A YORK secondary school is celebrating a “record-breaking year” after ten of its students received offers to study at Oxford and Cambridge.

In each of the last nine years, All Saints RC School has had at least five students secure offers for the UK’s most prestigious universities.

But this year is the school’s most successful yet in terms of the number of students receiving Oxbridge offers.

Head teacher Sharon Keelan Beardsley said: “These high achieving students are a credit to themselves, their families and the school community.”

The students holding offers from Oxford are Benedict Harter-Jones (St Hilda’s, history), Joe Hickey (Somerville, classics), Nathan Chatakondu (Keble, PPE), Cormac Malone (Mansfield, history), Caitlin Campbell (Somerville, classical archaeology & ancient history), Hannah Nightingale (Lady Margaret Hall, theology & religion).

Those holding offers from Cambridge are Christopher Spain (St Johns, classics), Amber Taylor (Sydney Sussex, philosophy), Maya Birch (Jesus, MML) and Lauren McStravick (Johns, English Lit).

Paul Stavridis, head of sixth form, is delighted and proud of the year. He commented: “This was a record-breaking year.

“The candidates were supported by a comprehensive preparation programme but the hard work and endeavour of the students couldn’t be underestimated.

“I am immensely proud of all the applicants who will showcase their undoubted talents not only at Oxbridge but at universities throughout the UK that will be lucky to have them.”

Last year, the school had five successful Oxbridge applications.

Tom Booth won a place at Churchill College, Cambridge, to study human, social and political sciences, while Rose Sargeant was offered a place at Cambridge to study law at King’s College.

Three students received offers for Oxford University - Tom Lewis to read philosophy, politics and economics at Trinity College, Eleanor March to read physics with philosophy at Balliol College and Josie Osborne to read geography at Regent’s Park College.

All Saints RC School, which is located on a split site at Mill Mount and Nunnery Lane, was rated as ‘outstanding’ for overall effectiveness by Ofsted when it was last inspected in June 2016.

It was also rated as outstanding in each of the five sub-categories - ‘effectiveness of leadership and management,’ ‘quality of teaching, learning and assessment,’ ‘personal development, behaviour and welfare,’ ‘outcomes for pupils’ and ‘16 to 19 study

programmes.’