London sixth form which has 'tougher entry requirements than Eton'

Islington Sixth Form (ICS) was recently rated as outstanding by Ofsted - which places the school in the top 17 percent nationally.

Students hoping to study at ICS, in Islington, north London, will have to score a grade seven - the equivalent of an A - in eight subjects in their GCSEs to gain a place.

That is higher than Eton, which "ideally" requires a minimum of six GCSEs at grade seven or above.

The famous Berkshire school says on its website: "Applicants should be of a high academic standard (ideally gaining a minimum of six GCSEs at Grade 7 or overseas equivalent) who are also likely to make a notable contribution to school life in sport or in the arts."

ICS was found by Ofsted inspectors to set “extremely high” expectations and study challenging subjects.

The report states: “Leaders have set high expectations for all pupils. Pupils choose from a rich variety of activities, including Latin, fencing, croquet.

"As a result, pupils deepen their interests and widen their horizons.”

Over half of students attending the school - which lies in one of London's most deprived boroughs - are on free school meals (56 percent), and are classed as disadvantaged.
 
ICS is is modelled on the Newham Collegiate Sixth Form, which has helped 11 students win scholarships to top Ivy League American universities. 

The two sixth forms, along with Hackney Collegiate Sixth Form (HCS), are run by the City of London Academies Trust (CoLAT). 

Mouhssin Ismail, chief standards officer for the CoLAT, said: “It may seem unusual for a London state sixth form to be offering Latin, fencing, and croquet.

"But extra curricular activities like these are taught in places that have lower exam results to us. 
 
“It is illogical to me that we should not have the same ambition for our own students as they do at places like Rugby and Harrow.

"Academically our students are outperforming them and the NCS and now ICS has demonstrated what is possible. 
 
“You look at all the sought after professions, and it still the same people with the same accent, from the same ultra privileged backgrounds taking the prestigious roles. 
 
“Our ambition is to level the playing field for the young people who won’t land in a top job by the virtue of their birth. 
 
“Our students need more than A* and first-class degrees, they need the soft skills to thrive beyond education, that means broader horizons.”

Next September, all three sixth forms will introduce lessons around the 'classical trivium' - with grammar, logic and rhetoric as the foundations of learning.

The two year liberal arts programme, based on the teaching methods of Ancient Greece, is aimed at helping students win places at top US universities. 

This year students Harmanpreet Garcha, 18, Feyisara Adeyemi, 17, and Tasneen Hossain, 18, will swap east London for all expenses paid scholarships at Harvard and Princeton, worth over £1m.