State school sees 62 pupils with Oxbridge offers

"Anya, 18, said she "screamed so loud" when she opened the email offering her a place at Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge to read Asian and Middle Eastern studies. "I was just like crying at the bus stop," she said. "It was an insane, surreal experience." The sixth form ranked sixth in The Sunday Times' league tables, putting it among the top performing schools in the country, many of which are fee-paying."

"Ismael, 18, was offered a place at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, to read politics, philosophy and economics. He echoed Anya's feelings on receiving the offer. He said: "I looked at the email, I told my friends right away, my teachers and it was just a very, very surreal experience." LAE was founded in 2012 with the support of independent schools including Brighton College and Eton, which make annual donations."

"It specifically prioritises accepting students from low-income households, with the majority of pupils from Newham, Tower Hamlets and Hackney. In order to obtain a place, students must demonstrate that they are on track to achieve at least eight GCSEs at grades 9 to 7, including English and maths. Approximately half of the Oxbridge offer-holders at LAE this year have been eligible for free school meals, in the care of a local authority, or are young carers."

Sixty-two pupils at the London Academy of Excellence in Newham received offers from Oxford and Cambridge this year, representing more than a quarter of the sixth form. About half of the offer-holders come from disadvantaged backgrounds, including free school meals eligibility, local authority care or young carers, and many are first-generation university applicants. LAE prioritises students from low-income households across Newham, Tower Hamlets and Hackney and requires candidates to be on track for at least eight GCSEs at grades 9–7 including English and maths. LAE was founded in 2012 with support and annual donations from independent schools such as Brighton College and Eton. Several successful students described receiving offers as a surreal and emotional experience.

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