School serving some of UK's poorest scores better A Levels than posh Harrow

23 February 2023 , 18:35

984     0

Students at Newham Collegiate Sixth Form queue to receive their A-Level results where they outscore some of the country's most expensive fee-paying schools (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

An east London school serving one of the poorest communities in the country has scored better A Level results than top private schools such as Harrow.

New government statistics reveal Newham Collegiate Sixth Form (NCS) had average grades higher than Harrow, Winchester, Charterhouse, Rugby and Shrewsbury.

It means the children of Uber drivers, cleaners and factory workers are outscoring the youngsters whose parents are paying up to £80,000 a year for their education.

The NCS had a point score of 51.48 which equates to an average grade of A while the nearest competitor was Benedict Cumberbatch's old school Harrow which had a lower points score of 51.14.

NCS school was started by Mouhssin Ismail who gave up a six figure salary as a City lawyer to teach in east London, where he grew up.

Nursery apologises after child with Down's syndrome ‘treated less favourably’

Umar Azad, Catherine Lowe, Xuan Nguyen, and Lennox Keeble, four students at the inner-city East London sixth form college have been awarded £1m in scholarships to America’s most prestigious universities (Joe Newman / SWNS.COM)

Anita Lomax took over as Acting Principal headteacher in September 2022.

She said: "The vision of this school from the outset was that it should not compare itself to state secondary schools but to the very best Clarendon schools.

"We were determined that we could provide the type of holistic education combining a rigorous academic curriculum with the type of enrichment opportunities you'd normally see in the independent schools."

The sixth form has been in the headlines for receiving more place offers from Russell Group universities than Eton.

They have also sent students to elite Ivy League universities in the United States - including Princeton and Harvard.

Anita Lomax, acting head of the school

Ms Lomax puts their success down to an enrichment programme which matches the very best boarding schools.

She said: "Helping our students get comparable exam results to students from the Clarendon schools is one crucial part of levelling the playing field but it's not everything.

"We knew that our students needed to be able to compete academically but also in terms of their experience and soft skills.

"Our mums and dads aren't bankers, doctors and lawyers so through our own network of contact we are able to help them secure top work experience placement and enrichment opportunities.

"Being part of the City of London Academies Trust also means our students get the chance to do work experience and network at City law firms and investment banks.

Striking teacher forced to take a second job to pay bills ahead of mass walkout

"To get into the top elite universities and into the elite professions exam results alone are just not enough.

"They need to arrive at interview with the same types of experience as their private school peers."

The sixth form, part of the City of London Academies Trust, was rated Outstanding in 2022.

Tom Barnes