Boarding schools in Cambridge

Boarding schools in the Cambridge area

Variety and quality in Cambridgeshire

Knowledge and education have long held a special place in Cambridge, and the famous university is just one piece of the mosaic. The county also offers a varied landscape of boarding schools.

Here are some examples of boarding schools in and around Cambridge:

Top school in Norfolk

Gresham's School

Gresham’s School was founded in 1555 and is one of the traditional public schools that emerged from the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII. The school has an excellent reputation and is regularly ranked among the best IB schools in the country. A levels are also offered here. The boarding school is set on a historic campus on the edge of the market town of Holt in Norfolk. Gresham’s is academically demanding and, alongside an outstanding education, offers its students a wide range of extracurricular activities: from the debating society to Student Robotics, there is something for everyone. The school’s own Auden Theatre has state-of-the-art stage and sound technology and is an important venue for the region. The main sports include rugby, cricket and hockey, but tennis and swimming are also taught to a high standard.

 

Boarding school north of Cambridge

King's Ely

King’s Ely can look back on a proud history, as it is considered one of the oldest schools in the world. Its origins date back to the year 940, when a school was founded for the choirboys of Ely Cathedral. As the King’s School, it was one of the seven schools that Henry VIII re-founded in 1541 as part of the dissolution of the monasteries. The school provides the boys’ and girls’ choirs for the nearby cathedral, and the school services are also held there. The school uses several of the cathedral’s buildings, including the old Bishop’s Palace, which houses the sixth form. Today the boarding school is a modern place of learning and living. The superbly equipped Gibson Music School opened in 2001 and offers state-of-the-art recording technology as well as rehearsal rooms. Sport is not neglected either. The school’s boathouse is on the River Ouse, next to that of the University of Cambridge. With the Ely Scheme, the school also places a focus on outdoor education. Its own summer school offers an insight into boarding life.

 

Girls' boarding school with a view of the University of Cambridge

St Mary's School

St Mary‘s School Cambridge is located, as you might expect, right in the heart of the university city. The Catholic girls’ boarding school dates from the 19th century and has an excellent reputation. It is particularly proud of its success in mathematics and the sciences, but many other subjects and extracurricular activities are also open to the girls. Dance, drama and design play an important role. As well as the school’s own sports facilities, such as tennis courts and a gym, the students also use the university’s sports facilities. The atmosphere at the boarding school is friendly and grown-up – the students value the close community of the boarding houses and the wide range of opportunities offered by the school and the city.

 

School in Suffolk near the coast

Woodbridge School

Woodbridge School is located in the town of the same name, just a few kilometres from the coast. The present-day school dates back to the 17th century, and since 1864 the boarding school has been on a large campus on the edge of the town. One academic focus of the school is the sciences, but Woodbridge is also known for its outstanding music and drama community. The music school has modern recording technology and offers rehearsal rooms for the various orchestras and choirs. The school’s own Seckford Theatre is a fully equipped theatre and is known throughout the region.

 

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