The Spectator produced a fascinating table listing the various figures showing which schools achieved the most Oxbridge offers last year. Over the years, both universities have increased the proportion of acceptances from state schools, reaching 69%, a significant increase from 52% reported in 2000. Among the 80 schools considered, 33 are independent, 26 are grammar or partially selective, 18 are sixth-form colleges and three are comprehensives or academies.
The schools are ranked based on the number of offers received, followed by the offer-to-application ratio. It's important to note that schools receiving fewer than three offers from a particular university have had this data discounted, adhering to UCAS's disclosure control policy.
The top 10 independent schools were as follows:
| Independent School | Type | Applied | Offers | Success Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westminster School | Independent | 193 | 81 | 42% |
| 2 | Eton College | Independent | 178 | 48 | 27% |
| 3 | St Paul’s Girls School, London | Independent | 78 | 46 | 59% |
| 4 | St Paul’s School, London | Independent | 145 | 42 | 29% |
| 5 | King's College School | Independent | 136 | 41 | 30% |
| 6 | The Perse School | Independent | 123 | 36 | 29% |
| 7 | Highgate School | Independent | 84 | 30 | 36% |
| 8 | Wycombe Abbey School | Independent | 70 | 26 | 37% |
| 9 | Magdalen College School | Independent | 101 | 26 | 26% |
| 10 | North London Collegiate School | Independent | 80 | 24 | 30% |
Stand out points from the top 10 independent schools listed:
- Location, Location, Location:
- Over half of the top ten are situated in London
- Four out of the top five schools are London schools
- All of the non-London top ten are situated within 60 miles of Central London (Eton 23 miles; Wycombe Abbey 32 miles; Magdalen College 56 miles; The Perse 60 miles).
2. Single-Sex or Co-ed:
- 8 out of the top 10 schools are single sex at least up to Sixth Form
- Of the single-sex schools, Westminster, King’s College, and Magdalen take girls at Sixth Form
- Eton and St. Paul’s are the only schools in the top ten that are all-boys the whole way through
- St. Paul’s Girls, Wycombe Abbey and North London Collegiate School are all fully all-girls options
3. Boarding versus Day:
- Day schools dominate, Eton and Wycombe Abbey being the only traditional boarding options.
- The other school with the option of boarding is Westminster where 24% of pupils board.
4. Academic Selectivity at Entry
- All of the top 10 independent schools listed are known to be extremely academically selective at entry (whether that’s 11+/13+ or 16+) e at entry (whether that’s 11+/13+ or 16+)
Top 80 Schools for Oxbridge Offers
| School | Type | Applied | Offers | Success | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brampton Manor Academy | State | 302 | 89 | 29% |
| 2 | Westminster School | Independent | 193 | 81 | 42% |
| 3 | Hills Road Sixth Form College | State | 273 | 78 | 29% |
| 4 | Eton College | Independent | 178 | 48 | 27% |
| 5 | St Paul’s Girls School | Independent | 78 | 46 | 59% |
| 6 | Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth-form College | State | 219 | 45 | 21% |
| 7 | Peter Symonds College | State | 212 | 44 | 21% |
| 8 | St Paul’s School, London | Independent | 145 | 42 | 29% |
| 9 | King’s College School | Independent | 136 | 41 | 30% |
| 10 | Harris Westminster Sixth Form | State | 153 | 40 | 26% |
| 11 | The Perse School | Independent | 123 | 36 | 29% |
| 12 | Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet | State | 107 | 35 | 33% |
| 13 | Tiffin School | State | 127 | 34 | 27% |
| 14 | King's College London Mathematics School | State | 62 | 33 | 53% |
| 15 | Wilson's School | State | 89 | 33 | 37% |
| 16 | St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School | State | 110 | 31 | 28% |
| 17 | London Academy of Excellence | State | 89 | 31 | 35% |
| 18 | Highgate School | Independent | 84 | 30 | 36% |
| 19 | Colchester Royal Grammar School | State | 99 | 30 | 30% |
