Comparison
Exeter Maths School vs. Surrey Maths School
A southern pairing across two very differently sized catchments. 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.
| Exeter Maths School | Surrey Maths School | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Open | Open |
| Location | Exeter, Devon | Mary Road, Guildford (permanent site from 2026, next to Guildford station) |
| Sponsor | University of Exeter | University of Surrey |
| Opened | 2014 | 2024 |
| Age range | 16–19 | 16–19 |
| Capacity | 128 | 200 |
| Current roll | 127 students (2025/26); admission number rises to 75/year from September 2026 (capacity 139) | 151 students (July 2026) — 83 in the first cohort at May 2025, plus a second intake from September 2025 |
| Boarding | Weekly (Monday–Friday) boarding for students whose one-way commute would otherwise exceed about an hour. Costs £13,470 for 2026/27, all-inclusive. Means-tested bursaries taper the cost: households under £30,805/year pay just £836/year (food only); £30,806–£39,752 pay 10% of fees; £39,753–£46,143 pay 20%; £46,144–£49,084 pay 40%; above £49,085, full fee applies. A new boarding house is planned for 2026/27 to support the expanded catchment. | No boarding — day school. |
| Catchment | Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset historically. From September 2026 entry this expands to add Bristol, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. Out-of-area applicants are only considered with firm, funded relocation plans. | No formally published catchment or eligible-county list — the school markets itself as reachable "from a wide area" via its Guildford-station-adjacent site, serving Surrey and the wider South East. |
| GCSE requirements | Grade 8+ in Mathematics (a Level 2 Certificate in Further Mathematics is accepted as equivalent); Grade 7+ in Physics, or Grade 8+ in Combined Science, or Grade 8+ in Computer Science if not taking Physics; Grade 5+ in English Language or Literature; six GCSEs overall at grade 5+. | Reported as grade 8+ in GCSE Maths, grade 5+ in English Language or Literature, grade 5+ in four other GCSEs, grade 7+ in Physics and/or Chemistry if taking those A-levels, and grade 7+ (plus grade 6 in a writing-heavy subject) for Computer Science. We could not confirm these figures on a live official page at time of writing — treat as a secondary-sourced summary and confirm directly with the school. |
| Admissions deadline | For September 2027 entry: applications close Wednesday 7 January 2027, entrance test Saturday 6 February 2027, interviews Saturday 6 March 2027, conditional offers Friday 13 March 2027, acceptance deadline Monday 22 March 2027. (The September 2026 cycle closed 7 December 2025 and its waiting pool is full.) | The most recent (September 2026 entry) admissions window has closed. Admissions for September 2027 entry have not yet opened — the school is taking mailing-list registrations only. |
| Latest results | 2025: 64.8% A*-A | Not yet published |
| Ofsted | Outstanding — full inspection, and Outstanding again (all three categories) in a follow-up boarding-provision inspection | Not yet fully inspected — a monitoring visit rated two of three themes "significant progress"; safeguarding was rated the lower "reasonable progress," the one area flagged for further development |
Exeter Mathematics School
The original — open since 2014, with weekly boarding and the only results history that runs a decade deep.
Surrey Maths School
Opened 2024, moved into its permanent Guildford-station site in 2026 — first-ever results land 13 August 2026.
See also: Exeter Maths School admissions · Surrey Maths School admissions · all comparisons