The Leys School

In Fide Fiducia (In Faith, Trust) has been the watchword since Methodist families sent sixteen boys through the gates in February 1875, and the modern Leys is a long way from that founding cohort: co-educational, roughly 564 students strong, and set on a 50-acre campus on Trumpington Road, a short walk from the centre of Cambridge. This is a full boarding and day school for ages 11 to 18, running an unusual six-day week that packs lessons, sport, music and drama into a busy timetable. Academically it sits near the top nationally, ranking in the top 1.7% of schools in England for GCSE results. Clare Ives took over as head in September 2025, inheriting an ISI-inspected school judged in November 2025 to meet every standard, and one about to merge with its prep partner, St Faith's, from 2028.

The Leys began as the first Methodist public school in England, founded in 1875 by the Methodist Conference with the Reverend Doctor W.F. Moulton as its first headmaster. The Methodist thread still runs through the school's identity, though it is now liberal and open to all faiths and none, with a Grade II listed Chapel, consecrated in 1906, at the physical and ceremonial centre of the site. Weekly chapel and a values-led tone give the place a gentler register than some of its Cambridge neighbours, and the school's own history is woven into local literary lore: old boy James Hilton drew on his schooldays here for Goodbye, Mr. Chips.

What defines daily life is the rhythm of the six-day week, with lessons on Saturday mornings followed by fixtures and activities. That structure blurs the line between boarding and day, and it gives the school a welcoming and inclusive feel, with strong pastoral care and effective support for overseas students. Around 45% of students board fully, the rest are day or home boarders, and the mix gives the school a residential, community feel even for those who sleep at home.

The school is smaller than many of its rivals, which keeps it personal: students are known, and the house system organises life socially and pastorally. A significant development is on the horizon. The Leys and St Faith's have operated as a single foundation since the prep school was acquired in 1938, and from September 2028 the two will merge into one co-educational school, with Year 9 already drawing progression from St Faith's.

For a school of its size the alumni list is striking, and it colours the school's sense of itself. Sir Andrew Wiles, who proved Fermat's Last Theorem, and Sir Henry Dale, a Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine, both passed through, as did the novelist Malcolm Lowry, author of Under the Volcano. On the sporting side the doubles champion Jamie Murray and the England rugby full-back Alex Goode are Old Leysians, and the former England cricket captain Freddie Brown was another. The school even counts two reigning or former monarchs among its past students. That span, from mathematics and medicine to sport and letters, mirrors the breadth The Leys still tries to offer.

The Leys performs strongly at GCSE. In the summer results, nearly half of all entries, 48.9%, were graded 9 or 8 (the old A*), and 71.3% reached grade 7 or above. That places it 67th of 3,895 schools in England for GCSE results, the top 1.7%, and among the highest-performing schools in the country (ranked against all schools in England with published GCSE results, state and independent). These are proprietary FindMySchool rankings built from official data. On the blended overall measure, which combines results with the FindMySchool inspection score, the school ranks 55th of 3,887 nationally, and it stands 2nd in Cambridge, a notable position in a city dense with high-achieving schools.

At A-level the picture is very good, if a step below the GCSE standing. Just under a quarter of entries, 24.3%, earned an A*, 39.1% an A, and 86.8% were graded A* to B. Both figures run well ahead of the England averages for A-level: 63.4% at grade A or A* against an England average near 23.6%, and 86.8% at A* to B against roughly 47.2%. In the FindMySchool rankings the sixth form places 113th of 2,562 schools and colleges in England for A-level results, the top 4.4%, well above the England average, with an overall rank of 96th of 2,561 and 4th place in Cambridge. Set that against the GCSE line and a consistent story emerges: exceptional foundations at 16, with a sixth form that is genuinely strong rather than an elite outlier.

The art department underlines how far the strength runs beyond the traditional academic core. The art curriculum is exceptional, with almost all students achieving the highest possible grades at GCSE and A-level and many going on to art-related study after school. That a creative subject sits among the school's best-performing departments tells you something about where its curriculum places value.

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Teaching is the engine behind those results, and teachers bring secure subject knowledge and plan effective lessons that help students attain high standards across GCSE and A-level. The curriculum is deliberately broad, balancing a rigorous academic core with creative subjects, and it is one of the school's defining choices: art, drama and music sit alongside the sciences rather than beneath them. The well-planned curriculum offers both breadth and specialism at GCSE and in the sixth form, and that balance is a genuine strength of the school.

Subjects are housed in their own named buildings, which gives departments identity and space. Science occupies the Thomson Building, with biology, chemistry and physics each on their own floor. English sits in the Queen's Building, with a dedicated critical library for sixth-formers, while maths teaches in the King's Building beneath the main Library. Divinity, classics, history and geography share the Clapham Building, which also holds the Vision Studio, and business, economics, ESOL and careers run from the Kelvin Building. Art, design technology and IT have the purpose-built Rugg Centre. The result is a campus where academic life is legible and departmental, not squeezed into shared corridors.

