A state sixth form in north-east London has seen 62 of its students receive offers from Oxford and Cambridge universities this academic year, making up one quarter of its student body.
The London Academy of Excellence (LAE) is a free, mixed, selective sixth form and is one of the highest performing sixth forms in the United Kingdom. The headteacher, Alexander Crossman, says on the academy’s website that the school “consistently delivers outstanding A-level results for all students”. He adds that the sixth form “has achieved particular success helping students from less-advantaged backgrounds win places at the best universities in the UK and around the world”.
Around half of the students with Oxbridge offers for this academic year come from disadvantaged backgrounds, including several with refugee status. Around half are eligible for free school meals, in the care of a local authority, or are young carers, and over two thirds come from low-income homes with no history of university attendance in their immediate family.
One student, Ismael, told the BBC that reading the email which offered him a place at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, for politics, philosophy, and economics was “a very, very surreal experience”.
Another student, Kami, who was offered a place at Selwyn College, Cambridge, also said: “People aren’t defined by their background or any circumstances that they’ve come from.. I think it’s allowing people to flourish and truly reach their full potential.”
Twenty-five students from LAE’s 2024 cohort took up places at Oxford and Cambridge, which is 60% lower than the number for this academic year.
LAE was ranked sixth by The Times in the top 50 sixth form colleges in the UK, based on exam outcomes from last year. A majority of the other sixth forms in this ranking are private, fee-paying schools. That year, 58.3% of LAE students received an A*, A, or B in two or more subjects.
The sixth form was founded in 2012, with the support of private schools such as Eton and Brighton College, which make annual donations. The two other partner schools are Caterham School and Forest School. Each LAE house is associated with one of these partner schools, and students visit their house’s school to make connections with their counterparts there. These partner schools also provide teaching, and many students play sports fixtures against them.
Pupils from low-income households are prioritised for acceptance, with the majority of students from Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Hackney. In order to obtain a place, students must demonstrate that they are on target to achieve at least eight grades of 7 to 9 at GCSE, including Maths and English.
The school is located in Newham, which is the most deprived borough in London, according to data from the 2025 Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). Over 80% of residents were in the bottom 30% for income deprivation – a substantial increase from 66% in 2019. Unemployment rates are at 8.7%, and child poverty is at 45%, behind only Tower Hamlets.
Though 93% of the UK population attended state schools, only 66% of UK students admitted to Oxford in 2024 were educated in the state sector.
