Oaklands College

Further education · Mixed · ages 16–adultHertfordshire, St Albans AL4school website

Fewer than one in five students go on to university — well below the England rate.

Where this school leads
15%

of 16–18 leavers started university · Hertfordshire 42% · England 37% · DfE destination measures, students who left in 2023

Knowledge sphere of Oaklands College: fields of knowledge mapped by the subjects taken here, by ISCED levelLanguage & Communication · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 5%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 5%Natural Sciences · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 1%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 2%Health & Safety · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 8%Business & Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 16%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 3%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 1%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 14%Transversal Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 4%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%LanguageMathsScienceICTEngineeringHealthBusinessLawSocialArtsTransversalGreen
Ofsted
—

Ofsted: Not covered by Ofsted school inspections.

After sixth form · age 18

Where do sixth-formers go at 18?

2%went to one of the most selective universities
This school2%
Hertfordshire24%
England19%

DfE 16–18 destination measures · 1,312 students who left in 2023

15% went to university (England 37%). 9% started an apprenticeship (England 7%). 37% went into work and 23% 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
MeasureOaklands CollegeHertfordshireEngland
Students in the cohort1,31214,189541,441
Any sustained destination69%82%79%
University (higher education)15%42%37%
— most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students2%24%19%
Further education8%5%5%
Apprenticeship9%6%7%
Employment37%28%28%
No sustained destination23%13%16%
Universities · named

Which universities did they go to?

1university has told us how many applied, were offered a place and enrolled

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.

UniversityEntry yearAppliedOffersEnrolled
University of Bristol2025257—
20248<5—
202312<5<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.

Subjects · 2025

What do pupils study?

10.98%of the A level curriculum mapped by the subjects taken here

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

At A level it is Law: 38% of students (England 4%).

Law & Public Administration16%
Transversal Skills14%
Business & Administration8%
Natural Sciences5%
Mathematics & Statistics5%

Fields of knowledge — twelve fields the curriculum catalogue sorts every learning outcome into; the bars show the GCSE and A level ring.

A level subjects9

Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Psychology1740%23%
Law1638%4%
Business Studies1433%13%
Biology1126%20%
Sociology921%13%
Physical Education921%3%
English Literature921%11%
Mathematics819%31%
Chemistry614%17%
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses33
SubjectQualificationEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Business StudiesBTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D*61100%—
Sports / Movement ScienceBTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D*56100%—
Animal Care (Non-Agricultural)VRQ Level 24095%—
Animal Husbandry: Specific AnimalsVRQ Level 33890%—
Plumbing (Building Work)VRQ Level 23788%—
Business StudiesBTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D*3174%—
Electrical installation (Buildings / Construction)VRQ Level 23071%—
Health StudiesVRQ Level 32867%—
Computer Appreciation / IntroductionBTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D*2764%—
Electrical installation (Buildings / Construction)VRQ Level 32457%—
Applied SciencesBTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D*2048%—
Engineering StudiesBTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D*1638%—
Sports / Movement ScienceBTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D*1536%—
Plumbing (Building Work)VRQ Level 31433%—
Computer Architecture / SystemsBTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D*1433%—
Engineering StudiesBTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D*1433%—
Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined)BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D*1331%—
Applied SciencesBTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D*1024%—
Computer Appreciation / IntroductionBTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D*1024%—
Computing and IT Advanced TechnicianBTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D*921%—
Small Business ManagementBTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D*819%—
Study SkillsExtended Project (Diploma)614%—
Horses / Ponies KeepingVRQ Level 2614%—
Horses / Ponies KeepingVRQ Level 3———
Engineering StudiesBTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D*———
Further MathematicsGCE AS level (All)———
PsychologyGCE AS level (All)———
Further MathematicsGCE AS level (Not continued to A2)———
PsychologyGCE AS level (Not continued to A2)———
TourismBTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D*———
Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined)BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D*———
Applied SciencesBTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D*———
Business StudiesBTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D*———
A level results8
MeasureOaklands CollegeHertfordshireEngland
Students at the end of 16–18 study3,475——
— of whom A level students428,082261,341
Average A level gradeD+B-B-
Average points per A level entry22.2136.8235.00
Average grade, best 3 A levelsD+B-B-
AAB or better with two facilitating subjects0%19%18%
Average grade, applied general courses———
Average grade, T levels———
Fields of knowledge, all stages11
Law & Public Administration15%
Transversal Skills12%
Business & Administration7%
Mathematics & Statistics4%
Natural Sciences4%
Green & Sustainability3%
Social & Cultural Skills3%
Health & Safety2%
Arts & Humanities1%
Digital & ICT Skills0%
Language & Communication0%

