City of London School

Overview

The City of London School (CLS) is on the banks of the Thames in the City of London. The School was founded by a private Act of Parliament in 1834, following events starting from a bequest of land by John Carpenter, town clerk of London in 1442, for four poor children in the City of London. City of London School has six Houses. In 2013, the Daily Telegraph placed the school 27th in its League Table of Independent School A-level results, with 73% of pupils gaining A* or A grades at A-level. Currently around 20 pupils take up places at Oxbridge each year. Although the school provides a very modern atmosphere in most aspects of school life, there are some traditional events held annually, although attendance of these events are no longer compulsory for all boys. This includes the annual prize giving ceremony at Guildhall, London and the annual carol service at Temple Church, among others. The school is also home to the annual London Classical Reading Competition, participated in by schools nationwide.

Unique Points

Among the many Old Citizens who have attained eminence in various fields are the Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, the First World War hero Theodore Bayley Hardy, the Nobel Prize winning scientists Frederick Gowland Hopkins and Peter Higgs, the Justice of the Supreme Court Lawrence Collins, the England cricket captain Mike Brearley, and the Booker Prize winning authors KIngsley Amis and Julian Barnes. Notable recent pupils include the actors Daniel Radcliffe from Harry Potter movies.

Entry Requirements

For candidates seeking entry at 13+ (entry 2014 onwards), who will be taking their entrance examinations in the January two years prior to entry, there will be papers in maths, English and reasoning (the reasoning test is computerised).For sixth form entry those candidates, who are successful at interview, will be offered places at the School, conditional on their GCSE results. Candidates must achieve six A grades or above at GCSE, which must include English and Mathematics.