Why Choose The Leys?
The Leys is the leading independent co-educational boarding and day school in the world-renowned university city of Cambridge.
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.
We consider there to be three core elements to a Leysian Education:
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 570 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.
Our Special Location
Here at The Leys we aim to take full advantage of every opportunity the city of Cambridge has to offer. Cambridge is one of England’s most historic and cultural cities, and its university ranks amongst the best in the world.
It is also a centre of innovation and development, and has risen to be the UK’s leading technology and biotechnology cluster. This gives pupils at The Leys unparalleled opportunities to hear leading figures speak on matters from biotechnology to astronomy and cultural affairs.
Across all subject areas we maintain strong links with academics in the University. We arrange regular trips to its academic departments and host world-renowned guest speakers in our own Great Hall. We regularly arrange for postgraduates to mentor our brightest Sixth Formers in areas of special, individual academic interest, offering a level of mentoring and support which goes beyond the confines of A Level exam specifications. Many of our sports teams benefit from joining in the inter-collegiate sports competitions, our Chapel Choir regularly sings Choral Evensong in the stunning settings of College Chapels, often performing collaboratively with the choirs of those Colleges, and our annual Leavers’ Ball takes place at Queens’ College, a mere five-minute walk through the meadows and along the river.
There are hundreds of acres of green space (it is one of the UK’s greenest cities) and a lively, year-round calendar of cultural events, rivalling London in its diversity and breadth. The number of concerts taking place in iconic settings, not to mention the range of stage productions across Cambridge, provide a wealth of opportunities and a unique experience for Leys pupils. More information detailing the school’s links with the university can be found in the CamEx brochure below.
Add to this its proximity to the capital and excellent transport links (just 50 minutes from London and within easy reach of all London’s international airports) and you can see why Cambridge is viewed as one of the best places to study and live in the UK.
