Results have been published on the top schools for Oxbridge success. The findings, which come from trawling extensive data, including Government statistics and speaking to experts, come just in time for important deadlines for parents and pupils this year.
Many schools will be holding Year 6 Open Days now, just ahead of the deadline for Year 7 applications at the end of October. Others are starting to welcome sixth form interest. Yet, families will no doubt have to do some careful thinking and make some tough decisions when it comes to the next steps. After all, there is great variation in each school's locations, entrance requirements, specialisms, values, and wider factors to consider, like the schools' ethos, strictness, subject offerings, and even uniform policies.
The good news is that there's plenty of choice for bright pupils when it comes to top schools across the UK. Moreover, despite strong competition for places at some of the top schools, not all require pupils to take gruelling cognitive tests.
The Daily Mail has published its findings on the top schools for Oxbridge success.
Some schools favour GCSE performance, especially in subjects that pupils might want to study at A-level, for sixth form entrance. Others even reserve places for partner schools. It's not all about heavy academic vigour, either, at many of these schools-many have a strong focus on extracurricular enrichment. We take a look at the top schools and what they have to offer.
The top 30 schools for Oxbridge success:
The Good Schools Guide says of the top school that it "presents the local high-flying independents with more than a run for their money".
Located in the famous university city itself, this Cambridge state school has no uniform and few rules. Yet it successfully bridges the gap between school and university and provides an "outstanding education and experience for bright, highly self-motivated students."
The second, East London-based school dominated A Level results news recently, with over 250 students achieving straight A's. Despite just under half of all pupils being on free school meals and a majority not speaking English at home, the sixth form sent more pupils to Oxbridge than Eton in 2022. Headteacher Dayo Olukoshi was given an OBE in 2016 for services to education.
Families spend years preparing their kids for acceptance into the 450-year-old Hertfordshire school, which takes third place. There are no sets here because everyone is clever. Each year, after sitting multiple-choice tests in Maths and English, 192 coveted places are awarded. Last year, they sent 53 boys to Oxbridge.
The top three schools in England for Oxbridge success are:
1. Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge
2. Brampton Manor, Newham, London
3. Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet, Hertfordshire
Hills Road says they want their pupils to be "changemakers: to take an active role in shaping a brighter future, whether that's environmentally, socially, creatively, or economically." Entrants need four 6s and four 5s, including maths and English.
In the Daily Mail's report on the 100 best schools in Britain earlier this year, Brampton Manner was described as having a "traditional academic approach to learning and a no-nonsense stance on behaviour". Principal Dayo stated, "Our school motto, 'success through effort and determination, pretty much sums up what we are about as a school.
Queen Elizabeth's, or simply known as QE Barnet, is an institution that not only consistently outperforms other state schools but particularly shines in mathematics. Of course, Oxbridge features significant choral music traditions, and this school, with its own touring choir, creates the perfect opportunity to prepare.
The rest of the top 30 schools cover several areas of England, from East Sussex to West Yorkshire. At Least six are in London, three in Hampshire, and two in Kent. One Moscow-inspired school even specialises in mathematics.
One school has no catchment
The top 30 also includes the top two in each of Wales and Scotland.
4. Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College, East Sussex
5. Peter Symonds College, Winchester, Hampshire
6. Harris Westminster Sixth Form, London
7. Pate's Grammar School, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
8. Woodhouse College, Finchley, London
9. Tiffin School, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey
10. Henrietta Barnett School, Hampstead, London
11. King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford, Essex
12. Dame Alice Owen's School, Potter's Bar, Hertfordshire
13. London Academy of Excellence, Stratford, London
14. St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School, Orpington, Kent
15. The Latymer School, Edmonton, London
16. Greenhead College, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
17. Loreto College, Manchester
18. Barton Peveril College, Eastleigh, Hampshire
19. King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, Birmingham
20. King Edward VI College, Stourbridge, West Midlands
21. Wilson's School, Wallington, Surrey
22. The Sixth Form College Farnborough, Hampshire
23. Exeter College, Exeter, Devon
24. King's College London Mathematics School, Lambeth, London
25. The Skinners' School, Tunbridge Wells, Kent
26. Reading School, Reading, Berkshire
At number 7, Pate's Grammar School in Cheltenham sent 40 students to Oxbridge last year, with almost equal numbers going to the respective universities. While it selects via tests for year 7 pupils, there is actually no catchment, so pupils come in all the way from Swindon and Bristol, even.
As well as being known for its university-style atmosphere, Woodhouse College has taken pupils on immersive university residentials. They have also taken students to visit the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland.
Schools in Scotland and Wales:
In Wales, the top two schools are Cardiff High School and Gower College Swansea, while in Scotland, Jordanhill School in Glasgow and Balfron High School in Stirling take top spots.
Cardiff High School sent at least 11 students to Oxbridge last year and has been described by the Welsh equivalent of Ofsted as 'exceptional'. They even have a dedicated staff member to support Oxbridge applications. Pupils need 5 or more grade C's to enter the sixth form.
Gower College Swansea even features a Medical Tutorial Programme and offers 40 A Level options.
Meanwhile, Scotland's Jordanhill School is the highest-performing state school in Scotland. Students are educated in beautiful grade-B listed redbrick building houses with access to a large library and playing fields.
