know that our pupils' future will be very different from our past and we are confident our holistic approach to teaching and learning offers the best possible education for their lives in this brave new world. This iBook aims to capture the distinctive ethos of the Stephen Perse Foundation – a school steeped in history, with a vision of education for a future of unknowns.
Short note on this iBook. In order to reduce file size, most of the video content is streamed. Please view video and other interactive widgets (soundcloud, googlemaps, twitter etc.) while online.
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Who we are
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The Stephen Perse Foundation is different. We achieve exceptional exam results without sticking blindly to the syllabus or cramming facts and figures – but what you learn in class is only half the story. What happens on the sports field, in our art and music departments, on the stage or in our clubs and societies is just as important.
Our schools
The Stephen Perse Foundation is a group of six independent schools in Cambridge, Madingley and Saffron Walden. Founded in 1881 as The Perse School for Girls, we have always been in the forefront of education developments, providing the best opportunities for our students. You may know us as the school that inspired St Trinian’s. We are not quite like that now but our historical roots are important to our current developments. We already have a co-educational pre-prep and 6th form and are developing a diamond model of schooling to enable boys to join our junior school from 2014 and our senior school from 2018. In 2013, we merged with the highly successful Dame Bradbury’s pre-prep and prep school and nursery in Saffron Walden.
Think again The Stephen Perse Foundation is different. We achieve exceptional exam results without sticking blindly to the syllabus or cramming facts and figures – but what you learn in class is only half the story. What happens on the sports field, in our art and music departments, on the stage or in our clubs and societies is just as important.
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Our vision Our vision is to push the boundaries of pedagogy in order to equip our students to face the unknown, as well as the known, challenges of the future.
there are key approaches to an idea or issue that we investigate and encourage in our pupils by giving them invaluable thinking tools. It’s a very different kind of education, where great results are a byproduct. More importantly, it helps our pupils and students to think their way through when there is no text book or multiple choice paper as a prompt. In short, we teach them to think for themselves.
We achieve exceptional examination results but our focus is never the exam. We model our approach to education around the needs of the individual – put simply, we always start with the child and are committed to maintaining breadth of learning all the way through from age three to 18.
Our vision through animation
In traditional schools, there’s a straightforward, correct answer to every question – you only need to tick the right box. But what if there are several valid answers? Some might be best in a specific situation, while others might do the trick under different circumstances. And what if you need to combine different options and approaches to reach your goal? That’s the way it is in real life, so our curriculum and approach to teaching and learning aren’t confined within rigid boundaries. Some subjects have natural synergy, so we group them together. Some positive attitudes can help us to deal with the opportunities and challenges life throws up, so we work to develop good learning habits. And
We say we are different in our approach. We challenge students to think differently. Our animation shows you that we walk this walk as well as talk the talk. 5
Inspiring learning spaces Innovation in the classroom has become one of our trademarks. It is therefore right that innovation in teaching and learning should be partnered by a reconsidering of learning spaces such as classrooms and libraries. If we are saying that collaborative work is important and if we are claiming that it is vitally important for students to engage with books in this digital age, then it is also right that we reimagine the spaces in which our children learn. We have re-imagined our junior school library to create a space in which the power of the story can be experienced. We have made this, solely, a library of fiction (all the non-fiction is now found in the classrooms). A performance stage and story-telling chair allow books to come to life and young minds to engage with reading in fresh ways. We have incorporated an outdoor courtyard as well so there is a space for everyone at any time. Our senior school library is now a cabinet of curiosities – an idea based on a medieval concept. Traditional books, combine with artifacts, exhibits and digital resources in this space. Libraries are no longer stores of books, they are gateways into a world of learning.
Libraries and junior classrooms are already a little of a signature for us. Our senior school library is now being completed as a ‘cabinet of curiosity’. Here the junior library has a performance area as well as a storytelling chair. The remit was the ‘power of the story’.
All the spaces in schools should be learning spaces. That means the corridors, the outdoor spaces – everywhere. The glue which holds this together is digital technology. Every student has their own iPad so there are fewer boundaries that ever before to accessing information or using it in creative ways.
