RESULTS, CAREERS & FURTHER EDUCATION
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As a pre-university school, the Sixth Form is a focussed environment providing students with a range of information and experiences which will help them to choose their higher education route and ultimately succeed in their chosen field; this is built on the strong foundations developed throughout the Senior School years, where pupils establish the academic habits, independence and character that enable them to thrive later on.
Pupils leave us each year prepared for the very best UK and international universities, including Oxford, Cambridge and the Russell Group; preparation that begins well before Sixth Form through the breadth of Senior academic challenge, the confidence gained through co-curricular activities, and the personal development and reflection encouraged by Shape of the Week.
Most pupils achieve their first-choice university, with over 70% progressing to Russell Group or Times Top 20 universities each year. These outcomes are supported by a strong culture of aspiration, underpinned by excellent pastoral care and a clear focus on future pathways and outcomes.
Pupils are regularly successful in gaining first choice places on some excellent degree courses, with a good number leaving for Oxbridge and the Russell Group universities. We run a wide range of career experience courses and in-house careers seminars to introduce students to the opportunities open to them, and these are underpinned by the work of the Denstone Association which arranges individual and group contacts with Old Denstonians in a range of professions including medicine, law and engineering. It also facilitates work experience; this guidance is most visible in Sixth Form, but pupils benefit from the mindset and skills developed across life in the Senior School from Years 7–11 onwards.
Oxbridge
Denstone College has a long and proud tradition of sending pupils to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge to study a range of subjects. In recent years, Denstonians have gained places to read Medicine, Law, Natural Sciences, Mathematics, amongst others. In every U6th year, there is a cohort of pupils who will be making competitive Oxbridge applications, and we have a very rigorous and well-honed system in place to support them.
Our Oxbridge Programme grows out of and further developments our Food for Thought Programme for our most intellectually ambitious pupils: for more information on Food for Thought; this intellectual curiosity is nurtured throughout Senior academic study and extended through enrichment opportunities within co-curricular activities.
In the Sixth Form, pupils considering making an Oxbridge application attend specialised weekly activities and are invited to discuss their ambitions one-to-one with relevant staff. They are also invited to our famous 'Discussion Dinners' - formal but fun occasions, where pupils can hone their abilities to put forward their ideas and challenge those of others: excellent preparation for interviews! Pupils who decide to proceed with an application are assigned a specialist subject mentor, who will meet with them regularly to discuss their plans, support them through the application process, practise and feed back on entrance examination material, and prepare them for interview.
In the U6th, we aim to give all applicants five separate mock interviews before the real thing, both with internal staff and external specialists. Making an Oxbridge application can be a challenging as well as a highly stimulating experience, and through it all we are very careful to provide a supportive and pastoral approach to helping pupils both fulfil their potential and cope with the pressures of becoming the very best version of themselves; this culture of support and aspiration is rooted in life in the Senior School and strengthened through the personal development focus of Shape of the Week.
As part of our charitable function, Denstone College is always very open to helping pupils from local state schools who feel they would benefit from some of the guidance and activities we offer.
For more information about our Sixth Form Oxbridge Programme, please contact dbaker@denstonecollege.net
University Destinations 2026
| University | Course Title |
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| Bath Spa University |
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| Brunel University of London |
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| Buckinghamshire New University |
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| Cardiff Metropolitan University |
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| Durham University |
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| Durham University - Hatfield College |
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| Harper Adams University |
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| Hartpury University |
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| Keele University |
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| Lancaster University |
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| Leeds Beckett University |
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| London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London |
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| Loughborough University |
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| Manchester Metropolitan University |
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| Newcastle University |
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| Nottingham Trent University |
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| Oxford Brookes University |
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| SOAS University of London |
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| UCL (University College London) |
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| University College Birmingham |
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| University of Birmingham |
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| University of Bristol |
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| University of Cambridge |
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| University of Derby |
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| University of Exeter |
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| University of Leeds |
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| University of Leicester |
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| University of Lincoln |
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| University of Liverpool |
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| University of Northampton |
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| University of Nottingham |
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| University of Reading |
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| University of Salford |
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| University of Sheffield |
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| University of Southampton |
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| University of Surrey |
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| University of Warwick |
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| University of Worcester |
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| University of York |
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Degree Apprenticeship Destinations 2026
| Employer | Course Title |
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| Caddick Construction Ltd |
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| Cap Gemini |
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| Environment Agency |
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| GXO |
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| Hough and co charted building surveyors |
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| JCB |
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| Johnson Fellows |
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| MHA Birmingham |
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