Information for university and college admissions teams
Further information can be provided if required: ucas@cherwellschool.org
General information on school context for university and college admissions teams
The Cherwell School is a non-selective, mixed comprehensive school of 2008 students based close to the centre of Oxford. There are 658 students in the sixth form, drawn from both the Cherwell School and a number of other schools across the county, predominantly from the non-selective state sector. Around two thirds of students are within our catchment area and around one third travel from outside it, often with extensive travel times.
All students in the sixth form study two-year linear A levels. The majority of students take three A levels and the Extended Project Qualification, which is a core component of the Year 12 curriculum. A small number of students take a fourth A level subject, though this is unusual and it is normally discouraged. We do not offer any vocational courses, GCSE retakes or AS levels, other than AS Mathematics. Class sizes typically range from 18 to 30 students and classes have two teachers for each of their subjects. Both prior attainment and A level results are above national average. GCSE attainment should be viewed within the context of the student’s GCSE school, as there is considerable variation across the county. Students are from a range of socio-economic backgrounds and approximately 8% of students are in receipt of the 16-19 bursary.
INFORMATION USED TO DETERMINE UCAS GRADES
UCAS grades are determined through a rigorous internal process that involves extensive staff CPD, faculty-level scrutiny and oversight and a quality assured and data driven process. They are informed by end of year assessments, non-exam assessed components, continuous assessment through classwork and homework and professional judgement, based on our extensive experience of students’ likely trajectories. We are confident in the professionalism of our judgements and view them as realistically achievable grades for the student, should their academic progress continue on a positive trajectory.
CENTRE-SPECIFIC IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON STUDENTS APPLYING THROUGH UCAS FOR 2023 ENTRY
As nationally, this cohort continues to feel the impact of disruption on their education from the Covid 19 pandemic. For our students who studied with us at GCSE, they received access to a non-live, remote curriculum following the national school closures on 20th March 2020. Teaching materials were provided to students through Google Classrooms. After a short period of consolidation, students followed a curriculum as close to ‘normal’ as possible, with expectations of three to five hours of curriculum work per day. Most teaching materials in most subjects were non-live and broadly self-directed. There was some variation across subjects, with teaching composed of non-live video recordings, independent reading and guided activities.
