Page 3 | JAGS and Alleyns Oxbridge

WomanInWindow · 2022-04-09T11:43:07+00:00

I noticed in one of the league tables that for both these schools, the number of applications made to Oxbridge was very low (20-40) considering the number of students and compared to other top academically selective schools. Is it because the students are discouraged from applying if they're not considered up to standard? For example, Dulwich College had 100 applications. I was wondering if anyone had any insights into this.

Original poster

WomanInWindow · 11/04/2022 16:57

I don’t think it’s as simple as that, though. Look at the number of applicants for NLCS, Tiffin, Brighton College, The Perse School, Henrietta Barnet, Winchester, etc, for example. These schools all have number of Oxbridge applicants far higher than Alleyns or JAGS for it to be explained by students being more “arty” or that SPGS is clearly number one. There must be something else going on.

OP posts:

Innocenta · 11/04/2022 16:50

@365sleepstogo

www.keystonetutors.com/news/oxbridge-which-schools-get-the-most-offers#

According to this table, JAGS & Alleyn’s over 30% of those who applied to Oxbridge received offer. This is similar to Eton and the majority of the schools listed in the table.
Westminster and a handful of other have around 50% offers.

The table poorly represents the date, listing the schools in descending order of actual number of offers rather than % offers. So whilst JAGS is 99th in the table, its offer % is higher than DC, which is higher up in the table.

Other factors to consider is which subjects the pupils are applying to read at Oxbridge. E.g. if you want to do medicine then Oxbridge is not the place to go.
Ma
However, overall, we are talking small numbers of pupils and so it’s splitting hairs.

@365sleepstogo Oxbridge is a great place to read medicine especially if seeking entry into top training programmes which value early publications and conferences.

DorotheaDiamond · 11/04/2022 16:27

What is different about the schools is that SPGS is taking (say) the top 0.01% by academic ability, JAGS etc might be taking the top 1% - but SPGS have already preselected their pupils to be the ones with the highest oxbridge potential. So of course they have more pupils going there.

If your child has Oxbridge potential they will do just as well at either.

ChnandlerBong · 11/04/2022 16:18

interesting stats on here.

Jags and Alleyns are smaller. Anecdotally I think Jags gets smaller at sixth form as many leave to go co ed, while DC and Alleyns get bigger.

Have no personal insight into Jags but would say that DC are really pro Oxbridge. they identify bright kids (and that includes non scholarship kids) in Y11/12 and give them guidance and extra lessons if they're interested in having a go. The emphasis is on having nothing to lose by trying rather than on it being a disaster if it doesn't come off?

strawberryband · 11/04/2022 15:07

@WomanInWindow

That league table shows that 96 girls from SPGS applied to Oxbridge, while only 27 did from JAGS. That seems to be more than just year on year variation and points to something quite different about these schools. It just surprises me how big that difference seems to be. I thought they were both highly academically selective schools.

Below is the latest rankings of SPGS vs JAGS, (as per Times 2022) why on Earth does it surprise you comparing the number one school (In the country) to the one ranked 27th?? OF COURSE there's something different about the schools!!! Am I missing something in your query? JAGS is an excellent school, but comparing it to SPGS is meaningless other than to illustrate SPGS as the 'good as it gets' bar for Oxbridge entry.

1 St Paul's Girls' School London Girls
2 King's College School, Wimbledon Wimbledon BoysMixed
3 Wycombe Abbey School High Wycombe Girls
4 Magdalen College School Oxford BoysMixed
5 Guildford High School GuildfordGirls
6 St Paul's School London Boys
7 Westminster School Westminster BoysMixed
8= Brighton College Brighton Boys Girls
8= City of London School for Girls London Girls
10 Sevenoaks School Sevenoaks Boys Girls
11 Eton College Windsor Boys
12 The Godolphin and Latymer School London Girls
13 Haberdashers' Girls' School Elstree Girls
14 North London Collegiate School Girls
15 The Perse School Cambridge Boys Girls
16 The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School Elstree Boys
17 St Mary's School Ascot Ascot Girls
18 Lady Eleanor Holles London Girls
19 King Edward VI High School for Girls Birmingham Girls
20 Royal Grammar School, Guildford GuildfordBoys
21 Concord College Shrewsbury Girls
22 Hampton School Hampton Boys
23 Winchester College Winchester Boys
24 Withington Girls' School Manchester Girls
25 Wimbledon High School GDST Wimbledon Girls
26 Putney High School GDST Putney Girls
27 James Allen's Girls' School London

Original poster

WomanInWindow · 11/04/2022 14:12

That league table shows that 96 girls from SPGS applied to Oxbridge, while only 27 did from JAGS. That seems to be more than just year on year variation and points to something quite different about these schools. It just surprises me how big that difference seems to be. I thought they were both highly academically selective schools.

