LAE Tottenham named Sunday Times Sixth Form College of the Year

We are delighted to announce that the London Academy of Excellence (LAE) Tottenham has been named The Sunday Times Sixth Form College of the Year by Parent Power, The Sunday Times School Guide, to be published on Sunday (29 November).

Based within the Club’s stadium development scheme, the state-funded school is sponsored by Tottenham Hotspur and Highgate School – the principal academic sponsors who, together with support from other leading independent schools, deliver expert teaching.

It prioritises local students most likely to benefit from an academically-rigorous curriculum and those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, giving Tottenham’s brightest students the best possible chance of accessing top universities.

The prestigious Sunday Times award was given as a result of the school’s first set of A-Level results in 2019, which saw more than half of students winning places at Russell Group Universities – including one student going on to study at Oxford.

Results were bettered this year, with 66% of students going on to Russell Group Universities and 41% winning places at World Top 100 universities, including six at Oxford and five at Cambridge. This puts LAE Tottenham within the top 2% of state Sixth Forms nationally.

These achievements are made even more remarkable in the context of the school being situated within one of the 2% most deprived wards in the country.

Local authority data shows that only 2% of students from the east of Haringey (where Tottenham is situated) achieve a place at a Russell Group university, compared with 27% in the more affluent west of the borough.

Looking specifically at LAE Tottenham’s student body, 63% come from the lowest two social groups, - being described as living in “struggling estates” or “difficult circumstances” - using the ACORN tool for socio-economic analysis.

Meanwhile, 51% have been eligible for free school meals during secondary school, compared with the national average of 28% for all schools and just 4.5% for selective schools.

Around 200 school families are currently being supported by a hardship fund established by the school.

Daniel Levy, Chairman, Tottenham Hotspur, said: “We are extremely proud that LAE Tottenham has been recognised as The Sunday Times Sixth Form College of the Year.

“Since opening its doors in 2017, the school has achieved exactly what it set out to do – provide Tottenham’s brightest students with the platform to further their educational aspirations, regardless of socio-economic background.

“The two sets of A-Level results, coupled with this prestigious award, once again highlights the talent that exists amongst young people in Tottenham.

“A huge amount of credit must go to the amazing staff at LAE Tottenham and it’s parent school, Highgate, for providing such incredible support to the students.”

Jan Balon, Headteacher, LAE Tottenham, said: "We are exceptionally proud of what is being achieved by our students here in Tottenham. They are proving that, given the right support, they will flourish and I'm excited about the future impact they will have in the local area and beyond."

Adam Pettitt, Head, Highgate School, which has been named Independent School of the Decade in the same awards, added: “Congratulations, LAE Tottenham! What a way to live up to your name. We are so proud of all that you have achieved for the young people of Tottenham in such a short time. You richly deserve this wonderful accolade.”

The 28th edition of Parent Power identifies the 2,000 highest-achieving schools in the UK, ranked by their most recently published examination results.

Parent Power is widely acknowledged as the most authoritative survey of the country’s best schools. The rankings in the secondary school league tables are determined by the percentage of examination entries gaining A* to B grades at A-level (which is given double weighting) and the percentage of entries graded 9, 8 and 7, at GCSE and iGCSE.

Alastair McCall, editor of Parent Power, said: “The first year of A-level results from this new sixth form college have earned it our Sixth Form College of the Year award. Modelled on the template of its sister school in Stratford, which won the same award five years ago, LAE Tottenham has arrived in style.

“Our top Sixth Form College has the country’s current top football team as its business partner. Housed in premises within the new Tottenham Hotspur development. The children have scored heavily in their A-levels both last year and again this year, with more than two-thirds of the students progressing to Russell Group universities and 11 gaining places at Oxford or Cambridge this summer, unprecedented numbers for the area. The dynamic partnerships with Spurs and Highgate School in the independent sector promise even greater things in the years ahead.”