Welcome to our Junior School Fitzwilliam Building virtual open day experience where we will highlight the exceptional teaching and learning environment we provide for the educational development of our pupils. Our school is a friendly, busy place where we build on discovery and individual potential, where horizons expand rapidly involving science, languages, sports, music, drama and fundraising, and where positive learning habits and thinking skills are part of every lesson.
Find out how we offer a breadth of experience in a stimulating environment where every pupil is known and celebrated. Find out how our pupils enjoy limitless ways to discover their own strengths while gaining life-long skills, as well as the confidence to take their next steps as they progress in education.
Welcome from our Head of Junior School Fitzwilliam Building David Hewlett
We encourage children to be active learners – to ask questions, to make mistakes and to explore their interests and talents. By combining academic rigour with creative, flexible teaching we see our pupils grow as independent learners.
Hear what our pupils have to say
Hear from our current pupils who explain why they love studying at the Junior School.
Pastoral care, mental health and wellbeing
Meet Deputy Head of Junior School Dame Bradbury’s Mrs Claire Matthews and Deputy Head of Junior School Fitzwilliam Building Mrs Jasvir Hegarty and learn about the Stephen Perse Foundation pastoral care and approach to promotion of pupil’s wellbeing.
Digital Learning
Hear about Digital Learning from Head of Junior School Fitzwilliam Building Mr David Hewlett and how the Foundation approach runs across all schools in the Stephen Perse Foundation, preparing pupils for the digital demands of a highly-connected world.
Welcome from our Inclusion Specialist Ms Gustafsson
Inclusion is complex and multifaceted. Here at the Stephen Perse Foundation, we are committed to inclusion in school, as just one aspect of inclusion in society.
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Fitzwilliam reception
Fitzwilliam Year 6 classroom
Fitzwilliam library
Fitzwilliam dining hall
Fitzwilliam Year 3 classroom
Fitzwilliam Year 3 classroom
Fitzwilliam Year 3 classroom
Fitzwilliam main hall
Fitzwilliam create room
Fitzwilliam Year 5 classroom
Fitzwilliam science lab
Fitzwilliam music room
Fitzwilliam Year 4 classroom
Fitzwilliam Year 2 classroom
Latham Road sports ground
Latham Road Astroturf
Latham Road tennis courts
Forest School
Curriculum Overview
Mrs Alice Heywood, Head of Curriculum at the Stephen Perse Foundation for Years 1-6, talks about the Learning Wheel and how it covers the curriculum and ethos for all learners in the Foundation.
Here is a selection of podcasts with our Rosedale House pupils on a variety of topics from meeting the Head to how to remove barriers to learning.
Ep. 6 - Introducing our new Head of Junior School
Join former principal Tricia Kelleher as she has a chat with our new Junior School Head, David Hewlett.
Ep.13 - A journey to teaching
Join former prinicpal Tricia Kelleher as she talks to our Year 5 teacher Mrs Parker, about growing up with a father in the military, and being one of the first person to eat McDonald's in Moscow.
Ep. 33 - Removing barriers to learning
Join former principal Tricia Kelleher as she talks to Sara Gustafsson, our Inclusion Specialist at the Stephen Perse Foundation, about how to creatively remove barriers to learning for everyone.
Extracurricular and Enrichment
Meet Mrs Louise Graham, Head of Junior School Dame Bradbury’s who talks about enriched learning and extracurricular activities available at Stephen Perse Junior Schools.
How do you assess your pupils, in what subjects and how often?
We do not over assess. Ensuring that formal assessments take place only where most relevant, providing data that informs on our planning and pupils progress. Pupils are assessed on entry to the school to ensure they are able to meet the needs of our curriculum. Yearly, all pupils take part in a maths and English assessments that allows us to track progress year on year. Year 4 -6 will carry out a CAT 4 assessment that focuses on cognitive ability.
Throughout our curriculum teachers will carry our less formal check up types tests to help inform planning and that the needs of the pupils are met.
On entry to the school the pupils will be asked to complete a maths and English assessment.
What clubs do you offer?
When we are up and running with our regular clubs provisions most children will have an option each evening for joining an extracurricular club. These reference our curriculum and include sports clubs, music clubs, art clubs as well as the more unusual nature clubs, coding clubs and perhaps a lego club. We regularly survey our pupils to ask what they would like the opportunity to do.
The majority of clubs are run by our teachers and are delivered free of charge, however there are a few clubs that are run by external companies and carry a cost.
Will my child automatically have a place at the senior school?
The offer of a school place at Junior School Fitzwilliam Building is for a Foundation place. This runs through to Senior School and Sixth Form. We have developed a curriculum that progresses right through from 1-18 and we want to retain our pupils for the whole journey so they are able to gain the rewards of experiencing a curriculum that is structured well. There means that there are no additional assessments at the point of entry into the next phase of school.
Do you offer any transport services?
We provide many options designed to make the commute into the City easier for our parents, operating from many of the Park and Ride sites based around Cambridge. Your child is able to be dropped off and taken to school from them by our minibuses. At the end of the day this service is repeated.
We would like our child to learn an instrument, can the school support this?
Our pupils in Year 1 and 2 are able to take instrumental lessons as an addition to their curriculum in either Piano or violin. From Year 3 - 6 our pupils are able to learn up to 2 instruments in addition to their curriculum music lessons and these include a wide range of option, wind, brass and strings are all options as well as the drums!
Does the school provide cooked meals daily?
Yes, we have our own catering team on site and lunch is cooked from fresh daily. There is always a hot food option available as well as a variety of salad bar items. Our diary needs are catered for. We do ask our pupils to bring in a daily snack (healthy) for their morning breaktime.
Do you set the pupils according to ability?
On the whole, no. Our teachers are adept at ensuring that appropriate work is available to meet the needs of the individual and they will often group pupils within lessons to ensure that like-minded pupils have suitable peers to work with. In Year 6 maths our pupils are set. This is based on speed of work, rather than overall ability, and is an appropriate time to do so in preparation for their transition into the senior school.
We are thinking about joining the school, should we wait until the new academic year?
This depends on a variety of reasons, but most importantly it has to be what is right for your child. We find that pupils settle very quickly into new routines (minutes!) but this is not to be assumed. It makes sense to pick a natural point in the year i.e. a new term to make the start, but sometimes the move just needs to happen and should as soon as possible.
Please click here for detailed information on the assessment process and the key dates and application deadlines.