USP College
One in four students go on to university — below the England rate.
of 16–18 leavers started university · Essex 35% · England 37% · DfE destination measures, students who left in 2023
- Ofsted
- —
Ofsted: Not covered by Ofsted school inspections.
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Palmer's College (URN 130682, until 1 August 2017).
Where do sixth-formers go at 18?
DfE 16–18 destination measures · 1,607 students who left in 2023
26% went to university (England 37%). 8% started an apprenticeship (England 7%). 39% went into work and 16% had no steady place a year on (England 28% and 16%).
Most selective universities — the third of UK universities whose entrants hold the highest grades; the share is of students who completed level 3 qualifications.
Full breakdown7
| Measure | USP College | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 1,607 | 13,240 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 78% | 81% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 26% | 35% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 3% | 15% | 19% |
| Further education | 5% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 8% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 39% | 33% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 16% | 14% | 16% |
Which universities did they go to?
Named universities — most schools do not publish this; the official DfE figures above only say how many went to university and how selective those universities were.
universities’ answers to sch.today’s Freedom of Information requests · request tracker
What universities’ own admissions data say3
For each entry year: how many of this school’s students applied, received an offer and enrolled. Counts under five are shown as “<5” to protect individuals. Applications exclude Clearing; enrolments are students who completed registration.
| University | Entry year | Applied | Offers | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Bristol | 2025 | 17 | 9 | <5 |
| 2024 | 19 | 7 | <5 | |
| 2023 | 17 | 7 | <5 |
A university’s enrolment count and a school’s own destinations list can differ: the school counts places accepted in the summer, the university counts students registered in the autumn.
What do pupils study?
Mapped — the share of the 1,259 learning outcomes the Department for Education sets for these stages that the subjects taken here cover, weighted by how many pupils take each.
DfE subject entries 2025 · curriculum catalogue by sch.today
Fields of knowledge — twelve fields the curriculum catalogue sorts every learning outcome into; the bars show the GCSE and A level ring.
A level subjects25
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sociology | 118 | 27% | 13% |
| Psychology | 94 | 21% | 23% |
| Mathematics | 73 | 16% | 31% |
| Media Studies | 62 | 14% | 4% |
| Law | 61 | 14% | 4% |
| History | 59 | 13% | 13% |
| English Language and Literature | 52 | 12% | 2% |
| English Literature | 49 | 11% | 11% |
| Accounting/Finance | 43 | 10% | 1% |
| Business Studies | 42 | 9% | 13% |
| Biology | 37 | 8% | 20% |
| 3D Design | 37 | 8% | 1% |
| Graphic Communication | 35 | 8% | 2% |
| Classical Civilisation | 33 | 7% | 1% |
| Politics | 33 | 7% | 6% |
| Fine Art | 27 | 6% | 3% |
| Physics | 27 | 6% | 12% |
| Film Studies | 24 | 5% | 2% |
| Chemistry | 20 | 5% | 17% |
| Textiles | 19 | 4% | 1% |
| Economics | 18 | 4% | 13% |
| Photography | 18 | 4% | 3% |
| Geography | 11 | 2% | 10% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Polish | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses33
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 137 | 31% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 130 | 29% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 122 | 27% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 72 | 16% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 68 | 15% | — |
| Finance / Accounting (General) | VRQ Level 3 | 49 | 11% | — |
| Sports / Movement Science | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 47 | 11% | — |
| Engineering Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 39 | 9% | — |
| Animal Husbandry: Specific Animals | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 37 | 8% | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | 34 | 8% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 31 | 7% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 30 | 7% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 27 | 6% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 24 | 5% | — |
| Computing and IT Advanced Technician | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 24 | 5% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | 21 | 5% | — |
| Engineering Studies | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | 21 | 5% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | 19 | 4% | — |
| Engineering Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 13 | 3% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | 10 | 2% | — |
| Animal Husbandry: Specific Animals | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | 8 | 2% | — |
| Childcare Skills | VRQ Level 3 | 7 | 2% | — |
| Sports / Movement Science | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | 6 | 1% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Animal Husbandry: Specific Animals | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Computing and IT Advanced Technician | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Animal Care (Non-Agricultural) | BTEC Technical Diploma L2 - Band F - PP-DD | — | — | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
A level results8
| Measure | USP College | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 3,767 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 444 | 6,944 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | D+ | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 24.98 | 34.68 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C- | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 2% | 18% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
Fields of knowledge, all stages11
Ideas pupils meet most, weighted by the share of the cohort taking the subjects that teach them:
Coverage counts a subject’s outcomes in proportion to the share of the cohort entered for it; Combined Science counts as two thirds of the three separate sciences. Levels follow ISCED 2011 as UNESCO maps it for the UK: Key Stage 3 is ISCED 2; GCSE and A level are both ISCED 3. Methodology: about the data.
Which jobs use what’s taught here?
A match of what’s taught, not of entry requirements: the standards whose knowledge and skills share the most ideas with the GCSEs and A levels taken here, weighted by how many pupils take each subject.
Level 3 / Level 6 — England’s qualification levels: 3 is A level standard, 4–5 are higher apprenticeships, 6 is a bachelor’s degree.
Skills England apprenticeship standards (Open Government Licence v3.0) · ESCO occupations, © European Union, matched by sch.today · how the match works
More apprenticeships9
How do you get a place?
Admission is by application to the provider, usually against GCSE grades for each course; there is no distance rule.
- Dec–FebYear 11: apply directly; most close applications in these months
- AugGCSE results day: places are confirmed against the entry grades
Compare with nearby schools
More Essex schools3
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.