State school sees 62 pupils with Oxbridge offers

More than a quarter of students at a state sixth form in north-east London have received offers from Oxford and Cambridge universities this year.

Sixty-two pupils at the London Academy of Excellence (LAE), a selective school in Newham, Stratford, were offered places at the prestigious collegiate universities.

About half of them come from disadvantaged backgrounds, including some who are carers and some with refugee status.

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.

More than two thirds come from low-income homes with no history of university attendance in the immediate family.

Jai, 18, was also offered a place at Gonville and Caius College, to read philosophy. He said: "Where you come from shouldn't hinder where you end up.

"This is a perfect example of what happens when you give young people the opportunity."

Alex Crossman, executive head teacher at LAE, said: "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."

The Sutton Trust, a charity that aims to improve social mobility and address educational disadvantage, said that gaining a degree from an elite university was the surest way to improve social mobility.

However social mobility charity UpReach said that Russell Group graduates from working class backgrounds with a first class degree were less likely to secure an elite job than more privileged students with a 2:2 degree classification.

Kami, 17, was offered a place at Selwyn College, Cambridge, to read land economy.

She said: "Social mobility means that people aren't defined by their background or sort of any circumstances that they've come from.

"I think it's allowing people to flourish and truly reach their full potential."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk