Esher Sixth Form

[MM0407]

Daughter recently achieved 8s and 9s in her GCSEs and is keen on Esher. However, many people are telling her not to go as she won’t achieve high grades and it doesn’t have a good reputation- i thought it was well established and the grades were high!?
Does anyone have any personal experience of Esher College that they could advise or would be willing to share if their child maintained high grades going there etc?
Any information at all much appreciated!
Thanks

It's an Ofsted Outstanding Sixth Form College with a very good reputation. It caters for young people of all abilities, including high achievers. 11 of their students got Oxbridge offers this year, so they must be doing something right: www.esher.ac.uk/oxbridge-jubilation/

You need to put that number in perspective as they have 800-900 pupils taking A-Levels per year! Their results are absolutely average compared to other Surrey state schools, perhaps that is to be expected given that they are "non-selective".

@ncsurrey22 "perhaps that is to be expected given that they are "non-selective"

There should be no "perhaps" in that sentence.

If you send a super-bright child to a non-selective college with 600+ students studying a range of academic and vocational courses, the "average" grade is completely irrelevant. Grade distribution isn't a lottery - it reflects the intake, as well as the teaching quality.

If I waa the OP I would be asking about specific subjects, rather than the college as a whole.

However, if all OP needs is evidence that bright students choose Esher and do well there then an Oxbridge preparation programme is one piece of evidence.

No direct experience with my own DCs but I know an incredibly bright young woman who has just achieved top grades and an excellent first choice uni place having been at Esher College for Sixth Form. Her parents speak very highly of the college.

You can compare results versus other 6th forms and schools on the Gov website.
I constantly hear the same concerns you mention as the Esher entry requirements are lower than many school 6th forms - but they appear to achieve above average results despite this, so they must be doing something right. I know a number of kids who have gone to Esher (from both state and private secondaries) and they've achieved excellent results.