Our Apply+ programme supports our Sixth Form pupils applying to some of the most competitive academic university courses in the UK, covering courses where the application process will also involve interviews, admissions tests and/or an early application deadline. Whilst all students in Lower and Upper 6 have access to support from the UCAS team (led by Mrs Warren as Head of UCAS) and our Careers Officer (Helen James), the Apply+ programme supports students where competition is fiercest and the hurdles to jump are particularly high.

In practice, the programme focuses on certain universities (Oxford and Cambridge for all courses; Imperial for a range of science, engineering, computing and maths-related courses), and certain subject areas like law and mathematics. [Note: students applying for medicine, veterinary medicine and dentistry, or for specialist arts, music and performance courses, also get expert support from specialists in the relevant teaching departments].

Why does Apply+ exist?

We’re excited about Apply+ because whilst this group includes those applying to Oxford and Cambridge, it also extends far beyond this traditional focus in two important ways. Firstly, there are other superb, highly competitive universities that require admissions tests and sometimes interviews as part of their application process. Secondly, many students who sign up for the Apply+ programme may not ultimately end up applying to Oxford or Cambridge, but will have had the support needed to produce a high-end application to some of the other fantastic, world-class universities and courses in the UK. 



This is important to us: there are many excellent universities in the UK, and much of the support offered through the Apply+ programme will enable students to make fantastic applications to a wide range of them. 

Pupils regularly receive offers to study at Oxford and Cambridge for a range of subjects. We were particularly delighted that seven scientists (four girls and three boys) were offered places to study at Imperial College this year. There were also several offers to study law at universities requiring the LNAT test (such as UCL and Durham) and offers to study Mathematics and related courses at highly competitive universities requiring MAT, STEP or TMUA tests such as Cambridge, Imperial and Warwick.

To hear from experiences of some 2024 leavers who benefitted from our Apply+ Programme, read here:

Exploring your subject beyond A Level: to find out what subject you want to study at university, and to prove to university admissions tutors that you really want to study it, you need to explore through reading, listening and watching – and you can use our quick-starter guide to get rolling: