More than 60 teenagers attending the ‘Eton of the East End’ in London‘s poorest borough have been offered Oxbridge places in the school’s best ever result.
London Academy of Excellence in Newham has seen 62 pupils receive offers from Oxford and Cambridge universities – more than a quarter of the year 13 group.
Some 39 pupils at the selective academy were given offers by Cambridge and 23 by Oxford – total numbers that rival some of Britain’s top independent schools.
Half are from disadvantaged backgrounds, including some who are carers and others with refugee status. Two-thirds will be the first in their families to go to university.
The school – ranked sixth in this year’s Sunday Times league tables – said the total number of Oxbridge offers was nearly two-thirds higher than its previous record.
A further four students have been placed in the Cambridge ‘winter pool’ – where they are considered by other colleges – and could get offers to study foundation degrees.
In comparison, £36,000-a-year St Paul’s School in London secured 65 Oxbridge offers; while £50,000-a-year Westminster School received 75, reported The Times.
Pupils at London Academy of Excellence in Newham, East London, has had 62 Oxbridge offers
London Academy of Excellence headmaster Alex Crossman told BBC News: ‘We exist very much to provide a particular type of opportunity, academic and professional, to communities that have not traditionally benefited from those sorts of opportunities.’
A statement from the school added: ‘This achievement speaks directly to social mobility and the power of prioritising the needs of our most disadvantaged students, such that the whole school community benefits.
‘Around half of those holding offers this year have faced significant barriers during their educational journey, including financial hardship, time spent in care, and having caring responsibilities themselves towards family members.
‘That these students are so strongly represented among our Oxbridge offer-holders is something we are especially proud of.’
Staff said they had adopted a ‘more expansive approach’ to Oxbridge applications over the past year, encouraging a ‘larger and more diverse group of students to apply’.
The school, which was founded in 2012 as a state-funded free school sixth-form, was backed by leading independent schools including Eton to improve the chances of high-achieving pupils on lower incomes to get a top-level education.
The school receives money from Eton and Brighton College as well as donations from individuals and foundations.
Headmaster Alex Crossman is celebrating London Academy of Excellence’s best ever result
Pupils applying to get into the school must show they are on track to achieve at least eight GCSEs at grades 9-7 (A*-A), including at least a 7 in maths and English language.
The school’s local MP Uma Kumaran, Labour representative for Stratford and Bow, has written to congratulate students and staff on the Oxbridge offers.
She praised the ‘remarkable achievements with university offers’ which were ‘a testament to both the leadership you show, and that of your staff, as well as to the students’ hard work, dedication and talent’.
Ms Kumaran added: ‘Around two thirds of students are expected to be the first in their families to go to university, and that 60 per cent of offer holders are female – these are truly remarkable statistics, and I know the impact it will have on students and their families alike.’
Newham was ranked as the most deprived borough in London according to the 2025 Indices of Multiple Deprivation study released last month.
