old perseans
School News
Schools’ Challenge teams complete the double
The Perse have been crowned champions in both this year’s Junior and Senior Schools’ Challenge competitions. The competition tests students in general knowledge, and is regarded as the secondary education equivalent of University Challenge. Oliver Phillips (Lower Sixth) captained the Senior team, featuring Vikram Singh (Lower Sixth), Malachy Wallace and Sean Ridley (both Year 9), to a 990–350 victory against Magdalen College School in the final of the competition in April. The Junior team, captained by Global Horizons
Vishrut Pisupati (Year 8) and featuring
We are pleased to announce that excellent progress is being
Freddie Doel, Harry Purvis (both Year
made with The Perse’s first two international schools which are
8) and Dhruv Radhakrishnan (Year
both due to open in 2020. These two new schools are important
7) followed in their footsteps in June.
next steps in an educational journey that began over 400 years
The boys beat George Heriot’s School
ago. The new schools will be operated under licence agreements
530–430 and Magdalen College School
with The Perse School Cambridge International and will share our
750–540 in the quarter and semi-
core values of endeavour, intellectual curiosity and scholarship,
finals respectively. The final was a tight
breadth and balance, and one another and our environment.
encounter with The Royal Grammar
The schools will be located in Singapore and Suzhou, a
School Guildford, but despite being
25-minute high speed train ride from central Shanghai. The school
neck and neck throughout, The Perse
in Singapore will be for international pupils aged six to 12, and the
edged ahead late on to secure a 630–
school in Suzhou for Chinese and international students aged 15+.
610 victory and the overall honours.
In September, Ed Elliott and Simon Armitage, Assistant Head (Educational Opportunities) went to Suzhou and Shanghai to participate in the signing ceremonies, where the opening of The Perse School Suzhou was announced. Over 250 people attended the events including Mr Richard Burn (HM Trade Commissioner for China), Dr Ker Sin Tze (Former Minister of State, Education in Singapore), other British Embassy and Consulate representatives, government officials, entrepreneurs and business leaders. The Principal of The Perse School Suzhou has been appointed. Naomi Atkins has held senior leadership positions in British Schools in Indonesia, Malaysia and China, including in Suzhou itself. We are delighted to be working with Naomi on this exciting venture.
Students enjoy spectacular scenery on Iceland trip Over the summer holiday, 79 pupils in Years 9 and 10 enjoyed a five-day geography trip to Iceland. The packed programme saw pupils enjoying a relaxing few hours in the Blue Lagoon learning about geothermal power; hiking up a volcano; visiting Geysir, the place where all other geysers get their name; and even whale watching! However, it was the trip into a glacier that was described by Y9 pupil Edward de Ferrers Green as “once-in-a-lifetime”. Pupils fitted crampons to their shoes before heading through a large tunnel into the glacier. Once inside, they learned about the formation of glaciers and saw the black ash lines from the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull that now lies about nine metres under the ice. Anna Bevens (Y10) said “I really enjoyed the trip as it allowed me to see the things we had learnt about [in lessons], but also I was able to experience their beauty. I really appreciate all the effort put in to make the trip so memorable.” 4