OP posts:

strawberryband · 11/04/2022 11:26

@WomanInWindow

Yes, percentage accepted is similar, but if you look at the number of applications made (20-40) to the cohort size (150) this looks quite small compared to other similarly academically selective schools.

@WomanInWindow

You have to look at average over a few years for anything meaningful. Tatler school guide has JAGS at 20% Oxbridge, this is going to go up or down in any individual year.

Further, I think JAGS is much more artsy school, similar to UCS boys, in that its one of the oldest schools in London, selective, but has always had a artistic slant.

If you want a Oxbridge strong school, send your DD to SPGS, or the Hammersmith schools, Westminster 6th form.

JAGS (to me) doesn't come to mind in churning out Oxbridge grads, rather independent minded young women.

365sleepstogo · 11/04/2022 11:10

I don’t know the 6th form cohort size for either JAGS or Alleyn’s - is it really that big?
Either way, that’s where the course applied for becomes relevant - Oxbridge is not necessarily the best place to study some subjects.

Original poster

WomanInWindow · 11/04/2022 10:32

Yes, percentage accepted is similar, but if you look at the number of applications made (20-40) to the cohort size (150) this looks quite small compared to other similarly academically selective schools.

OP posts:

365sleepstogo · 11/04/2022 09:51

Apologies for random typos

365sleepstogo · 11/04/2022 09:50

www.keystonetutors.com/news/oxbridge-which-schools-get-the-most-offers#

According to this table, JAGS & Alleyn’s over 30% of those who applied to Oxbridge received offer. This is similar to Eton and the majority of the schools listed in the table.
Westminster and a handful of other have around 50% offers.

The table poorly represents the date, listing the schools in descending order of actual number of offers rather than % offers. So whilst JAGS is 99th in the table, its offer % is higher than DC, which is higher up in the table.

Other factors to consider is which subjects the pupils are applying to read at Oxbridge. E.g. if you want to do medicine then Oxbridge is not the place to go.
Ma
However, overall, we are talking small numbers of pupils and so it’s splitting hairs.

user34254356 · 11/04/2022 08:28

@SouthLondonMommy

Dulwich College is much bigger - the 6th form is 2.5 times larger than at JAGs and also much larger than Alleyns.

JAGs and Alleyns send about 15-20% of its pupils to Oxbridge in a given year which is line with with similarly academically selective schools. DC sends less than 10% of its students to Oxbridge so looking at the raw application numbers doesn't tell you anything meaningful and I'm surprised its part of any league table being published.

Is that correct? JAGS website for 2021 leavers lists 4 with offers to oxbridge. So if this is 15% of their total year group, that would make the year group only 27? Maybe it was an off year for them.

SouthLondonMommy · 10/04/2022 09:26

Dulwich College is much bigger - the 6th form is 2.5 times larger than at JAGs and also much larger than Alleyns.

JAGs and Alleyns send about 15-20% of its pupils to Oxbridge in a given year which is line with with similarly academically selective schools. DC sends less than 10% of its students to Oxbridge so looking at the raw application numbers doesn't tell you anything meaningful and I'm surprised its part of any league table being published.

strawberryband · 10/04/2022 07:06

Comparing a girls school to a boys school isn't hugely helpful, especially as Dulwich has nearly twice the number of students.

If you look at the destination of JAGS 6th form, it includes Art colleges, like St Martins and music conservatories like Royal Academy of Music. These places surpass Oxbridge for their fields.

Using the Dulwich example, JAGS has a better acceptance rate and about the same acceptance rate as Eton College. I' ve never heard of any private school discouraging a student who wanted to study at Oxbridge, (whose capable) the opposite in fact.

I've only seen this at state schools sadly, discouraging students applying to Oxbridge.