| 20 | Greenhead College, Huddersfield | State | 135 | 30 | 22% |
| 21 | Woodhouse College, Finchley | State | 152 | 29 | 19% |
| 22 | King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford | State | 76 | 27 | 36% |
| 23 | Wycombe Abbey School | Independent | 70 | 26 | 37% |
| 24 | Magdalen College | Independent | 101 | 26 | 26% |
| 25 | Barton Peveril College | State | 107 | 25 | 23% |
| 26 | The Tiffin Girls School | State | 77 | 25 | 32% |
| 27 | Loreto College, Manchester | State | 71 | 25 | 35% |
| 28 | Reading School | State | 80 | 25 | 31% |
| 29 | Dame Alice Owen's School | State | 84 | 25 | 30% |
| 30 | North London Collegiate School | Independent | 80 | 24 | 30% |
| 31 | Brighton College | Independent | 93 | 24 | 26% |
| 32 | The Blue Coat School, Liverpool | State | 47 | 22 | 47% |
| 33 | Manchester Grammar School | State | 89 | 21 | 24% |
| 34 | Winchester College | Independent | 91 | 21 | 23% |
| 35 | Sevenoaks School | Independent | 92 | 21 | 23% |
| 36 | Latymer Upper School | Independent | 88 | 21 | 24% |
| 37 | Henrietta Barnett School | State | 45 | 21 | 47% |
| 38 | Hereford Sixth-form College | State | 64 | 20 | 31% |
| 39 | Sir John Deanes College | State | 50 | 20 | 40% |
| 40 | Wellington College, Crowthorne | Independent | 79 | 20 | 25% |
| 41 | Dulwich College | Independent | 108 | 20 | 18% |
| 42 | Camden School for Girls | State | 43 | 20 | 47% |
| 43 | Chelmsford County High School | State | 45 | 20 | 44% |
| 44 | Dr Challoner’s Grammar School | State | 81 | 20 | 25% |
| 45 | Newham Collegiate Sixth-form | State | 98 | 19 | 19% |
| 46 | King Edward VI College, Stourbridge | State | 61 | 19 | 31% |
| 47 | King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls | State | 52 | 19 | 37% |
| 48 | Alleyn’s School, Dulwich | Independent | 57 | 19 | 33% |
| 49 | Pate's Grammar School | State | 90 | 18 | 20% |
| 50 | Oundle School | Independent | 47 | 18 | 38% |
| 51 | Hampton School | Independent | 78 | 17 | 22% |
| 52 | Cheltenham Ladies' College | Independent | 91 | 17 | 19% |
| 53 | City of London School | Independent | 58 | 17 | 29% |
| 54 | Colyton Grammar School | State | 42 | 16 | 38% |
| 55 | James Allens Girls' School | Independent | 43 | 16 | 37% |
| 56 | Royal Grammar School, Buckinghamshire | State | 60 | 16 | 27% |
| 57 | The Cherwell School | State | 41 | 16 | 39% |
| 58 | City of London School for Girls | Independent | 64 | 15 | 23% |
| 59 | The Skinners' School | State | 28 | 15 | 54% |
| 60 | Newstead Wood School | State | 68 | 15 | 22% |
| 61 | Tonbridge School | Independent | 71 | 15 | 21% |
| 62= | King Edward’s School, Edgbaston | Independent | 47 | 14 | 30% |
| 62= | Bishops Wordsworth Grammar School | State | 47 | 14 | 30% |
| 64 | Bishop Veseys Grammar School | State | 45 | 17 | 38% |
| 65 | South Hampstead High School | Independent | 44 | 14 | 32% |
| 66 | Lancaster Royal Grammar School | State | 49 | 14 | 29% |
| 67 | Royal Grammar School Guildford | State | 54 | 14 | 26% |
| 68 | Haberdashers' Girls' School, Elstree | Independent | 49 | 14 | 29% |
| 69 | Tonbridge Grammar School | State | 43 | 14 | 33% |
| 70 | Guildford High School | Independent | 41 | 14 | 34% |
| 71 | University College School | Independent | 81 | 13 | 16% |
| 72 | King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys | State | 45 | 13 | 29% |
| 73 | Truro and Penwith College | State | 55 | 13 | 24% |
| 74 | Winstanley College | State | 88 | 13 | 15% |
| 75 | St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School | State | 31 | 13 | 42% |
| 76 | Aylesbury Grammar School | State | 50 | 13 | 26% |
| 77 | Wallington High School for Girls | State | 44 | 13 | 30% |
| 78 | Bristol Grammar School | Independent | 30 | 12 | 40% |
| 79 | Shrewsbury School | Independent | 43 | 12 | 30% |
| 80 | Cardinal Newman College, Preston | State | 80 | 12 | 15% |
Source The Oxbridge files: which schools get the most offers? | The Spectator
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