Ten Questions to ask a College

Ten questions to put to any high school or college before you pay a deposit this August — and the answers you should expect to hear.

Between results day and the end of September, a great many places are sold quickly. Families make a significant financial decision — often tens of thousands of pounds — in a compressed window, under emotional pressure, and frequently after a disappointing morning, a combination that could leave you ruing the decision for the duration of the commitment.

It is worth saying plainly what a good college should be willing to say: the fastest “yes”is rarely the best offer. An institution confident in its teaching will happily spend forty minutes on the telephone establishing whether it is the right place for your child — including the conclusion that it is not.

What follows are the questions that tell you which kind of institution you are speaking to. Ask them to us as readily as anyone else. If you are still weighing your options after results day, our companion guide sets out what each outcome actually means.

1. What is the actual student-to-tutor ratio — in the room, not on the brochure?

The single most misused number in independent education. “Small classes” can mean six students or sixteen. Ask for the specific figure for the specific subject your child will study, and ask whether any teaching is genuinely one-to-one or whether every hour is group-based.

What to listen for: a precise number, given without hesitation, and a clear distinction between tutorials, tutorial pairs and small-group classes. Vagueness here usually means the number is not flattering.

2. Who will actually teach my child — and what are their qualifications?

Not “our tutors are highly qualified”, but: who, specifically, teaches A-level Chemistry? What is their degree, from where, how long have they been teaching the syllabus, and which exam board do they know best? 

What to listen for: named individuals and verifiable backgrounds. A college that publishes its staff and tutors openly has nothing to hide; one that speaks only in the collective plural may be relying on a pool of hourly freelancers assembled after enrolment.

3. How is the specific programme built for my child?

Ask what happens in the first fortnight. A serious answer describes a diagnostic process: which topics, which papers, which examination skills cost the marks last time — and a plan built on that. A weaker answer describes a timetable your child will be slotted into.

This is where the difference between tutorial teaching and class teaching becomes real rather than rhetorical.

“A small college is precision work — jeweller’s work. You are not running a production line; you are working with each student separately.”  — Helen Clarke, Vice-Principal

4. How and how often will I hear about progress?

Ask for the frequency and the format. Termly grades on a portal are the minimum. Written commentary from every subject tutor, monthly, tells you far more — and, importantly, tells you early enough to act.

What to listen for: a specific cadence, and a named person you can contact when something concerns you.

5. What are your published results — and your university destinations?

Any college can describe past successes anecdotally. Ask for the document. Published results and a destinations list are the difference between marketing and evidence.

A caution that cuts both ways: headline percentages from very small cohorts can mislead — a college with fifteen students in a subject can post spectacular or dreadful figures on the strength of two or three individuals. Ask instead for destinations across several years, and for an honest account of the students who did not get where they hoped, and why.

Ask for the document, not the anecdote. Published results and a destinations list are the difference between marketing and evidence.

6. Where are the inspection reports published?

Independent colleges in England are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate or by Ofsted, and reports are published on the inspectorate’s website as well as on the college’s own. Membership of CIFE, the association for independent sixth-form colleges, brings additional scrutiny.

Read the reports in full rather than relying on a single quoted line — and read the most recent one, not the most flattering. Inspection frameworks changed in 2023, so a report from a decade ago was written against criteria that no longer exist.

What to listen for: a college that tells you plainly where the reports are published, and can talk you through the most recent one.

7. What exactly does the fee include?

The number that matters is the total for the year. Ask specifically about examination entry fees, materials, mock examinations, university application support, enrichment activities, and — for boarders — meals, laundry and housekeeping.

What to listen for: an itemised answer, and a published fee schedule. August enrolments are where surprise charges most often surface, precisely because families did not have time to ask or in an effort to establish a place for their child had not thought through the “nitty-gritty details”.