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Working with the community Connecting We are proud to be part of our local community, with our facilities used by many different organisations and our staff and students involved in learning projects with schools in Cambridge, Saffron Walden and the surrounding villages.
Under the STeP Out Primary Partnership Programme, our teachers and students visit a local primary school to deliver fun projects – stretch activities – to challenge and inspire their more able pupils. The programme is aimed at pupils in years 5 and 6. These programmes are a great opportunity for our students to learn through service. They help the teachers and act as mentors to the children as they work alongside them, expanding their horizons, developing leadership and communication skills, building self-confidence and making a valuable contribution to the local community.
Our links with local secondary schools go back many years and include activities within the Independent State School Partnership (ISSP) and our Saturday morning Community Music School. We've recently extended these activities to younger children through two new initiatives. At Dame Bradbury’s, we have established links with other local primary schools both through arts and music events that we organise and host, as well as through numerous sports fixtures. Through The Shine Trust independent/state school partnership programme Serious Fun on Saturdays, we open up our facilities to children from a number of primary schools. Our students become mentors and teachers share ideas.
Spanish outreach classes at Newnham Croft Primary School 7
Our SteP-In programme is a full opportunity to sample life at the Stephen Perse Foundation through masterclasses, workshops and lessons such as our Chinese language classes, maths sessions or Saturday music school. We are also pleased to run holiday playschemes for young children. Please see our website for full details. We also have substantial links with local, national and overseas charities and groups. For example, in 2013 some of our 6th form journeyed to Kenya to help teach in a rural primary school and to work on a building project. Raising funds before they went, the impact of the installation of extra water tanks was clear to see and probably one of the most memorable events in the students’ school careers.
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Where we have come from
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You might know us as the school on which St Trinian’s is based. We are not quite like that now, although we like to think there is a certain, special spark
Our history Dr Stephen Perse was a man of vision who, back in the 17th century, believed that education should be a right rather than a privilege, accessible to those with ability rather than dependent on income. The Stephen Perse Foundation retains this attitude today, aiming to offer an exceptional start to boys and girls from every kind of background who come to us from both the maintained and private sectors.
Our curriculum itself is not gender specific. We believe strongly that boys, as well as girls, should be offered this excellent education. This aligns with our merger with the excellent, co-educational, Dame Bradbury’s kindergarten, pre-prep and prep school in Saffron Walden in September 2013. As we have no endowment, we rely on donations and current fee income to sustain our mission in the 21st century, funding the future for many of our pupils and students.
education should be a right rather than a privilege Our roots lie in his 1615 will, which included a bequest of land for the establishment of what was then described as a Grammar Free School, in Cambridge. It became The Perse School and was, of course, originally reserved for boys, but in 1881 the complementary Perse School for Girls opened, as part of the strong 19th century movement to educate women. Today, the schools of the Stephen Perse Foundation are entirely separate from The Perse School and include the mixed Stephen Perse 6th form college, which opened in 2008, and Stephen Perse pre-prep, which began in 2010 at Madingley and in 2012 in central Cambridge (also mixed). The Stephen Perse Foundation junior school is admitting boys from September 2014 and will follow a diamond formation, teaching boys and girls in separate classes from age nine to 16. The senior school will therefore admit boys from September 2018.
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Learning our way
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We are a community of learners. That means the staff as well as the students.
Curriculum model Reinventing the wheel The six wives of Henry VIII, E=MC2, the effect of glaciers on the landscape – facts and figures are undoubtedly useful when it comes to exam results but they’re not what a Stephen Perse Foundation education is about. We don’t believe that learning is something that’s reserved for lessons or aimed solely at a certificate decorated with A grades, let alone that it should be limited to a list of topics on the curriculum that year. Our pupils and students aren’t receptacles for a series of subjects – they’re individuals, with their own unique challenges and opportunities. To fulfil their potential, they need to learn how to bring ideas and concepts together creatively, to solve problems, find their own perspective and come out equipped to face all the opportunities and uncertainties that the future will hold. This wheel sums up our approach and shows what we are working towards –equipping our young people to achieve their aspirations, to do whatever they choose with passion and purpose and to make a positive difference to others.
