Comparison
Cambridge Maths School vs. KCL Maths School
Another prestige pairing, this time across a founding school and a newer one. Full detail, sourcing and caveats are on each school's own page — this table is a starting point for comparison, not a replacement for reading both.
| Cambridge Maths School | KCL Maths School | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Open | Open |
| Location | Mill Road, Cambridge | Lambeth, South London |
| Sponsor | University of Cambridge | King's College London |
| Opened | 2023 | 2014 |
| Age range | 16–19 | 16–19 |
| Capacity | 200 | — |
| Current roll | 99 students (60 Year 12, 39 Year 13) at the April 2026 Ofsted inspection; 0% FSM-eligible | 156–157 students (Sept 2024 Ofsted count: 78 Year 12 + 79 Year 13); rising as a 50%-larger intake begins from September 2025 |
| Boarding | No boarding — day school. | No boarding or residential provision found — operates as a day school. |
| Catchment | Admissions give sequential priority to applicants living in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough or Suffolk (FSM-eligible applicants from those counties first, then state-school applicants from those counties, then any resident of those counties) before falling back to highest applicant score nationally. | No formally defined boroughs — described only as drawing from "all over London and bordering home counties." The admissions FAQ states no catchment or travel-time restriction is applied; applicants must simply be able to sit the entrance test in person in London. |
| GCSE requirements | 7 GCSEs at grade 5+ predicted; Maths grade 8 or 9 predicted; Combined Science 8-8+ predicted (or grade 8+ in the separate science to be studied); English Language grade 5+ predicted. | Grade 8 or 9 in Mathematics; Grade 7–9 in Physics (GCSE or iGCSE), or Grade 7-7+ in Combined Science; Grade 5+ in English Language; four further GCSEs at grade 5+. |
| Admissions deadline | For 2026 entry: applications opened 16 October 2025 and closed 13 January 2026; aptitude test 7 February 2026; interviews 2–13 March 2026; conditional offers by end of March 2026; enrolment on GCSE results day in August 2026. | For September 2026 entry: applications opened 12 September 2025 and closed 23 November 2025; test sat 6 December 2025; interviews 23–24 January 2026; offers issued early February 2026. No personal statement is required, and late applications are not normally considered. |
| Latest results | 2025: 53% A* | 2025: 92.2% A*-A |
| Ofsted | "Exceptional" — the highest available category — across every area assessed under the current framework | "Continues to be an outstanding provider" — short inspection, category judgements under the post-2024 framework |
Cambridge Maths School
Rated "Exceptional" — Ofsted's top category — in every area of its first full inspection, April 2026.
King's College London Mathematics School
A founding 2014 school now expanding its intake by 50% — and the highest Oxbridge progression rate we found data for.
See also: Cambridge Maths School admissions · KCL Maths School admissions · all comparisons