The Leys School

The Leys is the only co-educational boarding and day school in Cambridge. This statement, whilst true, does not begin to convey what makes this such a special place.

Established in 1875, The Leys values its history, yet it blends traditional values – courtesy, tolerance, respect, decency – with a forward and outward-looking approach to education. Dedicated staff and superb facilities combine powerfully as we prepare young people for the challenges which lie ahead at university and beyond. Yet we have always believed that school is, or should be, about far more than merely “preparation for life”. Indeed, my ambition is that Leysians will be able to look back on their experiences here as amongst the most intrinsically rewarding, challenging and stimulating chapters of their developing lives.

Set in the centre of the beautiful and stimulating city of Cambridge, one of the world’s leading cultural and academic cities, our unique location allows our pupils unrivalled opportunities to achieve the exceptional. Our added-value in academic progress is among the most impressive in the country, and the range of creative, cultural and sporting opportunities is breath-taking. We are rightly proud of our pupils’ achievements, both in the classroom and outside it, but the greatest pride we have is in the pupils themselves. They are our greatest achievement.

The Leys is unique in our place as the only independent co-educational boarding and day school in the world-renowned university city of Cambridge. We call ourselves the "big, small school".

One of the things which makes The Leys such a special place is its size. We are determinedly a small school. It's partly because we're such a small school that we're able to get to know individual pupils so well. Our aim is for every boy and girl in the school to have that wonderful feeling of attempting the exceptional. To do this they need to feel confident that they will be well supported by their peers and the staff.

Pupils at The Leys work hard and motivation is high. They are ambitious and we help them to achieve their objectives by encouraging them to take an increasing level of personal responsibility for their work as they move through the school. The Leys really is an environment in which every individual can thrive.

At The Leys, we consider pastoral care to be most important, because if a pupil isn't feeling settled they are unlikely to do well in their lessons, exams and wider activities.

The Leys is a community of 575 pupils, which means each pupil is well known by the staff responsible for their welfare, including the Headmaster who knows the pupils very well. All this adds to the friendly ethos of The Leys, and helps to foster the good relationships between pupils and between pupils and staff, which has long been a feature of this school.

The Leys is a school founded on a Christian ethos, led by a popular and inspirational Chaplain. The result is pupils who are respectful of one another, kind and generous spirited; living and working in an environment where they can be themselves and know they'll be accepted for it.

The wider curriculum at The Leys offers many opportunities for the pupils, and forms a really important part of what we do. Sport, Art, Music, Drama, CCF, Duke of Edinburgh Awards, and a whole plethora of societies, activities and clubs, offer plenty of opportunity for Leysians to thrive intellectually, physically and culturally.

The Leys was founded in 1875, a time when a large number of schools were founded, especially by the churches. Whilst there were already several leading schools providing an education for the sons of Ministers, Methodists were asking for schools for the sons of lay members.

The Methodist Conference set up a committee to look at the possibility of starting a school at Oxford or Cambridge. Following several visits to Cambridge, a twenty acre site was discovered for sale - The Leys Estate. The Reverend Doctor W.F. Moulton, Secretary of the committee, was asked to become Headmaster of the new school, and The Leys formally opened its doors on 16th February 1875 with sixteen boys from English Methodist families. Within two years this number had grown to 100 pupils.

Since that time The Leys has expanded significantly. Today the School is an independent, fully co-educational boarding and day school with over 550 pupils from all walks of life, situated on its own 50-acre campus.

The school motto is "In Fide Fiducia" (Latin for "In Faith, Trust"). The school song is Rev. B. Hellier's Χαίρετε.

In 1938 The Leys Governors acquired St Faith's Preparatory School and established The Leys and St Faith's Schools Foundation. Strong links remain between the two schools.