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The wheel Dr Helen Stringer, Vice-Principal (Curriculum), explains the concept behind the Stephen Perse Foundation Curriculum Model (click on the link to view)
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Section 2
The digital dimension
iPad compilation
It’s about learning, it’s not about apps! Learning is a lifelong experience with an ever changing environment challenging us to adapt and continue our development. Progress in the digital world has meant that learning has become a process of discovery and filtering, with a wealth of information available at our fingertips. Perceived barriers to learning, such as complicated IT systems, have been replaced with intuitive interfaces. This means that the process of learning has developed from ‘finding’ the answer to ‘what can we do’ with that answer. Expressions of learning and creativity are no longer dominated by the written word. Instead we can narrate an animation, edit a movie or record a video conversation from anywhere in the world whilst collaborating on a project. The tools available to us are used if they enhance learning. In truth the digital world now supports a learning environment that has always been desired, one of challenge, variation and adaptation.
A few examples of how iPads can be used to enhance learning Here is a short summary to explain where we are at with our digital journey. • Our senior school (11-16) has been iPad 1:1 since 2012. Sixth form have joined them in 2013 and junior and pre-preps are following. • All teaching staff have their own iPad as well as suitable access to iMacs and PCs • iTunesU courses are being developed and are already being used in several departments. Many of these will be made public during 2014. • Several iBooks have been created - mostly for internal use - for classes. The teacher is now completely in control of the published materials and is able to produce in professional quality.
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• Two of our senior teachers, along with around 20 students, are presenting at the Apple European Education Leaders Summit in London in January 2014.
Using soundcloud to showcase work
• We have our own AppCreator software being used across age groups to produce our own apps. • Computer coding, both as extracurricular clubs and within lessons, is integral from junior school upwards and it is a development area for us.
follow this link for an example
• We use Google Apps for Education as our storage and communications platform.
Our Director of Innovation and Learning (Daniel Edwards) is establishing the route forwards as well as training and supporting our staff. He is also a speaker and trainer across the UK and abroad including at Apple sponsored events. You can follow his thinking via his blog. And, yes, many lessons just use pen and paper - that’s how it should be! The right tools for the right job at the right time.
Appropriate use of an amazingly powerful pedagogical tool - that’s what we expect and that’s what we train our teachers to do. In the end, everything comes down to learning – the technology is just there to help.
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Section 3
Excellence is integrated Knowledge vs skills?
Kindergarten and up Thinking creatively and independently starts early. It’s not all about learning the content and then having ideas later. We’re here to help our boys and girls master some of the basics of thinking for themselves – and how to apply these skills to a range of subjects. We focus on:
The debate goes on and on – but we believe that it isn't a choice between one or the other.
Asking questions – looking for more information
Our approach to learning places the pupil at its core, is holistic and integrates the key areas of knowledge and understanding with thinking skills and learning characteristics.
Creative thinking – coming up with new ideas
In practice, this means we're breaking down the boundaries between disciplines and that every school day contains a wealth of opportunities for independent learning and critical and creative thinking.
Memory – there’s no point learning something if you forget it immediately
A traditional subject-by-subject curriculum does little to prepare for the interconnected world students will face, so our curriculum is designed to encourage them to explore and appreciate the links between different disciplines and topics or follow longer projects that pique their interest.
Thinking about thinking – pausing to think about what you’re doing and how you’re doing it
Critical thinking – working out whether information is helpful or important and considering what might happen as a result of it
Researching – knowing how and where to find new information
Junior schools In our junior schools, our curriculum is guided by the learning habits that we seek to convey.
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Developing habits such as courage, co-operation, perseverance and resilience should be part and parcel of any child's education but these qualities need to be carefully nurtured.
Learning on a cross-curricular day with year 9
Senior school Individual subjects are going to be more important at this level but the focus remains on learning how to think. The mural next to the school entrance reminds us of its importance; think again. We see students as individuals not as groups of subjects. That is why each develops their own learner profile which is regularly re-visited with tutors and shared with parents. Our students are, whether they are aware of it or not, building a portfolio of characteristics, interests, skills and ambitions. We like to keep an eye on this and make sure they are being suitably encouraged, challenged and inspired. We feel that it is natural to group years 5 through to 8 as a learning unit. Working closely with our junior schools enables this to happen smoothly at the same time as welcoming in many new students to the senior school.
