Eight students from All Saints RC School in South Bank have been offered places at Oxford or Cambridge. Maia Charman has got into study computer science at Cambridge; Isabel Chatakondu, history and politics at Cambridge; Freya Roodhouse, history at Cambridge; Harrison Bottomley – French and German at Oxford; Catherine Harrison politics philosophy and economics at Oxford; Jacob Wolfson, earth sciences at Oxford and Benedict Nightingale, music at Oxford.
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Sharon Bilton, head of sixth form at All Saints said it means the remains the most successful York state school for students gaining access to world class universities.
She said: “It’s another good year – and reflects the hard work of the students. The application process is very competitive.
“Our students have done incredibly well to receive offers from these elite universities and we’re really proud of them.”
For Benedict Nightingale it’s a family affair. He’s the third Nightingale to go from All Saints to Oxford or Cambridge as his sister Lizzie studied languages at Cambridge, while Hannah studied Theology at Oxford.
Mrs Bilton said All Saints has a support programme in place to help students target Oxford and Cambridge, where experts from outside the school are brought in to help prepare the applicants.
Laura Foster, who coordinates the school’s Oxbridge programme, said: “We’re very grateful to those in and out of school who gave up their time to help the students.
“We draw on a wide network from academics at the University of York, our alumni, the York Rotary, governors and other willing volunteers. It makes a difference.”
Overall, 216 All Saints students applied for a university place this year.
But Mrs Bilton said it’s not all about university places, as the school is also supporting a growing number of students to apply for degree apprenticeships.
