In January, twenty-seven of our Year 13 students received offers from Oxford and Cambridge. 

We are equally proud of the thirty-eight who didn't. Same bravery, same outstanding grades, same depth of character.

As Dr Chris Evans shared with our community this week, these offers recognise intellectual curiosity and capability built over years. But they tell only part of the story.

What unites all sixty-five students is what we value most: an enthusiasm for difficult questions, a willingness to be challenged, and the courage to step forward with purpose.

Affirmed or disappointed, each of these young people has demonstrated something that will serve them far beyond university admissions.

We remind our Year 13 students of two of our most successful Old Redingensians: Ross Brawn, who redefined Formula One, and Lord Edward Young, who became the most trusted advisor to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Neither followed conventional paths after leaving Reading School, yet both shaped the world around them in ways most of us can only imagine.

Their stories remind us that success is not determined by which doors close, but by what we do with the ones that open.

We remind all our students that success isn't determined by which doors close, but by what we do with the ones that open.

Learn more about Old Redingensians who shaped their fields:

• Ross Brawn
• Lord Edward Young