Hurtwood has seen one of its most successful years ever with students gaining places at Drama School, Medical School, Art School, Film School and many different Russell Group universities. Indeed, despite being famous for our creativity, many of our students have gone on to study History, Sociology, Business, Psychology, Economics, Politics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering. There is no doubt that 56% A or A* grades made results day a pleasure for our Careers and Higher Education Team and this year 59% of our students have opted to take up places at Russell Group universities. Additionally other Hurtwood students have decided to venture overseas to some of the finest international universities including Franklin University in Switzerland, USC (University of Southern California), IE in Madrid and IAB (Institute of the Arts Barcelona).  

Creativity remains at the heart of Hurtwood and it is a testament to our Art department that so many of our artists went straight onto degree courses in 2025(rather than foundation courses) studying subjects such as Fine Art, Illustration, Graphic Design, Visual Communication and Photography. They are now starting their degrees at a range of prestigious institutions including Slade School of Fine Art, Chelsea College of Arts, Camberwell College of Arts, Falmouth University and the University of Edinburgh. Other students are now at LIPA on courses such as Songwriting and Production, and at London College of Communication on Film and Media courses. Some have even found jobs straight in the film and music industries.  

 Last year Hurtwood had a bumper year for Drama School applications with students receiving a breathtaking 34 offers and this year they topped even that with 40 offers received from Drama Schools on their three-year BA courses. Our students are off to RADA, Central, GSA (Guildford School of Acting), Rose Bruford, Urdang, Mountview and Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama to name but a few.  Others are heading across the pond to AMDA and Tisch, one of America’s top Drama Schools. This extraordinary feat needs to be put into context to truly understand the magnitude of the success - the odds of getting into Drama School are between 1% and 5%! The success is due to the talent of our students, but also to Hurtwood’s bespoke Drama School Preparation Programme which helps students realise their potential. Freya, who is currently on a BA in Musical Theatre at Emil Dale reminisced that applying for Drama School at Hurtwood is not for the faint hearted because the entire process was so in-depth. She recalled that it was very much a team effort as she was given help by so many members of the Performing Arts Department in different aspects of acting, singing and dancing. She recalls being “blown away by the whole incredible team”.