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UK’s top private school where more than 90% of students get As in A-Levels
It’s no secret that going to private school costs a pretty penny, with some parents paying more than £55,000 each year for their children to get the best education money can buy.
These fees often include accommodation, meals, clubs, laundry, and other essentials, although some will have additional fees for exams, private tuition, and trips on top of this.
But which school is actually the cream of the crop when it comes to academics and how much would you have to fork out to study there?
A-Level results recently came out for 2024, and it was Cardiff Sixth Form College that had the best scores, with 90.7% of students there achieving an A or A* grade this year.
This is according to The Telegraph, who recently revealed the 10 best private schools in the UK, based on nationwide A-Level results.
Cardiff Sixth Form College (CSFC), a co-educational school for those aged 15 to 19, retained its position as the top school for A-Level results for the last decade thanks to its impressive scores.
Many of the students are said to then go on to study at universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College, London School of Economics and University College London as well as top universities in the US and Hong Kong.
But a place at in the sixth form here doesn’t come cheap.
How much does it cost to do A-levels at Cardiff Sixth Form College?
The academic year is already underway, and private school fees for 2024/25 rose significantly in September.
Provisional fees for 24/25 listed on the CSFC website show tuition fees of £24,100 for A-Level students who go home at the end of the day.
For those that board at the school, it’s £57,600 for cluster boarding, and £62,700 for studio boarding. To give you an idea of how much fees have risen this year, the latter is £4,700 more expensive than it was for 2023/24.
Cluster rooms are shared by four to six students with single bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms in addition to a shared kitchen and lounge, whilst studio flats feature a single room with an ensuite bathroom and a kitchen but do not include a lounge. The latter is allocated on a first come, first served basis.
On top of these figures, there are a number of other fees listed on the Cardiff Sixth Form College website, including registration fees and acceptance deposits for new students, plus second year top-up charges.
The best private schools in UK based on A-Level results:
- Cardiff Sixth Form College, 90% A or A* grades
- Westminster School, 87% A or A* grades
- St Michael’s School, 86.6% A or A* grades
- Brighton College, 86.4% A or A* grades
- King’s College School, Wimbledon, 86.1% A or A* grades
- Queen Ethelburga’s College, 84.4% A or A* grades
- Guildford High School, 82.7% A or A* grades
- Wycombe Abbey, 82.4% A or A* grades
- The National Mathematics and Science College, 82.2% A or A* grades
- The Perse School, 81.4% A or A* grades
Following behind CSFC, Westminster School in London was named the second best private school in the UK for A-level results, with 87% of students there scoring the top grades this year.
The progressive school was also recently named as one of the top 10 most expensive in the country, by the Spear’s School Index.
It’s predominantly been a school for boys throughout its 500-year history, but is currently working to make the school fully co-educational.
Boys can attend from the age of 13 onwards, but girls can only join from 16+ currently.
For children aged 13 to 16, the school fees are £36,873 a year for day pupils and £52,488 for boarding pupils. For those aged 16+, it’s £39,735 for day students and £52,488 for boarders.
There are also a number of additional fees and deposits that need to be paid for acceptance to the school.
A number of famous faces previously studied here, including musical maestro Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Helena Bonham Carter, Nick Clegg, and Gavin Rossdale.
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