8. Who is responsible for pastoral care and safeguarding?

Ask for the name of the Designated Safeguarding Lead. Ask who is on site in the evenings if your child boards, and what the arrangements are at weekends. Ask to see the safeguarding policy — it should be published.

For international families this matters a lot: your child will be a long way from home, and the quality of welfare provision is not visible from a photograph on a website. You need reassurance that your child will be safe and supported.

9. Can my child change subjects or adjust the programme after starting?

A genuine, individual programme can be flexible. A timetable built around class sizes cannot. If the honest answer is “not after October”, that tells you what kind of institution you are dealing with — which may still be the right one, but you should know it before you pay.

10. What happens if this does not work out?

The most revealing question of the ten, and the one families almost never ask. Ask about the refund policy, the notice period, and what the college does if a student is plainly in the wrong programme by December.

What to listen for: a calm, specific answer. Discomfort here is the clearest signal you will get.

How Cherwell College Oxford answers these questions

We publish our answers rather than asking you to take them on trust.

Ratio and format

Teaching follows the Oxbridge tutorial method: one-to-one tutorials, tutorial pairs and small groups, with a staff-to-student ratio of approximately 1:2. The format for each subject is agreed at interview and fine-tuned within the first two weeks with the respective tutor, and determined by the syllabus and the individual student’s needs — not by how many places we need to fill.

Tutors

Our staff, tutors and fellows are published with their backgrounds. They include university researchers, a senior History and Politics tutor who came to teaching from a career as a broadcast researcher and producer, and a practising artist who leads the Art Club.

Programme design

Every programme begins with a diagnosis of where marks were lost. Regular progress tests and mock examinations run throughout the year — particularly important for students whose results have not reflected their true ability. We are an examination centre for all major boards, and our retake and booster programmes are built on the same principle.

Reporting

Monthly written reports from every subject tutor, so that parents can follow academic and pastoral progress closely — and intervene early rather than in May.

Evidence

Our university destinations are published in full, and our inspection reports are published on our website and on the ISI website. At its inspection in November 2024, the Independent Schools Inspectorate found that all standards relating to the quality of education, training and recreation had been met. Inspectors recorded that each pupil’s timetable is personalised and built on prior attainment, that teachers adapt teaching strategies and resources to the needs of individual pupils, and that pupils achieve well in public examinations at A level. A further ISI inspection in May 2025 found that the College meets all the relevant standards considered. Cherwell College is a member of CIFE.

Safeguarding and pastoral care

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is the head of boarding, supported by a deputy DSL from the leadership team and a nominated board member for safeguarding. The safeguarding team undertakes annual training, including Prevent duty training, and boarding staff hold first aid, fire warden and medicine administration qualifications; one of our residential house parents is a qualified nurse. Oversight of boarding sits with the Vice-Principal, who holds weekly minuted meetings with house staff and regular meetings with boarders. Our safeguarding policy is published on our website.

Beyond the classroom

• Membership of the Oxford Union for full-time students — debates, workshops and library access.
• Boarding at Cherwell House, our purpose-built residence is a short walk from the study centre, which offers 83 single en-suite study bedrooms (from September 2026 following completion of its extension).
• An enrichment programme including professorial talks and the ATOM Festival of Science & Technology, chaired by our Principal.
• The Innovation, Technology & Entrepreneurship Bootcamp run with UC Berkeley’s Sutardja Center at Keble College, Oxford — open to our students and to participants from around the world.

Honesty about fit

We say directly when a programme is not right for a student. The fast-track A-level is a demanding route, and we assess academic background and English carefully before offering a place. Turning down a student who would struggle is not lost revenue; it is the job.

“We always say honestly: for a student who is ready, it is an enormous advantage.”  — Helen Clarke, Vice-Principal

If you would like to put these questions to us directly, our Admissions Team will call you back within two hours during office hours.

Telephone: +44 (0) 1865 242670 · Email: secretary@cherwell-college.co.uk

Register your interest  ·  Explore retake courses  ·  Contact us