Know exactly where your child stands for The Perse School
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact The Perse School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact The Perse School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
The Perse School
The Perse School is a mixed independent school with a two-stage 11+ entrance exam process. Candidates are assessed by Independents and Quest Admissions, and an interview stage is part of the admissions. The pass mark and selectivity ratio are unknown.
If your child is the kind who races ahead and wants to be surrounded by others who feel the same, the Perse is built for that pace. It is a large, academic, co-educational day school and the oldest surviving secondary school in Cambridge, founded back in 1615 by Dr Stephen Perse, a fellow of Gonville and Caius College, who left money to set up a free school for talented boys from any background. More than four centuries on, the school still runs on that founding idea of opportunity through education.
The Good Schools Guide describes a very big, very academic school that moves at a fast pace and suits bright, driven children with high aspirations, adding that London parents who assume no such school exists outside the M25 should think again. There is real breadth alongside the academic work. The Perse Exploration Society runs outdoor education from Year 3, with climbing, archery and paddle sports, there are more than 30 musical groups, and the sport runs deep enough that A to D teams in each year mean every child represents the school. A nice touch sits in the badges: the junior school's pelican mascot, and a motto, Qui facit per alium facit per se, that ends in a quiet pun on the founder's own name. Among its former pupils is David Gilmour of Pink Floyd.
The Perse suits a curious, self-motivated child who will relish the pace and the breadth rather than one who prefers time to stand and stare. Led since 2008 by headmaster Edward Elliott, it is a school that takes a bright child and gives them somewhere to run.
Key facts
Year 7 places
Around 70 places at Year 7 (main entry); around 40 at Year 9
Admissions
Admissions contact
admissions@perse.co.uk
Admissions phone
+44 (0) 1223 403800
Registration form
Sibling policy
What this school tests
Computer-Based Assessment
English
- Grammar
- Punctuation
- Reading Comprehension - Comparison
- Reading Comprehension - Evaluation
- Reading Comprehension - Grammar and punctuation
- Reading Comprehension - Inference and Deduction
- Reading Comprehension - Information Retrieval
- Reading Comprehension - Language Techniques and Imagery
- Reading Comprehension - Sentence-level Comprehension
- Reading Comprehension - Sequencing
- Reading Comprehension - Structure, Form, Voice and Tone
- Reading Comprehension - Summarising
- Reading Comprehension - Text Classification and Purpose
- Reading Comprehension - Types of Words and Phrases
- Reading Comprehension - Word Meaning / Choice
- Spelling
- Vocabulary
Maths
- Algebra
- Angles and Degrees
- BIDMAS
- Coordinate Grids
- Estimation and Rounding
- Factors and Multiples
- Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
- Measurement
- Money
- Number and Place Value
- Operations
- Perimeter, Area and Volume
- Position and Direction
- Properties of Shapes
- Ratio and Proportion
- Reflection, Rotation and Symmetry
- Sequences
- Special Numbers
- Speed, Distance and Time
- Statistics
- Time
Non-verbal Reasoning
- Figure Analogies
- Figure Matrices
- Figure Series
- Grid Matrices
- Horizontal Codes
- Match to a Group of Figures
- Most Like Three Figures
- Odd Figure Out
- Odd Shaped Matrices
- Star Matrices
- Triangle Matrices
- Vertical Codes
Verbal Reasoning
- Alphabet Logic
- Anagrams
- Compound Words
- Embedded Words
- Form a Word
- Insert 2 / 3 Letters
- Insert a Letter
- Letter Analogies
- Letter Sequences
- Move 1 / 2 Letters
- Ordering Words
- Rhyming Synonyms
- Shuffled Sentences
- Synonyms
- Word / Logic Puzzles
- Word Analogies
- Word Completion
- Word Match
- Word Opposites
- Word Pairs
- Word Relationships
- Word Swap
- Words and Codes
Spatial Reasoning
- 2D Rotations
- 2D View of 3D Shape
- 3D Rotations
- Block Counting
- Building Blocks
- Combining Shapes
- Diagonal Reflections
- Figure Missing from Image
- Fold and Punch
- Folding Cubes
- Hidden Shapes
- Missing Face of Cube
- Nets of 3D Shapes
- Shape Completion
Creative Writing Task
English
- Creative Writing - Narrative
Catchment area
Selection review and safety net
Previous exam results
GCSE results
In 2025 students achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 82.9 across their GCSEs. 98.5% gained a grade 5 or better in both English and Maths. 82.1% achieved the English Baccalaureate at grade 5 or above.
Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/
A-level results
In 2025 students achieved an A average grade per A-Level entry. 73.4% gained AAB or better including two facilitating subjects.
Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/
Frequently asked questions
What exam boards does The Perse School use for the 11+?
The Perse School uses Independents and Quest Admissions for its 11+ assessment.
Does The Perse School include an interview stage for 11+ entry?
Yes, an interview stage is part of The Perse School's 11+ admissions process.
Is The Perse School a co-educational or single-sex school?
The Perse School is a co-educational (mixed) independent day school.
What is the official website for The Perse School's 11+ admissions?
The official website for admissions information is https://www.perse.co.uk/admissions/upper/assessment/.
How many stages are there in The Perse School's 11+ entrance exam?
The Perse School's 11+ entrance exam process consists of two stages.
Location
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2446.3770140868005!2d0.14312609999999998!3d52.182019399999994!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x47d87a7d41c2129f%3A0x21f3652010a380b6!2sThe%20Perse%20Pelican%20School!5e0!3m2!1sen!2suk!4v1780593644615!5m2!1sen!2suk