We love this video because it shows collaboration and ingenuity. That's why all our pupils get to know and understand the 20 learning habits created by CJ Simister – key attributes encompassing everything from curiosity to creativity. We see these as fundamental building blocks of learning. They are displayed in our classrooms, incorporated in our lesson planning and are the focus of regular assemblies, so everyone has the opportunity to explore what they mean, try them out and practise them until they become second nature.
In the same way, we strongly encourage students to keep a breadth of examined subjects in their GCSE / IGCSE years. The natural group here is years 9 to 11. Taking a little more time to evolve knowledge enables ideas to be explored to a greater depth and for wider challenges to be encountered. We are in the process of reducing the standard number of examinations taken at the end of year 11 to nine or ten. This also leaves time for wider, non-examined, courses to be taken and enjoyed by all.
These learning habits quickly became part of the language of the school and, with one chosen as a particular focus for each half term, we're all getting the habit. 17
6th form college At the same time as many schools have had to cut back on diversity in the 6th form curriculum, we have expanded it. Two sessions of curriculum enrichment per week, a non-examined theory of knowledge course for all (taken from the IB curriculum) and the opportunity to choose to research and write an extended essay. Our students have the most successful university entry rate in the region but academic success in the 6th form is not all about narrowing the goal. Rather, it is about preparation for life ahead.
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Inspire me
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Our opportunity is to inspire the next generation. It is too important to simply ‘offer advice’. Cambridge is awash with ideas - academic and entrepreneurial. That’s integral to how we operate.
Inspiration is more than advice Inspire me goes beyond traditional careers advice. It brings in individuals and groups to share their fascinating careers and life stories, inspiring students, parents and alumni to think differently.
When Silicon Valley came to the UK, the Stephen Perse Foundation was their showcase of choice.
Our visiting speakers address the big subjects: technological, scientific, political, economic, historical, cultural, artistic, ecological and ethical. They are people who communicate the excitement of working in their field, whether that's business or cosmology, and share their ideas on motivation, leadership and teamwork. Some sessions provide practical, how-to advice, others challenge the accepted norm, provoking thought and encouraging debate. A selection of recent events is listed here but it is really the tip of the iceberg. Look at our website for full information. So successful has the programme become that ‘inspire me’ has become our de facto motto. Topics and opportunities are, deliberately, kept as broad as possible. For example:
Extraordinary inspiration is too often found to be ‘normal’ in the Stephen Perse Foundation. We are blessed to have such a problem! • Journalism and Russia - an evening with Bridget Kendall • Hustings with Parliamentary candidates • Our annual Mock Trial in Cambridge Crown Court
• Recent developments in genetics • Working in a field hospital in Afghanistan • Art work for the 4th Plinth in Trafalgar Square 20
Enriched learning
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Learning outside the classroom = enrichment.
Section 1
Curricular enrichment Breadth as well as depth
ics, history, science, music, art – everything – was done through the medium of Harry Potter. Dame Bradbury’s will be following suit in March with a week of learning based around Dr Who. “I didn’t even realise I was learning!” (overheard from a year 5 student).
