Oundle School Guide: Reviews, Rankings, Fees and More

Oundle School is one of the UK’s leading co-educational boarding and day schools. The ethos of education at Oundle focuses on nurturing a ‘natural love of learning’ and ‘ambitious in their approach to opportunity’, by creating a strong balance between a rich curriculum and vast co-curricular activities.

Oundle School Guide
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Table of Contents

Summary Of School

  • Type of school: Co-educational
  • Age range: 11-19
  • Pupils: 1102
  • Boarders: 80%
  • Fees: £32,115-42,270
  • 2023 A Level Results: 62.9% A*-A
  • 2023 GCSE Results: 74% 9-7

Overview

Oundle is home to 847 boarders and 268 day pupils as of writing. Oundle is fully co-educational ever since its foundation with a constant 60:40 ratio of boys to girls; the average class size is eighteen for GCSEs and twelve for A-Levels. 

Oundle attracts pupils from over 120 schools across the UK and welcomes pupils from over 30 different countries. International students account for twenty percent while expatriates account for an additional eight percent of the whole population at Oundle. The community of the institution takes pride in being ‘greatly enhanced by a global outlook at the heart of a very British boarding education’. 

The architecture of Oundle School dates back from the 17th to the 21st centuries, with buildings dispersed throughout the vibrant market town of Northamptonshire in the heart of central England.

Oundle School Courses / Programs

All pupils at Oundle sit iGCSE and GCSE examinations in Fifth Form, which is followed by an A-Level and Pre-U curriculum at Sixth Form. The courses/programs at Oundle is divided into the following:

  • Lower Years 
  • Fourth and Fifth Form (GCSE)
  • Sixth Form (A-Level and Pre-U)
  • Trivium of Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric; Quadrivium of Music, Geometry, Arithmetic and Astronomy

Oundle School Ranking

Oundle takes pride in its outstanding performance in several boarding school league tables. It was ranked among the top UK boarding schools in 2022.

A-Levels League Tables 2023

Oundle School is ranked 44th among independent boarding schools in the UK for A-Levels.

GCSE League Tables 2023

Oundle School is ranked 23rd among boarding schools in the UK for GCSE, according to our GCSE league table.

Oundle School 2023 Results

Oundle School consistently scores well at major examinations. In 2023, the school managed to achieve great results despite disruptions caused by the pandemic. Among Oundle School’s students who sat for A Levels, 62.9% of all grades achieved were A*/A. Its GCSE students managed to score an outstanding 74% 9-7.

Oundle School 2023/24 Fees

Oundle School fees include all boarding fees, tuition fees, and year-round access to the Health Centre, Sports Centre, games and entertainment area, library, and lecture halls. 

Oundle School fees are payable in advance via Direct Debit before the beginning of the Michaelmas, Lent, and Summer Terms. Fees for the new academic year are set in the June of the preceding term.

Below are the Oundle School fees for 2023-2024:

Boarding

Termly

Annually

Third Form – Sixth Form (Years 9 – 13)

£15,145

£45,435

Second Form (Year 8)

£13,355

£40,065

First Form (Year 7)

£11,505

£34,515

Day

Termly

Annually

Third Form – Sixth Form (Years 9 – 13)

£9,790

£29,370

Second Form (Year 8)

£8,635

£25,905

First Form (Year 7)

£7,450

£22,350

Oundle School Entry Requirements and Application Deadline

Admission to Oundle begins with choosing a point of entry. Boarding or day pupils are welcome to join each year groups, however requirements change depending on which year group of entry.

11+ Entry (Boarding and Day)

All applicants take an online Cognitive Abilities Test in November of Year 6. For all pupils except from Oundle’s Laxton Junior School, the next stage is entrance examinations in Mathematics, English and Science in January of the year of entry. All pupils taking entrance examinations at Oundle will have an interview with prospective boarders staying overnight.

Places are awarded on the basis of performance in the exams and interview. Academic and Music Scholarships are awarded at this stage. 

12+ Entry (Boarders Only)

Each year, Oundle offers a small number of boarding places at 12+ into The Berrystead if space permits. Entrance examinations, similar to those for 11+ Entry applicants, are taken in January of the year of entry.

13+ Entry (Boarding and Day)

All assessment for entry at 13+ takes place in Year 8, the year prior to entry to Oundle. Boarders join Oundle in the Third Form from various Prep Schools across the UK either through Common Entrance examinations taken in June or the Academic Scholarship examination taken in two stages: the preliminary examinations in late January/early February and the main examinations in May.

Applicants who are not from a prep school will take Oundle’s own entrance examinations (non-common entrance or NCE) in January. The assessment consists of examinations in Mathematics, English, Science and normally Modern Foreign Language (French/Spanish/German), as well as an informal interview. 

Applicants who perform exceptionally well in these may be invited to sit the main Academic Scholarship examination at Oundle in May. Academic, Music, Art, Drama, Design Engineering Technology, Sport and General Scholarships are available at this level.

A limited number of day places are available each year. Candidates take Common Entrance, the Academic Scholarship examinations or Oundle’s own entry tests depending on which type of school they are coming from. 

14+ Entry (Boarders Only)

Each year, Oundle offers a small number of boarding places at 14+ by taking Oundle’s own entry tests (NCE). These take place either at Oundle or overseas at a British Council Office in January each year.

