Since last year, there has been a huge change in the relative difficulty of getting into the different schools. It’s only really been possible to calculate this since Crypt went co-Ed, so there’s nothing except anecdote prior to 2018 entry.

For 2018 entry, measured by Crypt ranking

<150 needed to get a Pates place
<450 needed to get a STRS place
<650 needed to get a HSFG place
<850 needed to get a Marling place
<860 needed to get a SHS place
<925 needed to get a Crypt place
<1000 needed to get a Ribston place

For 2019 entry, measured in Crypt rankings (although there will be some shifting due to appeals)


*Edited to correct Ribston cut-off to 550. Significant edit following new info on cut-off!*

<150 needed to get a Pates place
<520 needed to get a STRS place
<700 needed to get a DR place
<810 needed to get a Crypt place
<950 needed to get a SHS place
<950 needed to get a Marling place
<1100 needed to get a Ribston place

So this year, Crypt has clearly been placed higher on preference lists, and for some reason, SHS lower. It seems likely that Crypt is attracting girls who previously would have ended up at SHS, and some from DR. I wonder if girls generally ranked higher that boys this year as I would have expected the boys schools to become more competitive given the demand being concentrated on fewer places.

Hmmm... I think all the data shows is the dust settling after the crypt fiasco last year. I don't think you can necessarily infer popularity. As a previous poster said, shs cut off rank may have increased as it may have attracted more shares due to their excellent results last year. The Marling cutoff has increased, mainly because it was the school probably most impacted by crypt fiasco last year, not because it is unpopular. I don't really see any evidence that girls did better than boys, although it does look like girls were more comfortable with sharing with crypt this year.

I wonder whether the recent changes in heads has also made a difference?

PS I love your analyses, keep them coming!

The change of Ribston head made the difference for me (and others I know). We were lucky to have the choice of all girls / mixed school except Pates but put Ribston 1st. Wouldn’t have done that in previous years although still something of a leap of faith but it tipped the balance for us.