Bucks &amp; Oxon

Great school when I was there&#8230;.still is it seems ,with very good results all round..It also has one of most picturesque “school fields” in the country,&#8230;&#8230; a complete island surrounded by the Cherwell and a quick row up to the. Isis,,and a marvellous vew of Magdalen College tower

WHAT? WHERE?



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As Oxford as the dreaming spires themselves, this academically outstanding senior day school for boys 11-18 years and girls 16-18 years has been standing in the city since the 15thcentury. It’s a site of modern and more traditional buildings, but its outstanding feature is really its central city location on the River Cherwell, just across Magdalen Bridge, and minutes from the High Street and Carfax. The Junior School for boys 7-11 years is opposite the main school site.



FACILITIES



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Immense. Impressive. Immaculate. There is no expense spared here, and just as in academics and extra-curricular competitions, Magdalen College School takes its facilities very seriously. School Field is the centre piece for MCS sport, along with an arms-length range of facilities including Christ Church and Merton Playing Fields, Marston Road astro hockey pitch, the University&#8217;s Iffley Road Sports Centre (home to the Sir Roger Bannister Running Track and the Rosenblatt Swimming Pool), Oxford Hawks&#8217; water-based astro hockey pitches, direct access from the school to the river for the Rowing Club, and Farmoor Reservoir for the Sailing Club.



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In terms of buildings, a four-storey, 1,650 ft Sixth Form centre opened officially in February 2018 and it’s a stunner, including social spaces, cafeteria, study rooms, and offices for 300 boys and girls.



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Across at the Junior School, the set-up is more higgledy piggledy (in a good way – the buildings are older!) but it has charming outdoor spaces and looks out over the river and Botanical Gardens.



ACADEMICS



No-one sends a child to Magdalen College School hoping they’ll just stay out of trouble and make it into the D team. MCS boasts some of the most extraordinary results in the country so it&#8217;s hardly surprising that Oxford and Cambridge are two of the most popular destinations for leavers, alongside Durham, LSE, Edinburgh and St Andrews. Uni subjects range from Physics to History and Architecture, with an impressive 14 of the 2024 leavers off to study medicine. So standards are unapologetically high here and subjects are on the traditional side (the most quirky – er, Latin and Greek).



The 2024 cohort celebrated a stellar 95% of A-level grades awarded at A*-B, with 81% at A*-A and 42% at A*. In addition, 47 pupils – more than a quarter of the year group – attained 3 A*s or more, while 19 pupils achieved 4 A*s or more.



EXTRA CURRICULAR



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MCS’ reputation is unabashedly high-achieving and competitive, but there’s also a huuuuge co-curricular element. Like drama? Go perform it at the Oxford Playhouse. Love sport? Learn from their professional coaches.&nbsp;A fan of the arts? The school started its own annual festival in 2008 which has now grown into the two-week, 100 event extravaganza that is the Oxford Festival of the Arts.&nbsp;If your child is an unashamed geek or not keen to run with the pack, you still have options – Warhammer Club, Bell Ringing Club, flippin&#8217; Cryptic Crossword Club! You’re getting my drift here.



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QUIRKS



Well, I’m not sure how many schools can boast a Saint among their alumni. Sir Thomas More studied here as a child (as did the patron saint of the Bond Films, film director Sam Mendes). Having world-class choristers within your school ranks is pretty amazing (children can audition from 6 years old) and I love the secret passageway that takes the choristers from the Junior School underneath the road to the chapel. Other than that, I think Magdalen College School would be the first to say they’re not at the vanguard of quirky and eccentric. They’re about tradition, intelligence and achievement. It’s a place where ability is respected. Maybe now, with so many schools worried about over-egging the role of academics versus ‘softer’ skills, the biggest quirk is how unapologetic MCS is about its drive for excellence.



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WRAP-AROUND CARE



The Senior School day ends at 3.50pm and pupils can stay on site for activities or study in the library until 6.00pm. The Junior School runs a daily after-school care service for all pupils until 5.30pm, where boys can finish homework before activities start. MCS runs a home-to-school bus service with 12 routes operating across Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire.



HEADTEACHER



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The Master of the Senior School is Helen Pike who is, frankly, impressive. She’s brainy. She rocks a suit. She’s tall. She has the aura of a woman who can trounce you even at your own Mastermind specialist subject. She’s slightly scary in a way a female headteacher should be. And how wonderful must it be to be called ‘Master’ by everyone? Pike has form in this city – she&#8217;s an Oxford graduate herself, and two of her three step-children were educated at MCS. Across at the Junior School, Tim Skipwith has been Head since 2012, with a decade teaching Biology at the Senior School before that.



FEES



Senior School £7,695 (excl. VAT) per term. Junior School: J1-J2 £7,412 (excl. VAT) per term, J3-J4 £7,695 (excl. VAT) per term.



THE MUDDY VERDICT



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Good for: Go-getters, brainiacs, energetic alphas.



Not for:&nbsp;Kids who don’t thrive in a fast-paced environment.



Dare to disagree?! There are <a href="https://www.mcsoxford.org/admissions/open-days/book-an-open-day/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">regular Open Events</a> running throughout the year. Booking is essential for all: <a href="https://www.mcsoxford.org/admissions/open-days/book-an-open-day/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">register your interest here</a>.



<a href="http://www.mcsoxford.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Magdalen College School</a>, Cowley Pl, Oxford OX4 1DZ. Tel:&nbsp;01865 242191.

Magdalen College School, Oxford

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