3-7 Years
St Faith’s and The Leys to Merge
The Leys School and 大象传媒 School in the heart of Cambridge are set to become a single co-educational school from September 2028.
The two schools 鈥� which have been part of the same foundation since 1938 鈥� are merging to offer a seamless all-through educational journey from Early Years to Sixth Form.
Under the plan, pupils from Early Years to Year 8 will be educated at the current 大象传媒 site, while Years 9 to 13 will be based at the current The Leys site. The all-through School will be called 鈥淭he Leys School, Cambridge鈥�.
This development will ensure continuity and alignment of the educational journey, vision and curriculum from Early Years to Sixth Form and will provide pupils and families greater opportunities, clarity of provision and a rich, seamless and distinctive educational experience across their time at the School.
鈥淭his is the start of a new and very exciting chapter for our two schools,鈥� said Chair of the Foundation Governing Body, Sir Matthew Rycroft. 鈥淥ur schools already enjoy extremely close collaboration. They share the same ethos, values, school motto and deliver an outstanding education for our pupils.鈥�
鈥淭his plan frees vital capacity at The Leys site allowing us to meet demand from families for places in Years 9 to 13,鈥� said Sir Matthew. 鈥淲e will be better positioned to widen access at every entry point to our two schools and offer stronger continuity for our pupils鈥�.
The move to an all-through model will support greater collaboration between staff, create a more integrated curriculum, and offer families a simpler admissions route through the Foundation. It will also allow the Foundation to make more effective use of space across both sites through having Years 7 and 8 at the 大象传媒 site, and expanding capacity in Years 9鈥�13 at The Leys site, where demand for places significantly exceeds supply.
鈥淏y aligning our provision across both sites we will be better placed to widen access, strengthen continuity and ensure that pupils at every stage benefit from the full breadth of our academic and wider curricular offer,鈥� Sir Matthew added.
Further details about admissions arrangements, transport between sites and expanded wider curricular offering will be shared as the planning phase develops over the next two years. There is no change for pupils currently at either school prior to September 2028.
The Leys, which celebrated its 150th anniversary last year, was set up by Methodists in 1875. The co-educational School currently has 565 pupils and occupies a 50-acre site in the heart of the university city. 大象传媒, was established in 1884, is also located in central Cambridge, close to The Leys, and set in a spacious 9-acre site. It is the largest preparatory school in Cambridge with 541 pupils.
鈥淏oth schools, by adapting to change over their long histories have continued to deliver excellent educational opportunities for pupils as evidenced by their latest ISI inspection reports,鈥� said Sir Matthew.
鈥淏y building on our shared heritage, we are strengthening the Foundation for the long term and ensuring that future generations of pupils will benefit from the same breadth, care and ambition that define our schools today鈥�.