Support for students who learn differently is structured rather than incidental. The learning support team shares Pupil Profile documents with teachers and parents to set out individual needs and exam arrangements, and provides one-to-one and small-group Learning Support Lessons alongside after-school Study Skills sessions. At the last count 114 students were identified with SEND, 49 of them receiving specialist support, and 99 spoke English as an additional language, with 35 receiving specialist help. That inclusive, individualised approach is a real strength, and it matters in a school with a genuinely international intake.

The sixth form offers a wide subject menu, around 23 A-levels, spanning the sciences (biology, chemistry, physics), humanities (history, geography, classics, divinity, politics), the arts (art, drama, music, design technology), social sciences (business and economics, psychology) and core subjects including English, maths, computing and physical education. That breadth lets students specialise or keep options open, and it feeds a spread of university courses rather than a single dominant route.

Most sixth-formers move on to university, and the school reports that 94% are accepted by their first-choice institution, a figure that speaks to careful guidance as much as to grades. A dedicated Oxbridge Support Programme runs across the Lower and Upper Sixth, extending students beyond the A-level syllabus from the Lent term onwards. In the most recent cycle tracked, students made 17 applications to Oxford and Cambridge and converted one offer, a modest Oxbridge return that reflects a sixth form whose real strength is broad, high achievement rather than a narrow race for two universities.

Government destination tracking, which follows the 2023/24 leavers into the year after school, recorded 46% continuing to higher education and 24% in employment. That measure counts only UK destinations sustained across a single tracked year, so it understates a boarding cohort in which many take gap years or head to universities overseas. Read alongside the school's own first-choice figure, the honest summary is that the large majority progress to university, with a spread of Russell Group and specialist destinations, and a smaller number moving directly into work or further training.

The Leys is academically selective, with entrance assessments at every entry point. The main gateways are Year 7 at 11+, Year 9 at 13+ (which now includes progression from St Faith's), and the Sixth Form at 16+, with occasional mid-year places at Years 8 and 10. Families register directly with the school rather than through the local authority, and international applicants sit a separate assessment. A non-refundable application fee of £200 applies, and an accepted place carries a £600 deposit that is credited back when a student leaves.

Because entry is by assessment rather than by catchment, there is no last-distance-offered figure to weigh: proximity does not drive admission here. For local families that changes the calculus. The question is less about postcode and more about readiness for a selective assessment and, at Sixth Form, meeting the school's subject requirements. Prospective families should approach the school early to understand assessment timings, and can use the FindMySchool saved-schools shortlist to line The Leys up against other Cambridge independents while they decide, then use the local hub comparison tool to see results side by side.

Sixth-form entry recruits both internally and externally. The school's own Year 11 students move up subject to meeting requirements, and the sixth form also takes external applicants at 16+, so the cohort refreshes at that stage. With roughly 206 students in the sixth form, class sizes stay small and subject choice stays wide, which is part of what makes the post-16 offer attractive to families joining from elsewhere.

Pastoral care is where The Leys inspects most strongly. ISI found students' social, spiritual and emotional wellbeing exceptionally well supported, in a respectful environment where students are kind and considerate and where an effective anti-bullying approach is embedded. Leaders listen carefully to students' views and ensure every group is represented, and run an effective induction programme for overseas boarders, who make up a meaningful share of the roll.

The infrastructure behind that culture is real. An on-site Medical Centre with eight beds is staffed around the clock, so illness away from home is managed on campus. Each boarding and day house provides a smaller pastoral unit within the wider school, and boarding staff are well trained and responsive to individual needs. Support for students learning through English as an additional language is a particular strength, which matters in a school with a genuinely international boarding community.

Safeguarding arrangements are effective and in line with the latest statutory guidance. Leaders commission external audits, train staff frequently, including on radicalisation and extremism, and work closely with local children's services and police. Students are taught to stay safe online and have a wide array of trusted adults to turn to.

Music is a pillar here, and it has the plant to match. The Music School, opened in 2005, houses a Recital Hall with Steinway and Yamaha grand pianos, practice rooms and a recording studio, and it feeds an unusually long list of ensembles: a Symphony Orchestra, Wind Band, the Big Noise jazz band, Chapel and Chamber Choirs, plus String, Brass, Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone and Percussion groups, with Junior Band and Junior Voices bringing on younger players. The three-manual Viscount organ in the Chapel anchors the choral tradition. For a school of this size, the breadth of musical participation is a defining feature rather than an add-on.

Drama is similarly well resourced. The Great Hall Theatre and Performing Arts Centre, opened in September 2013, includes the Middleton Studio Theatre, and a Drama Scholars Programme layers an annual showcase, West End theatre trips, workshops with visiting practitioners and National Youth Theatre auditions held at the school. Students can take GCSE and A-level Drama and Theatre, add LAMDA speech and acting lessons, and learn the technical craft through the Backstage Theatre Company.