Learning with Harry Potter
We aim to give each year group opportunities to engage with cross-curricular learning built into their regular timetable. Taking inspiration from the International Baccalaureate’s learner profile and applying our own curriculum model we now have a range of programmes across our school. This has also been explained in chapter 3 of this book. Here are a few of these programmes. 6th form students all take the IB’s Theory of Knowledge course. Year 10 and 11 take critical thinking classes. Year 8 has the global outlook course – a range of topics from dance to the classical world, co-taught by our specialist teachers and 6th form students. At our junior school in Cambridge we enjoyed a Harry Potter Experience in summer 2013. For a whole fortnight, learning in languages, mathemat-
Junior school 2013 At this age, it is all about making connections between subjects and having the confidence to push boundaries in learning. We say we like students to think outside their subject boxes. It is therefore more important than ever that we create specific opportunities for this to become reality – also that our teachers think outside their subject specialisms as well! 22
Performing and visual arts There has never been a more important time to celebrate and promote the arts in schools. Nationally under threat from so many angles, the arts could be said to be the life-blood of invention and the development of knowledge. The arts – visual and performing – provide excellent opportunities for students both in and out of the classroom. Creation, collaboration, seeking different perspectives, understanding cultural contexts, dealing with the technicalities of digital technology, performance – all these are integral to the arts and the Stephen Perse Foundation schools are all delighted to celebrate them. Performance in pre-prep years is in-built but there is still a question of encouraging it to blossom. One of our strongest recommendations for the use of arts in learning surely has to go to the wonderful Tumblr feeds. The enthusiasm with which these little gems have been greeted by parents is a great joy! Dame Bradbury’s participated in the Shakespeare Schools Festival in 2013, performing an adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream on stage at the Mumford Theatre, Cambridge. Experiences such as this, art exhibitions and music help children to gain confidence on their journey through the school.
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Section 2
Beyond the school boundaries We would like to think that all of our students are able to have amazing experiences outside the school walls but which the school facilitates.
Enrichment activities in our 6th form
A selection of what is on offer
Charities This is a small flavour of what we do from our senior school. Each term, our student-led charities committee selects a different charity and girls use their organisational and entrepreneurial skills to arrange fund-raising events, from cake sales to car washing, in their form groups
Our Barnardo’s event is another favourite fixture in the school calendar (our links with the charity stretch back nearly 70 years).
Exploration Society We have a structured programme running from our junior school. Base Camp introduces pupils in years 5 and 6 to the great outdoors through games, challenges and local overnight camps. They learn to work together to reach their goals. A taster session in the spring term is the perfect introduction and paves the way for the Bushman build-up course, which consists of two sessions held at weekends in the summer term. The culmination of the experience is a three day Bushman expedition during the summer half term break. Ascent Group is for pupils from years 7 to 9, with participants enjoying growing responsibility and independence. The Summit Team, years 10 and up, works on building up members mentally and physically for an ambitious expedition abroad. An eight-day Viking expedition involving canoeing and wild camping around the Swedish lakes is one option. Group members are fully involved in planning these expeditions and their logistics. We've also been running the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme for many years. and we have run charity expeditions to Africa for many years – initially to The Gambia and, more recently, to Kenya.
At Dame Bradbury’s, house captains lead the selection of annual school charities and organise fund-raising events with fellow pupils. 24
Overseas trips Everyone expects schools to run trips and, of course, we do. From what is probably their first overnight stay away from home in year 4 of Dame Bradbury’s, when they travel to York to preparing for an expedition hike into the Himalaya in the 6th form, these trips enrich the lives of the children and students and provide them with memories to treasure. We prefer these trips to be cross-curricular to allow greater participation and also to show how learning relates to the world – and, again, it is not in those subject boxes! Overseas trips are also often across year groups – it helps socially and academically. Language, art and history combine with some wonderful wider cultural opportunities for our year 10, 11 and L6th in Berlin. Children in years 5
and 6 at Dame Bradbury’s participate in a residential trip to France filled with similar language and cultural opportunities.
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The results
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Results matter but there is no one-size-fits-all outcome. Our results are the best in the region – in fact some would claim that they are amongst the best in the world.
Section 1
Summary results 2013
96% of grades were A*-B
GCSE:
International Baccalaureate:
A* grade: 74% of all entries
Average point score 42.2 (out of 45) - up from 39.8 in 2012. Our 2013 results are the joint-highest in the world, as confirmed by the IB themselves.
A* and A grades: 94% A* to B grades: 99% 63% of the year 11 students achieved 9 or more A* grades. 86% of students achieved 9 or more A* or A grades
A Level: 93% of A Level students have achieved ABB or more (the government's benchmark figure related to university admissions). This figure rises to over 95% when including the IB students.
The average result for the whole year group, in A Level equivalent terms, is more than A*A*AA (using the official UCAS tariff). 19% of A Level students scored 3 or more A* grades. This is excluding the world-beating IB results, the qualification taken by a 1/3 of our students.