Ideas pupils meet most, weighted by the share of the cohort taking the subjects that teach them:

graph 2.5mathematical model 1.7vector 1.7quantitative data 1.2qualitative data 1.2application of theory 1.0trigonometric identity 0.9exponential function 0.9prose 0.9poetry 0.9drama 0.9research design 0.8research method 0.8criminal law 0.8statutory interpretation 0.8judicial precedent 0.8mitigation of loss 0.8legal principle 0.8numerical method 0.8gradient 0.8integration 0.8dynamic equilibrium 0.7problem solving 0.7experimental design 0.7

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.

Careers

Which jobs use what’s taught here?

12apprenticeship standards closely match the subjects pupils take

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

ScientistLevel 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses experimental design, research ethics, conclusion from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and 2 more · jobs: physicist, analytical chemist, geneticist
Costs lawyerLevel 6 degree apprenticeship · legal, finance and accounting · uses causation, nuisance, appeal from Law, Mathematics · jobs: lawyer, corporate lawyer, lawyer linguist
Digital and technology solutions professionalLevel 6 degree apprenticeship · digital · uses conclusion, data presentation, business problems from Biology, Business Studies, Mathematics and 1 more · jobs: business analyst, ICT consultant, business economics researcher
More apprenticeships9
Keeper and aquaristLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · agriculture, environmental and animal care · uses descriptive statistics, research design, research method from Biology, Psychology · jobs: animal care attendant, zookeeper, zoo section leader
SolicitorLevel 7 degree apprenticeship · legal, finance and accounting · uses criminal law, sources of law, legal authority from Law · jobs: court jury coordinator, corporate lawyer, real estate surveyor
Social researcherLevel 6 degree apprenticeship · business and administration · uses research design, research ethics, inferential statistics from Psychology, Sociology · jobs: research and development manager, social services policy officer, monitoring and evaluation officer
Data technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · digital · uses qualitative data, quantitative data, outlier from Mathematics, Psychology, Sociology · jobs: data analyst, database administrator, data scientist
Biomedical scientistLevel 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses data presentation, accuracy, laboratory safety from Biology, Mathematics · jobs: biomedical scientist, specialist biomedical scientist, biomedical scientist advanced
Artificial intelligence (AI) data specialistLevel 7 degree apprenticeship · digital · uses research design, experimental design, business problems from Business Studies, Mathematics, Psychology and 1 more · jobs: ICT intelligent systems designer
Clinical associate in psychology (CAP) (integrated degree)Level 7 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses research ethics, psychological theory, qualitative method from Business Studies, Psychology, Sociology · jobs: clinical psychologist, crisis helpline operator
Non-destructive technologies technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses motivation, leadership, ratio from Business Studies, Mathematics, Physical Education
ActuaryLevel 7 degree apprenticeship · legal, finance and accounting · uses business problems, investment appraisal, business environment from Business Studies, Mathematics · jobs: financial analyst
Admissions

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.

  1. Dec–FebYear 11: apply directly; most close applications in these months
  2. AugGCSE results day: places are confirmed against the entry grades
Hertfordshire

Compare with nearby schools

Stayed in education at 16 · Attainment 8 · pupils

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.