Sport runs deep, helped by facilities that would suit a school twice the size: two full-size astroturfs, a four-lane 25m indoor pool for year-round training, 35 all-weather tennis courts, six rugby pitches, seven netball courts, an indoor climbing wall, a rifle range and a Sports Centre with squash courts and indoor cricket lanes. Rowing has a purpose-built Boat House on the river, and specialist spaces including a Conditioning Suite, an Athletic Development Suite, a Dance Studio and a Boxing Gallery support serious training. Rugby, cricket, hockey, netball, rowing, swimming and tennis all field teams, and the on-site Leys Leisure complex extends the sports facilities to the wider community.

The co-curricular programme reaches well beyond the three arts. The Combined Cadet Force and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award sit alongside an Outdoor Education programme and a Personal Development and Leadership programme, while design and technology in the Rugg Centre pushes students into F1 in Schools, Robocon and Greenpower competitions. Academic clubs give the timetable its intellectual edge: a Headmaster's Society, plus Classics, Medics and Astronomy Societies, Debating, Chess, a Hacker Club and even Warhammer. It is a genuinely full week, which is the point of the six-day structure.

For the 2026/27 year, fees are charged per term and include VAT. Day places run from £8,547 per term in Years 7 and 8 to £11,835 per term (about £35,505 a year) from Year 9 through the Sixth Form. Home Boarding costs £13,570 per term (about £40,710 a year) at Years 9 and above, and full boarding is £18,276 per term (about £54,828 a year), with a higher tariff for overseas boarders. A £600 deposit, credited back on leaving, and a £200 application fee also apply.

Financial support exists but should be planned for early. The school offers means-tested bursaries as discounts on fees, and applicants must apply before assessment. It also takes part in the Gift of Education programme through the Royal National Children's SpringBoard Foundation, which funds bursary places for children who would benefit from boarding. Merit scholarships are awarded at Year 9 (13+) and Sixth Form (16+) across academic and specialist strengths. Bursaries are income-based and scholarships are for demonstrated ability, and the two can be combined.

Boarding is central to The Leys, not a bolt-on. Around 45% of students board fully, and the school also offers Home Boarding, where students sleep at home but take part in the full residential day, giving families a middle path between day and full boarding. Residential students live in eight houses: West House, School House (the oldest, dating to 1878), North A House and Moulton House (co-ed, for the youngest at 11 to 12), with Fen and Dale Houses for girls aged 13 to 18, and Granta House and East House for Sixth Form girls and boys respectively. Day students belong to Barrett, Barker and Bisseker.

The boarding provision is effective, with well-trained staff responsive to individual needs and strong pastoral support, and the induction of overseas boarders is handled particularly well. The six-day week means Saturday-morning lessons and afternoon fixtures, so weekends are structured rather than empty. That suits families who want their child fully occupied, and it is worth understanding for those weighing exeat and travel patterns, since the school's international intake means the boarding community is a mix of local, national and overseas students living together.

The Leys runs a six-day week, with lessons on Saturday mornings and fixtures or activities in the afternoons, so families should expect a fuller schedule than at a five-day school. The campus sits on Trumpington Road, close to the centre of Cambridge, which makes travel comparatively easy for a boarding school. Several public routes serve the site, including the Universal U bus from Eddington via Brooklands Avenue, the Trumpington Park and Ride, and the guided Busway A route linking St Ives to Cambridge railway station. A partnership bus service connecting to St Faith's launched in September 2025, easing the daily run for families using both schools. Prospective families should contact the school directly for current open-event dates, which typically fall across the autumn and spring terms.

Selective entry at every stage. Places at 11+, 13+ and 16+ are won by assessment, not proximity, and the school is academically selective. Families should prepare for the entrance process early and be realistic about the sixth-form subject requirements; the education is strong, but the door is a genuine hurdle.

A modest Oxbridge return. For a school in the top 1.7% at GCSE, Oxford and Cambridge outcomes are steadier than spectacular: one offer from 17 applications in the most recent cycle tracked. Families whose ambitions are pinned specifically on Oxbridge should discuss the support programme and recent destinations directly with the school.

The six-day week and boarding rhythm. Saturday lessons and structured weekends suit some children and families and not others. Day families in particular should weigh whether the full-on schedule fits home life, and boarding families should check exeat and travel patterns.

Fees and the 2028 merger. With senior day fees above £35,000 a year and boarding well beyond that, cost is a real consideration, and means-tested support is limited and competitive. The planned 2028 merger with St Faith's will also reshape the through-school journey, so ask how it affects entry and progression for your child's year group.

The Leys is a strong, personal, co-educational boarding school that does more than academics well. Results are excellent, with GCSE performance among the highest in England (top 1.7%) and a sixth form comfortably in the top 4.4% for A-level, and the school pairs that with a genuinely broad offer in art, music, drama and sport, all delivered on a compact 50-acre campus minutes from central Cambridge. Pastoral care and safeguarding are clear strengths, and the Methodist-rooted, inclusive tone gives the place a distinctive warmth.

It is best suited to families who want a rounded, community-minded boarding or day education in Cambridge, value the arts as much as the sciences, and will use the full six-day week; overseas families in particular are well served by the international boarding community and the EAL support. The main caveats are cost, selective entry, and an Oxbridge record that is solid rather than dominant. For the right child, though, The Leys offers a rare combination of academic strength, breadth and personal attention.