16+ Entry (Boarding and Day)

Oundle welcomes strong applications for Sixth Form entry. Around fifteen percent of Oundle’s Lower Sixth Form join Oundle at this stage. The minimum entry requirement is three subjects at Grade 6 and three at Grade 7, or equivalent at GCSE. It is highly desirable to have a Grade 7, 8 or 9 in the subjects to be taken at Sixth Form and, in practice most successful applicants will have an 8 or 9 or equivalent in most subjects.

Applicants are asked to provide expected GCSE grades and a CV in advance. Shortlisted applicants ae invited to an assessment weekend at Oundle in the November prior to joining the following September. The assessment weekend offers applicants an opportunity to immerse themselves in Oundle boarding life. This will also include an interview and examinations in either three of their chosen subjects for Sixth Form study or a general examination and two subject examinations.

Academic, Music, Art, Drama, Design Engineering Technology, Sport and General Scholarships are available at this level.

Overseas Entry

All overseas applicants follow the same entrance procedure and take the same entrance examinations as UK applicants. Oundle requests all applicants not taking examinations at Oundle School to take them at a British Council Office.

Oundle requests all applicants overseas to provide Oundle with a UKiset report at the earliest stage of the application process. UKiset is an adaptive cognitive test measuring underlying ability and language proficiency. For more information, read our UKiset guide.

Oundle School Reviews

Student currently in University of Cambridge
5/5

The quality of the teaching was always extremely good and occasionally utterly superb, with the history department inevitably being singled out for praise by everybody that was a part of it. No less exemplary are the various science departments, based in the SciTec building, churning out year after year of students full to the brim with both accomplished and enthusiastic scientists.

Student from King’s College London
5/5

The teachers at Oundle School really are very good. The class sizes are small meaning if you have any problems it is easy to get help. Possibly best of all is the fact that the teachers are willing and ready to see pupils outside of school 1 on 1 for extra help. After school you could go into plenty of departments and there would be teachers there ready to help you with your problems. Oundle’s strength is its academic prowess, and very rarely will a teacher just stick to the syllabus or teach you to just pass exams.

Student from Oxford
5/5

A level classes are far smaller and intimate. On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, teachers of each subjects are also available for ‘vols’ which are entirely voluntary sessions for one on one help if you’re struggling with any specific aspect of a subject. At Oundle, the history department has always been renowned for its enthusiasm and eccentricity. A disproportionately large number of pupils study history-perhaps because of the famous ‘history trips’ to Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Hungary, St Petersburg and Moscow, or perhaps because of the caliber of teaching. The Design and Technology department is also impressive, with pupils seemingly producing jewelry, cars, and even a small plane with relative ease.

Heidi
5/5

Caring staff, fantastic Pastoral care, facilities are amazing and the town of Oundle is gorgeous.

Carrie
5/5

During my time there, Oundle managed to pull off one of the hardest tricks in education today, simultaneously gaining a reputation as an academically successful school without ever coming across as overly intense or aggressive. Teachers were actively encouraged to help their charges outside of class time if that was what the student wanted. The number of times that I went and found the teacher on duty in my boarding house at gone 10pm to go through a Latin translation or check my working on a Chemistry question defy belief, and I hold that it was down to this extra effort that I made my required A level grades.

John
5/5

Both my kids at Oundle have only had good things to say about the school. The pastoral care here is outstanding, you can send your children here without any worries.

Teo
5/5

I owe so much to my teachers at Oundle! I was struggling quite a bit with Chemistry, but I’ve improved tremendously with my teacher’s tutelage after hours. I find their dedication amazing and I’ve always had the sense that the teachers really wanted us to excel. We could always go to our teachers for help which I really appreciated.

Oundle School Accommodation

Oundle comprises approximately 75% full boarding pupils and 25% day pupils. 

Junior day pupils in the First and Second Forms are accommodated in Scott House while the junior boarding pupils stay at The Berrystead. Pupils from eleven to thirteen years of age share the grounds for studying and socialising before moving to the senior Houses.

Senior day pupils stay at Laxton House situated in the heart of the school. 160 day pupils from thirteen to eighteen years of age use the buildings which were part of the original Grammar School foundation of Sir William Laxton.

Senior boarding pupils are accommodated at Houses headed by a Housemaster or Housemistress and a Matron to manage domestic affairs and the well-being of the pupils. Each House consists of approximately 60 pupils. Eight Houses are designated for the boys and five Houses are allotted for the girls. Types of accommodation vary between Houses, with some in bedsits in their first year and others share small dormitories and work in separate studies. All Sixth Form pupils are in bedsits, with Upper Sixth formers in single bedsits. 

Each boarding House has common recreation areas, a library, a cinema/TV room, and kitchens available.

Oundle School Co-Curricular Activities

Over 50 Electives and Societies are established at Oundle. Teachers from all departments lead Electives and Societies that reflect their own interests or skills outside the classroom. Some are run by Senior Pupils. Opportunities are available in the fields of academics, arts, music, literary, cultural and sports. Pupils are encouraged to explore their passions whether or not they want to pursue it personally or professionally.

Co-curricular activities at Oundle are designed and intended to enrich experiences of the pupils beyond the school. Global contribution initiatives, combined cadet force training, community action, charity and volunteerism works, and local and international trips are also available for Oundelians.

Oundle School Contact Information

  • Telephone: +44 (0)1832 277122

  • Location: Oundle School, The Great Hall, New Street, Oundle, PE8 4GH, UK

  • Official Website: oundleschool.org.uk

  • Email: [email protected]

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