On the UCAS tariff, this is equivalent to over 4.5 A* grades at A Level. 100% of students achieve their first choice university entry requirements Core point average (theory of knowledge & extended essay): 2.4 out of 3 2 students achieve the maximum 45 points 83% score 40 points or more 93% of all grades are Level 6 or 7
31% of grades were A* 50% of students achieved all grades at A* or A 75% of grades were A*-A
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Section 2
University destinations 2013
Computing: Imperial College London Economics: York Economics and Chinese Studies Nottingham Economics and Management: Oxford, St Hugh’s College Education Studies - Philosophy: Durham Electrical and Electronic Engineering: Imperial College London
We are seeing increased interest in courses overseas. In the past three years we have had students join universities across the USA, Hong Kong and, most recently, the Netherlands. It is about securing the right course at the right place - globally. The spread of courses for the 2013 cohort gives an idea of the range of interests.
Engineering: Oxford, University College
Archaeology and Anthropology: Oxford, St Hugh’s College
English: Oxford, Corpus Christi College
Architecture: Oxford Brookes
Forensic Science: Kent
Architecture: Brighton
French and Russian: Oxford, St Edmund Hall
Asian and Modern Languages: Cambridge, Corpus Christi College
Geography: Exeter
Biochemistry: Imperial College London
Geography: University College London
Biochemistry: University College London
Geography: Cambridge, Jesus College
Biological Science: University of East Anglia
Geography: Oxford, St Peter’s College
Biomedical Science: Newcastle
History: Sheffield
Chemical Engineering: Manchester
History: Oxford, St Hugh’s College
Chemistry: St Andrew’s
History: Oxford, Trinity College
Classics: Durham
History: Oxford, St Hugh’s College
Classics: Oxford, Worcester College
History: St Andrew’s
Engineering: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA English: Oxford, St Anne’s College English: Durham English: Kings College London English: Cambridge, Murray Edwards College
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Law: Exeter Law: University of East Anglia Law: Oxford, Worcester College Law: Durham Law: Hong Kong University
We pride ourselves on providing the very best guidance and advice for all university applicants. To give an idea of the range of our guidance, please visit our website area. We regularly host academics, admissions tutors and former students to share information on higher education. When combined with our inspire me programme, this is a package of guidance that is second-to-none.
Liberal Arts: Utrecht, Netherlands Mathematics and Physics: St Andrew’s Media: Middlesex Medicine: Kings College London Medicine: Oxford, Worcester College Medicine: University College London Modern Languages: Exeter Modern Languages: Nottingham Natural Sciences: Durham Nursing: Southampton Philosophy: Cambridge, Magdalene College Philosophy: Durham Philosophy: Kings College London Physics: Cardiff Politics & Geography: Liverpool Psychology: Cambridge, Gonville and Caius College
Preparing for the next stage can seem daunting but, with the right advice, the world opens up. We expect around 80 to 90% to progress to Russell Group universities, around 25% to Oxford and Cambridge. The right destination for the right course for the right person.
Psychology: Oxford, Christ Church Psychology: Exeter Russian Studies: University College London Theology: Durham
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Section 3
Sunday Times IB School of the Year Reproduced with permission: Sunday Times (17 November 2013) by Sian Griffiths and Alastair McCall
As the school that helped inspire the St Trinian’s stories, Ronald Searle’s comic tales of disreputable schoolgirls, the Stephen Perse Foundation in Cambridge has not always been associated with academic excellence. But now the school has achieved distinction of a different kind by coming top of the world league of schools offering the international baccalaureate (IB). The Stephen Perse 6th Form College is ranked joint first worldwide for its IB performance this year. The college also tops the new Parent Power rankings for fee-paying IB schools published today. The foundation has in its archives several original copies of the St Trinian’s books, donated by Searle, who grew up in Cambridge. But the unruly and disreputable 6th formers of Searle’s cartoons bear little resemblance to the pupils at the modern co-educational 6th form college.
A third of the school’s upper 6th follow the IB diploma programme, averaging 42.2 points out of a maximum 45. Two pupils scored 45 points, which, according to a tariff for university admissions, is equivalent to at least six A grades at A-level.
