ACADEMIC

Tonbridge boys are heading to leading universities

The School’s Upper Sixth students will be taking up places at many of the world’s leading universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, later this year. A total of 22 Tonbridge boys (some of whom are pictured, above, on Teams) have been offered places to study at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge this year: ten have received places at Oxford, and 12 at Cambridge.

These places were shared very evenly across subjects in the Arts and Humanities (11) and Sciences (11). Subjects that boys will be reading include Classics, Engineering, English, History, Maths, Music, French and German and Natural Sciences, which means that many of the School’s departments have played a key part in this latest university success.

With competition from national and international candidates stronger than ever, it is a notable achievement that Tonbridge students have received more than 180 Oxbridge offers since 2015.

Tonbridge boys have also secured places on world-leading degree courses, in a wide range of subjects, at other top UK universities.

These sought-after courses for 2021 include Mechatronics and Engineering, International Relations, Experimental Psychology, Real Estate, Aerospace Engineering, Earth and Planetary Science, Sports Management, Marine Biology, and Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE).

The school’s Headmaster, James Priory, said: “These university offers represent a truly excellent achievement by boys and staff, and is a tribute to the hard work and dedication that we see in all areas across the School.”

Mr Priory added: “I am impressed with the Upper Sixth’s contribution to the intellectual, pastoral and co-curricular life of the School, and it will be exciting to see them embark on the next steps of their educational careers this autumn.”

Two students heading to Oxbridge this year will also be taking up the hugely prestigious role of Organ Scholar, while two others have won places to read Maths at Trinity College, Cambridge, where the course is world renowned.

A proportion of Tonbridge leavers also choose to study abroad and progress to leading institutions around the world, most commonly in the USA. Recent destinations have included the Universities of Chicago, Pennsylvania, New York, Colorado Boulder, Duke, Rice, Toronto and Hong Kong.

Tonbridge Online

Throughout both of the national lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, the School was fully committed to delivering high-quality, interactive online learning for all its boys. It also ensured that pupils could participate in as many co-curricular activities as possible, and that they continued to receive excellent pastoral support.

A key part of this strategy was ‘Tonbridge Online’, an educational programme designed to support pupils and parents throughout the period of distance learning. Tonbridge Online combined remote learning with revised timetables and programmes of study, ensuring regular face-to-face interaction between teachers and pupils, as well as giving access to some outstanding resources.

James Priory, Headmaster, said:

“One of the great strengths of Tonbridge is the depth of relationships between the boys and the staff, and the period of online teaching and learning confirmed this. We continued to make the most of those relationships to inspire the boys’ learning, wherever they were in the world and whatever stage they were at in their educational careers.”