History

R.S. Goodchild started St Faith’s in his shed in Belvoir Terrace in 1884, reputedly naming his new school after his daughter Faith.

In 1895 he moved the school to its present site, in what we now call School House. Since then it has grown to become the largest preparatory school in Cambridge and one of the largest independent preparatory schools in the country.

This success is based on a dedicated and hardworking staff who strive to get the best out of and care for each individual child. From people who have influenced the world such as John Maynard Keynes (economist) and Sir Christopher Cockerell (inventor of the hovercraft) to current sports stars such as world touring car champion Robert Huff and England rugby international Alex Goode. St Faith’s has educated each individual child to achieve their best in all aspects of the curriculum while also teaching them to be mindful of the needs of others.

In 1938 St Faith’s became part of the same foundation as The Leys School. Each school is managed and led by its own management team and Committee of Governors. Senior staff from both schools meet regularly to ensure close collaboration and a continuity of educational ethos.

More recent changes to the school saw it opening a Pre Prep facility in 1988 allowing pupils to commence their St Faith’s education from an earlier age. In 1994 the boarding houses closed and in 1995 the school began to accept girls. Since 2004 there has been no formal Saturday school option, though even today there are plenty of activities ongoing in the school grounds each weekend. The Ashburton Hall was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1999 and the Keynes Technology and Music centre in 2006 with members of the Keynes and Darwin families in attendance (Maynard and Geoffrey Keynes went to the school, as well as two of Charles Darwin’s grandsons). In 2018 the Hub was opened which includes state-of-the-art science laboratories, a project deck, Engineering workshop and design room and an observatory.

The history of our school gives us a sense of our heritage and tradition making a firm foundation as we journey to an exciting future.