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More than 150 schools in the UK offer the IB diploma programme, which involves studying six subjects as well as writing an extended essay. Worldwide, 2,500 schools in 142 countries teach it. “We’re not thinking about the results; we’re thinking about the children as individuals” (Tricia Kelleher, Principal) Simon Armitage, the school’s former director of 6th form, said the diploma improved students’ degree and career options by preventing them from specialising too young. Tricia Kelleher, the principal, said the children’s success had been achieved because the school took a creative approach to teaching. “We’re not thinking about the results; we’re thinking about the children as individuals,” she said. The IB table is one of 14 in the new edition of Parent Power, The Sunday Times’s schools guide. The tables feature the top 2,000 schools in the country for academic attainment, spanning the state and independent sector, primary and secondary schools. The top 500 state secondary schools and 425 independent secondary schools are ranked by the proportion of A-level grades A*-B achieved this summer and the proportion of A* and A grades gained at GCSE. The tables set the bar considerably higher than those to be published by the government in the new year and show parents which schools are the most academically successful.
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Opportunities
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Our people are our greatest asset – and that means our staff as well as our students.
Never standing still We want to invest in our staff. Their professional development is our opportunity. This is why we ask all teaching staff to choose their professional development programme from a portfolio of options. At the moment we have three staff undertaking PhD research as well as several textbook authors, conference speakers and examiners.
Tap to see one of our twitter feeds: @SPFLearning
Helping us to maintain a dialogue with debate
The International Baccalaureate automatically links us to a wide family of schools, world-wide. Our digital profile is also a main connector – we are regularly in dialogue with educators across the world via our blogs and twitter feeds. Examples of recent projects include:
• Outreach programmes operating both in and outside the school (Step-in and Stepout) – having an impact on the lives and learning of a larger number of students in our immediate Cambridgeshire community and beyond.
• Introducing a non-examined, cross-curricular course for year 8 – Global Outlook. This is co-taught with 6th form students. • Working on plans for our new facilities at Dame Bradbury’s school and on our main, Union Road, site. • Leading and developing our tours – sports to South Africa, music to Belgium, Exploration to the Himalaya are just a few. • Leading workshops at the Apple European Education Leaders summit in London. There has never been a more challenging or exciting time to be involved in education. As an independent school, we are able to make the very best decisions for our students without fear of reference to transitory external forces in government. Even our examination choices allow us more control over the stability of our curriculum. Stephen Perse Foundation schools are among the fastest-paced and most dynamic in the UK. Working closely with some of the leading academics and entrepreneurs in Cambridge and with companies such as Apple gives us a certain edge in the employment market. We want to invest in our employees.
• Speaking at a workshop as part of the International Baccalaureate Africa, Europe and Middle East regional conference in The Hague. • Leading and contributing to curriculum innovation in a dedicated working party and running professional development sessions.
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Where next?
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Never standing still, we are always looking to innovate and develop.
Development
3. Completion of our senior school cabinet of curiosities.
We believe in the importance of investing in the future – a future that includes many unknowns.
4. Improved performing arts space at the senior school.
Who would have envisaged the full and current impact of the digital revolution in schools, even five years ago? How will the future of publishing influence the availability of resources in the next 24 months? How would our schools have evolved without the merger with Dame Bradbury’s? What challenges are posed to our sites by the admission of boys to our junior school in 2014 and to our senior school in 2018? With a total student body of around 1,050, we have a very secure platform for the coming years. We have an excellent base in that just over half our pupils are in year 6 or below. Cambridge is also a growth location in the UK economy. Our staff are highly qualified and we have a clarity of vision for education against which we can evaluate our decisions. Among our current projects are: 1. The refurbishment and redevelopment of the early years and library spaces at Dame Bradbury’s School. Innovative spaces have become our signatures and our approach to the concept of the library is now well documented.
