Houseroom

Data profile

University College School

Independent boys all-through school in Camden for ages 4–18. Selective entry, top-tier London fees.

  • Rank #65
  • Fees £32.9k/yr
  • boys
  • Hampstead, Camden

Outcomes

Where leavers go after sixth form.

Cohort
183

Class of 2025

Oxbridge
22
Russell Group
84%

of leavers

US Ivy
1

Top destinations

  • UCL (Russell Group)—
  • Bristol (Russell Group)—
  • Edinburgh (Russell Group)—
  • Bath—
  • St Andrews—
  • Loughborough—
  • Penn—
  • USC—

Exam results

A level A*–A and GCSE 9–7, recalibrated for 2026.

A-level A*–A
72%

Recalibrated

GCSE 9–7
92%
Oxbridge rate
12%
Russell Group rate
84%

Entry points & fees

EntryYearPlacesAssessmentDay fee (max)
11+Year 760School's own exam · Interview · Reference / report£32.9k
16+Year 1260School's own exam · Interview · Reference / report£32.9k
4+Reception32School's own exam · Interview · Reference / report£32.9k
7+Year 330School's own exam · Interview£32.9k
8+Year 4—School's own exam · Interview · Reference / report£32.9k

Houseroom Index

Our composite score, broken down by pillar.

Index score

87

/ 100

National rank #65

Academic84
Destinations90
Future-ready55
Pastoral70
Value-add76
Access & breadth90
External consensus90

Inspections

ISI

—

Inspected 2024-10-15

The latest inspection report for University College School is a routine inspection conducted and published on 15 October 2024. Specific ratings and detailed findings are not provided in the extracted data.

Read full ISI report →

Key people

  • Headmaster

    Mark Beard

    Joined UCS as Headmaster in September 2013, previously Deputy Headmaster at Brighton College. Graduated from Corpus Christi College, Oxford with a First Class degree in Chemistry. Also holds a Master's Degree in Education Management from King's College London. Chair of the London Fee Assistance Consortium and Chair of the North London Admissions Consortium.

  • Vice Master

    Mark English

    Vice Master at UCS, joined pupils in A-level results celebrations in August 2025.

  • Deputy Head (Pastoral)

    Andrew Wilkes

    Deputy Head (Pastoral) at UCS.

  • Assistant Head (Head Of Middle School)

    Stewart FitzGerald

    Assistant Head and Head of Middle School at UCS.

  • University Guidance Advisor

    Rebecca Baxter

    Assistant Head (Head of Pupils) at UCS, oversees careers and university guidance.

  • University Guidance Advisor

    Thomas Underwood

    Director of Studies at UCS.

Editorial verdict

teaching

1 [2](https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/education/433218-university-college-school?flipped=1\&page=2)[](https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/education/433218-university-college-school?flipped=1\&page=2) Yes Frogs but because it has a sibling policy, there will be children in every year who might not have passed the exam. Basically you just need a clever first born and you're sorted. But presumably the Islington places are still based on ability, ie. they take the top N performers in the exam? There was resistance to any changes to the sibling policy and it didn't happen. Basically, it's a a bit of a hybrid school - part exam, part locality and part Islington dwelling. There may even be a some music pl…

pastoral

I'm not as sold on DAO as most people seem to be, partly because I know a couple of people who were very unhappy with their children's experience there. It seems that they deal best with bright, motivated children (also depreesing but not surprising) and were less good with square pegs or children who were not right up there with the high fliers. My children are at a school that Xenia would consider decidedly 'second rank'. They are however an awful lot happier, with better facilities and pastoral care, than I was at my 'top' (i.e. hothouse) London girls' school. My oldest is aiming for top grades and Oxford, why would it be worse for him to achieve that at a school that caters for a wider …

pupils

Advanced search Saved [Active](https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/active) [Unanswered threads](https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/active?tab=unanswered) Join the discussion on our [Education](https://www.mumsnet.com/h/parenting/education) forum. 1 [2](https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/education/433218-university-college-school?flipped=1\&page=2)[](https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/education/433218-university-college-school?flipped=1\&page=2) Yes Frogs but because it has a sibling policy, there will be children in every year who might not have passed the exam. Basically you just need a clever first born and you're sorted. Many parents diss the schools at the top of the league tables for being crammers which is…

Compare with peers

Schools families applying here also consider.

  • Fees £31.2kA*-A 75%Oxbridge 11%Rank #33

    Bancroft's School matches on boys/day, 7-18 entry phase overlap, similar fees (£30.1k vs £32.9k), and comparable selectivity tier with 75% A*-A and 11.1% Oxbridge.

  • 2City of London SchoolCity of London
    Fees £29.5kA*-A 75%Oxbridge 19%Rank #10

    City of London School shares boys/day pattern, close commute (7km), similar selectivity tier with 81.1% A*-A and 18.6% Oxbridge, and is also a selective independent boys senior school in London.

  • 3Hampton SchoolRichmond upon Thames
    Fees £31.2kA*-A 72%Oxbridge 12%Rank #25

    Hampton School aligns on boys/day, 11-18 entry phase overlap, similar fees (£29.9k), and comparable academic profile with 72% A*-A and 12% Oxbridge.

  • 4Latymer Upper SchoolHammersmith and Fulham
    Fees £31.1kA*-A 81%Oxbridge 14%Rank #11

    Latymer Upper School matches on day schooling, close commute (8km), similar fees (£31.1k), and strong academic results with 80.9% A*-A and 14.4% Oxbridge.

  • 5St Paul's SchoolRichmond upon Thames
    Fees £38.0kA*-A 93%Oxbridge 18%Rank #5

    St Paul's School shares boys/day or boarding option, overlapping entry phases (7-18), similar ethos (C of E), and top-tier selectivity with 92.5% A*-A and 17.5% Oxbridge.

How peers are chosen

Matched on sex, boarding, entry phase, location, fee band, tier and outcomes. Scoring: 0.45 outcome similarity, 0.25 structured, 0.10 embedding, 0.20 AI re-rank. Refreshed yearly and when a profile changes.

Top feeder prep schools

Open days, bursaries and how to apply: University College School profile →