St Faith’s School, Cambridge Review 2026, An academically ambitious prep with Engineering baked into the week

The published results for this profile does not provide exam metrics.

The most practical “results lens” for a prep is preparedness for senior school entry. On that measure, the school provides unusually granular destination reporting. It states that, over the last five years, an average of 92% of pupils secured places at their first choice senior schools, with an average of 30 scholarships annually. It also reports that in 2025, 91% moved to their first choice school and 33 scholarships were awarded.

Those claims become more meaningful when paired with the published destination table for 2024/2025 Year 8 leavers. It shows, for example, 30 pupils to The Leys (with a split across day and boarding) and 10 to The Perse Upper, alongside moves to a wide set of regional and national senior schools. For parents, the implication is simple: the school is not only “placing” children, it is placing them into different types of senior setting, Cambridge day schools, strong boarding options, and specialist scholarship routes, which suggests a well-developed understanding of different pathways.

When comparing local options, FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages and Comparison Tool can still be useful, not for direct exam-line comparison, but for understanding how different feeder preps and local state options approach admissions, travel, and later transition.

The strongest single differentiator is curriculum intent made concrete: Engineering is not just a club; it is a timetabled subject with a published project sequence by year group. The projects described are deliberately varied, from early workshop skills and structural challenges (such as pyramid-strength construction tasks) through to gears, kites, rockets, and solar charging builds as pupils get older. The obvious educational payoff is that children meet applied problem-solving early, and that can lift confidence for pupils whose strengths are practical, visual-spatial, or iterative rather than purely essay-based.

Beyond Engineering, the school’s own curriculum documents show a wide subject mix with specialist teaching increasing as pupils move up the school. In Years 3 and 4, the taught subject set includes English, mathematics, science, humanities, Spanish, computing, engineering, arts, drama, music, personal development education, and sport. From Year 5, the school adds Classics and begins grouping by ability; it also moves further into subject-specialist teaching. Parents should read that as an explicit academic pivot point: if your child benefits from structured setting and higher pace in the later prep years, this model can work well; if they flourish in mixed-ability classrooms longer, the transition deserves thought.

The timetable snapshots reinforce that Engineering is positioned as a core component rather than enrichment. In the published sample timetable, a Year 3 day includes an Engineering lesson early in the morning, and the end of lessons is shown at 15:40 for the older year groups. That matters because it indicates priority, not just availability.

Finally, external evaluation aligns with this picture: teaching is described as well planned with effective use of resources, and teachers are described as enthusiastic and knowledgeable, with strong questioning and adaptation. Parents should treat this as supportive context rather than a marketing badge; the more important implication is that the school’s “specialist but broad” claim is backed by a coherent academic model.

For a prep, this is the section that often decides fit, because it reveals the school’s true end point. The school’s published destination reporting is unusually specific. It states that many pupils move to Cambridge senior schools, with almost half transferring to The Leys, and a high percentage moving to The Perse Upper and St Mary’s. That “almost half” is then illustrated with the destination table, which lists 30 pupils to The Leys for 2024/2025 Year 8 leavers.

The same destination reporting is helpful for families considering boarding or a wider geographic net. The school lists a range of senior destinations outside Cambridge, including Uppingham, Oakham, Oundle, Haileybury, Stowe, King’s Ely, Framlingham, Felsted, Culford, Eton and Harrow. It also shows smaller numbers to several of those schools in the leavers table. The implication is that the school is set up to support both the “stay local in Cambridge” route and the “move out to boarding or day elsewhere” route, rather than being narrowly optimised for one pipeline.

Scholarships are treated as a formal process rather than a casual aspiration. The school describes a Year 7 recommendation model where departments endorse scholarship candidates, and it explicitly flags that the process is rigorous and should not be undertaken lightly. For families, that is a useful cultural signal: scholarship entry is presented as earned and carefully curated, which usually supports credibility with senior schools.

Entry points are clearly defined: the school describes main entry at Reception, Year 3 and Year 4, and Year 7. For Year 3 and above, the admissions pages describe an entry assessment that generally takes place in January of the year the child would join, covering core curriculum areas. After assessment, the school states it will contact families regarding the outcome within two weeks.

For Year 7 specifically, the school requests a recent school report and permission to contact the current school for a reference, which signals that admissions is not purely test-score driven. The implicit message is that they are looking for a match between the pupil’s profile and what the school can support, which is what you want from any prep, especially one that advertises tailored learning.

Open events appear to follow a predictable rhythm. The school states it holds two open mornings each year, one in April for younger entry and one in October for older entry, and it publishes a specific date for the next Pre Prep open morning on Saturday 25 April 2026. For families building a timeline, that is helpful because it suggests the structure repeats annually.

A final admissions nuance is financial assistance. Bursaries are described as discretionary and means tested, with awards reviewed annually and not normally awarded to the youngest section. The school also publishes a bursary closing date for September 2026 entry, which has already passed as of February 2026. If bursary support is a key factor, families should treat deadlines as immovable and plan earlier than they might for fee-paying-only applications.

If you are moving into the area, FindMySchool’s Saved Schools feature can help keep track of multiple entry points and differing assessment months across competing options.