5. Completion of refurbishment of our nature reserve jetty on the River Cam and the creation of improved learning facilities (indoor and outdoor) at the Latham Road sports site. 6. Development of our outreach programmes. 7. Re-launching Dame Bradbury’s as an integral part of the Stephen Perse Foundation including new website / prospectus. 8. Developing our showcases of learning and research online at www.stephenpersefoundationlearning.com and giving students enhanced opportunities through innovation such as in the use of digital technology in the classroom. 9. Developing our in-house continuing professional development programmes. We are currently being approached by dozens of schools and educators every month to come and view our facilities and hear about our experience, particularly in curriculum development and the use of technology. We are even fielding enquiries from visitors from as far away as Australia. This is a further potential avenue for development.
2. The reconfiguration and redevelopment of our senior school site at Union Road. This will, most likely, include a full-size sports hall and a redesigned STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) centre and Pre-Prep developments. 35
Friends of the Foundation
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Their stories reflect something of their experiences with us.
Our alumni reflect the diverse range of interests that you will find in any Cambridge family. Take plenty of academics, mix in a range of entrepreneurs, ensure there is a strong multi-cultural mix and, since 2010 when the first boys graduated from the 6th form, you can now add boys to the girls. In addition, families of current students are increasingly involved in our school community not least through the inspire me programme. It is fair to say that the school has undergone something of a revolution in the past decade and this is reflected in the positive growth in our alumni and friends network.
A few of our alumni Bethany Hughes graduated with a BSc Hons in biochemistry and began a career as a research scientist in Cambridge before deciding to apply her scientific background in a different area. After four-and-a-half years of training in London, she is now executive pastry chef at The Hole in the Wall in Little Wilbraham and establishing her own company making bespoke petit fours, chocolates and celebration cakes. “I was taught that you can achieve whatever you set your sights on” Alison Eke meant to become a surgeon but fell in love with flying. She joined the army, specialised in aviation medicine and became the first fe-
male military pilot in the British forces. Today, she is senior medical officer at an Apache helicopter station. 'I was told, “We do not have female pilots in the military.” I qualified as the first serving female military pilot in the British Forces’ Samata Pattinson is a womenswear designer, public speaker, journalist and author who has her own fashion label, 'Samata'. Her clothing label has been worn by the likes of Dawn Angelique Richard and Jennifer Lopez. She is now the Global Campaign Director of Red Carpet Green Dress, working between Los Angeles, New York and London. In 2011, Samata was invited to discuss her fashion industry journey and addressed the Prime Minister David Cameron, George Osborne, Peter Jones (entrepeneur), Doug Richard, Vince Cable, and an audience of MPs, entrepreneurs and media. Listed by Red Magazine as 'one to watch' in the 'Top 20 women under the age of 30' in 2011, Samata is also a guest lecturer at the London College of Fashion and the Fashion Institute of Technology. Freya Sanders recently left the 6th form with maximum marks (45 points) in the IB. She is now reading English at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge and has recently said this about her time with us, “I can't imagine a series of schools that could prepare me better for life. The challenges, opportunities and support I've had over the years have facilitated an education that was more than fulfilling; it's been inspirational.”
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Nye Williams-Renouf is reading Law at Peterhouse, Cambridge. He came to SPSFC on academic and music scholarships as one of the second cohorts of boys in our 6th form. He threw himself into life in the college, editing the school newspaper, setting up our Model UN Society (something that we brought into the curriculum on his departure) and helping to run the debating club, as well as playing trumpet in the school orchestra. In his final year with us he was Student Vice-President, and on graduating was awarded the college’s Derbyshire Cup for Services to School and Community. As soon as he completed his A Levels, we were delighted that Nye was one of several alumni who came back to take part in our first fundraising campaign. Nye was our most successful fundraiser and has gone on to participate in similar telethons at Peterhouse, where he has repeated the feat in both his years at the college. Nye has also continued to contribute to the college since going up to Cambridge, coming back on several occasions to give talks on law and Oxbridge applications to our current students.
Alums and friends of the school speak at a recent Inspire Me event in the school hall.
Currently, Nye is on an Erasmus exchange in Madrid, where he is studying Politics and International Relations at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and will take his Finals at Cambridge next year. After graduating, he intends to commission into the Army before applying for a Masters degree in International Relations in the United States.
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