Chair of Governors: Mrs A Brunner
Headmaster: Dr C Hyde-Dunn, MA Oxon, PGCE, MA Ed, NPQH, PhD
Deputy Head: Mr J P Davenport, PGCE Camb, BEd Camb, MBA
Age Range. 4–13.
Number of Pupils. 577.
Fees per term (2023-2024). £5,245 (Pre-Prep), £6,440 (Years 3 and 4), £6,605 (Years 5 to 8).
Judged “excellent” for pupils' academic and other achievements and “excellent” for pupils' personal development (Independent Schools' Inspectorate October 2021), as well as being named Prep School of the Year in 2019 by The Times Educational Supplement, St Faith’s is a co-educational day school for children aged 4–13. Located on the south side of central Cambridge, approximately one mile from the city centre, the school benefits from a beautiful and spacious setting of 9 acres of grounds, with access to a further 20 acres of sports fields just 2 minutes’ walk away. St Faith’s is part of The Leys and St Faith’s Foundation and each year approximately half of the children move on to The Leys at the end of Year 8, while others prepare for entry to a variety of senior schools.
At St Faith’s, each child is developed, nurtured and challenged, to equip them with skills for life, whatever path they choose to take. Passionate teachers share their knowledge, explore new ideas and instill a lifelong passion for learning. We strive to provide a genuinely tailored approach for each individual child, helping every pupil to thrive and fulfil their potential. In 2023, a total number of 37 awards and scholarships to Senior Schools were achieved by our pupils, across the whole curriculum.
With a focus on the St Faith's 'Learning Habits' of curiosity, collaboration, independence, listening, reflection, creativity, ambition and resilience, children are encouraged to understand how they learn best and to make confident choices. Our approach of top-down excellence in all lessons ensures that pupils are engaged and inspired. Our academic curriculum is ground-breaking in its innovative content and has been commended by the University of Cambridge and the Times Educational Supplement, with an award for 'Strategic Education Initiative of the Year' (2018) for the introduction of Engineering to the curriculum.
Ambitious, forward-looking and appropriately rigorous academic subjects are interspersed each day with sporting endeavours, social impact work, musical experiences, artistic creations, and dramatic performances. Assemblies, tutor time and plenty of playtime ensure children have a chance to express themselves away from the classroom. Owing to small class sizes, exceptional teachers and the above average ability of our children, all subjects follow an accelerated curriculum. The vast majority of pupils work at a higher level than that commensurate with their age, with their high levels of focus in lessons recognised by the Inspectors in our recent ISI Inspection (2021).
Our green and spacious site provides some of the best facilities of any prep school. Every classroom is equipped with modern teaching technology. The shelves in our library brim with over 12,000 volumes with relevance to our youngest and most mature readers. Engineering suites provide access to tools and equipment beyond many inventors’ wildest dreams. Fully-equipped science laboratories and computer suites are used by all year groups. Our new £2m STEM Hub includes state of the art science laboratories, flexible large indoor spaces for interdisciplinary projects, a rooftop greenhouse and a night sky viewing platform. Our magnificent sports hall and pitches have been instrumental in training St Faith's National Champions in a variety of sports, including Hockey, Athletics, Gymnastics and Trampolining. We promote sport for all, as a conduit for developing mental as well as physical fitness and all pupils have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of fixtures against other schools. Our large ‘Ashburton Hall’ provides an outstanding venue for concerts and performances, with children also having opportunities to perform at other venues locally and nationally.
We recognise the crucial importance of children feeling happy in our school community and we work hard to promote staff and pupil wellbeing. Parents are closely involved with the school through a range of social events as well as having regular contact with teaching staff. Our excellent pastoral care provision is supported by a range of initiatives, including a buddy system and kindness certificates. Pupils develop leadership skills in our School Council and Eco-Committee, and we were delighted that the ISI commented in 2021 on the outstanding behaviour and moral understanding of St Faith's pupils.
Charitable status. The Leys and St Faith’s Schools Foundation is a Registered Charity, number 1144035. The aim of the charity is the provision of first-class education.