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History

History and Archive

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 16 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 fifty-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.

 

Archive

The Leys Archives act as a repository to preserve and make available many of the official records of the school’s activities and administration from its foundation in 1875 to the present day. They contain a wide range of information, photographs and artefacts about alumni and Leysian life and are available to the school community as a historical record and educational resource.

The Leys Digital Archive

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School News

Keep up-to-date with the latest news from The Leys.

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Admissions

The decision to choose a school for your child to is one of the most important you will ever make.

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Calendar

A calendar of events at The Leys.

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