The pastoral structure looks intentional. Every child is placed under a Tutor or class teacher who is responsible for overall welfare, with daily registration contact built into the routine. The school links pastoral work to personal development sessions delivered through tutor structures, which often makes a difference in prep schools where children are moving between specialists and locations in the day.

The latest inspection commentary also reinforces a focus on wellbeing and safeguarding systems, including training, reporting routes, and prompt action when concerns arise. The practical implication is that parents should expect clear processes and record-keeping, particularly in a school that sends a high proportion of pupils into competitive senior school environments where continuity of support matters.

For older pupils, the “Year 7 and 8” framing is distinctive: the school explicitly argues that staying in a prep environment through those years can support resilience and confidence at a time when puberty and wider pressures often intensify. That will appeal to families who want children to become leaders at the top of a smaller school before moving to a larger senior setting. It may be less compelling for families whose child is eager for earlier exposure to the scale, subject breadth, and social range of a large senior school.

The co-curricular story is strongest when it is specific, and the school provides enough specifics to judge it properly.

First, there is a structured enrichment model. Years 3 to 8 participate in Academic Extension Days and an Enrichment Week, with up to eight off-timetable days per year. The “typical” examples range from Egyptian Day tied to a visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum galleries, to a computing history visit, to sports psychology and first aid, debating and public speaking, and outdoor mapping skills. The implication is breadth through experiences, not just breadth through club menus.

Second, after-school activity is presented as high volume and varied, and the school names clubs that give a sense of character. Examples include Quiz Club, Chess, Science Challenge, and Codebreakers, plus a gardening club and podcast-making for pupils who prefer quieter or more creative projects. It also references “Green Goblins” as a small-capacity option that is invitation-based, which hints at targeted pathways for pupils who show particular aptitude or commitment.

Third, the house system provides co-curricular leadership opportunities that are not dependent on being the strongest athlete or the loudest performer. House competitions, captains, and end-of-term showcases give different pupils permission to step forward.

Finally, Engineering deserves a second mention here because it functions like a co-curricular bridge inside the timetable. The published project sequence includes practical builds and iterative design challenges, which tends to suit pupils who learn through testing and refining rather than getting it right first time.

For 2025-26, the published day fees (including VAT) are:

• Pre Prep: £6,632 per term, £19,896 per year

• Years 3 and 4: £8,143 per term, £24,429 per year

• Years 5 to 8: £8,354 per term, £25,062 per year

The school also publishes one-off charges: a £120 registration fee, and a £500 deposit payable on accepting a place, with £300 credited against the first term invoice and the remainder held and credited at the end of the child’s time at the school (subject to the school’s stated conditions).

Bursaries are described as discretionary and means tested, reviewed annually, and intended to support families who will benefit from and contribute to school life; the school also notes bursaries are not normally awarded to Pre Prep pupils. Scholarship pathways are positioned around senior school entry, with the school describing academic, STEM-related, arts, music, sport, and all-round scholarship routes and an internal recommendation process.

The school publishes preschool fee information for 2025-26, but early years pricing is best checked directly on the school’s official pages, and eligible families should also consider government-funded early years entitlements.

Published timings show a clear finish time split: older pupils’ lessons end at 15:40, while Pre Prep late stay begins after a 15:20 end-of-day point for the younger years. Breakfast is offered in the morning between 07:45 and 08:15. Late stay runs to 17:45, and for Years 3 to 8 the after-school supervision includes time for homework followed by a snack. Holiday provision is described for younger pupils through the Little Wyverns holiday club during Easter and summer holidays.

On transport, the school describes a travel plan focused on sustainable travel and runs a home-to-school transport service with routes from Royston and Saffron Walden, alongside wider Cambridge collaboration and digital tracking via its transport partner’s app from September 2025. For rail users, one of the school’s open morning pages states it is about a mile from Cambridge city centre and the railway station, with regular buses along Trumpington Road and on-site parking.

• Data-light if you want exam charts. Families who prefer to shortlist using standardised national exam metrics will find less comparable published data at prep level; the most meaningful published outcomes here are senior school destinations and scholarship numbers.

• A busy, varied week can be a lot. The enrichment model includes multiple off-timetable days each year and frequent theme-based activities; this suits adaptable pupils, but children who prefer a narrower routine may find the pace tiring.

• Behaviour monitoring is an explicit improvement focus. The most recent inspection recommends strengthening how behaviour data is used to spot patterns across groups, which is worth asking about if your child is sensitive to peer dynamics.

• Bursary timelines matter. The published bursary closing date for September 2026 entry has already passed, so families depending on fee assistance should plan earlier for future entry cycles.

This is a prep for families who want academic stretch without narrowing a child too early, and who like the idea of applied learning, especially Engineering, as a core part of the week. Senior school transition is treated as a structured process, backed by unusually transparent destination and scholarship reporting.

It best suits pupils who enjoy variety, respond well to specialist teaching as they get older, and are likely to benefit from staying in a smaller setting through Years 7 and 8 before stepping up to senior school at 13. The main challenge is that the school runs a clearly defined admissions process with assessment timings and, for bursary candidates, firm deadlines.