School League Tables: How Ellesmere Pupils are Better Prepared for Top Universities

Ellesmere's reputation for providing a tailor made education, focused on the individual and maximising the potential of our pupils, has been the foundation to the College for many years. However vital exam success is 85% of our students gain entrance into their first choice University and feel better prepared than most with the transition into higher education.

Our Gifted and Talented programme aims to enhance the educational development of pupils, helping them to prepare for top universities both in the UK and internationally. The words 'gifted' and 'talented' mean many things to many different people. At Ellesmere we do not simply rely on external CAT scores, SAT scores or exam results, we place a high regard on teacher nominations and individual pupil profiles. The Ellesmere programme is linked to the Gifted and Talented scheme operated by the National Association for Able Children in Education.

The extent to which private school pupils are being prepared for places at elite universities was laid bare in new-style league tables showing how they dominate top grades in core academic subjects. For the first time, data shows how many teenagers are leaving schools and colleges in England with good A-Levels in a range of core disciplines, seen as a vital stepping stone to sought-after Russell Group institutions. It emerged that 150 out of the top 200 schools in the new table are from the fee-paying sector.

Ellesmere's Gifted and Talented programme offers both extension and enrichment activities for all subject areas. This allows students to independently explore topics in more detail and encourages independence in thinking, learning and self-reliance. Cambridge Essay Writing Competitions, Political Journalism and, for potential Oxbridge candidates, the Oxford Woodard Master-class in History, Biology and Maths, provides a flavour of some activities available to our pupils.

The 'Ellesmere Scholars' is a more recently established scheme offering further support to the development of individual excellence. Scholars meet regularly to discuss topics of interest such as philosophical issues, moral conundrums, areas of religious debate, as well as controversies surrounding how we remember and commemorate world tragedies. Scholars are also encouraged to attend Headmaster's Lectures and industry lead presentations. Recent speakers have included Richard Godwin from the New York Space Centre, Sir Ralph Fiennes, Explorer, Matthew Syed, Times Sports Journalist and Ross Jobber, Managing Director of CitiBank.

The outcome, we believe, is the development of widely read, independent and focused pupils with a curiosity and thirst for knowledge, that can go on to be successful at University and beyond within their chosen careers.


30th January 2013  Back to News