The Perse School is a fee-paying, secondary day school for boys 11-18 and girls at 16+ situated in Cambridge, England. It prides itself on supreme academic achievement and in the league table of independent schools is regularly in the top 10. The school was founded in 1615 by Dr Stephen Perse, a fellow of Gonville and Caius College, and has existed on several different sites in the city before its present home on Hills Road. Notable alumni, amongst many others include Bishop Jememy Taylor, a major influence on the foundation of Methodism and Sir Robert Tabor, whose medical skills saved the life of Charles II. Modern day alumni include Nobel Prize winners Sir George Thomson (Physics) and Ronald G.W. Norrish (Chemistry) and the school has five other Nobel Prize winners to its name. Between 20% and 30% of school leavers at 18 go on to take up places at Cambridge University
Due to unfortunate coincidence, 'perse' is an obscene word in Finnish, which has given Finnish children studying Greek mythology many a guffaw.