Why go to the moon when a world class university lies on your doorstep? Simply because Oxbridge is there and because we are a school which is capable of launching successful moonshots with remarkable regularity.
It’s tough. Even if you get to interview, the success rate in, for example, medicine is 1 in 14. But regularly pupils from Durham High School head off to Oxford or Cambridge.
The main point is that if you want Oxbridge enough, we have enough rocket fuel in our academic departments to get you there. 8 to 10 A*s or 9s at GCSE is the starting price to consider Oxbridge. We can do that. A*s in at least two subjects at A level is the benchmark for an offer of a place to be confirmed on results day. We can do that too. We can fling you into space if you want to, but you have to want it with all your heart. Is it worth a shot? We think so.