Which independent schools receive the most Oxbridge offers?

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Which independent schools send the most students to Oxbridge? From the top ten and excluding state schools:  


1st (no surprise) Westminster with 179 applicants and 96 offers. 
8th Eton 162 applicants and 51 offers
9th St Paul's Girls 88 applicants and 48 offers
10th St Paul's Boys 127 applicants and 46 offers 

How do we use this data? 

Having a large Oxbridge cohort informs the teaching and ethos of a school. Once you have a decent sized group who all have high aspirations, they encourage and challenge each other (see the History Boys!)

Schools can collect data from interviews and pass it on to future applicants so the body of knowledge within the school grows. A fantastic example of this is state run Loretto College in Manchester (67 applicants 24 offers) where a good percentage of students come from some of the poorest homes in the country. The school does a stellar job of encouraging students to return to speak to their peers, thus spreading knowledge and reducing the mystery of Oxbridge. 

The main questions you can ask of schools is what their experience is of Oxbridge prep. They don't need to have massive cohorts but they do need to know how Oxbridge interviews work and how to develop potential candidates. In smaller schools with a handful candidates (like Downside), Oxbridge educated teachers work directly with applicants to prepare them for interviews. 

If your child is thinking of Oxbridge, regardless of which school they attend, go to an open day. More importantly, go with an open mind. There will be subjects offered which you may not have considered but which might be attractive to your child. Don't discount anything! 

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