Reading Blue Coat School

Cohort

142

Class of 2025

Oxbridge

6

Russell Group

72%

of leavers

US Ivy

0

A-level A*–A

60%

Recalibrated

GCSE 9–7

61%

Oxbridge rate

4%

Russell Group rate

72%

• Bursar

  Mrs Alexandra West

  Alexandra joined Reading Blue Coat in April 2024 from her role as Bursar of Magdalen College School, Oxford. Previously the Deputy Bursar at Blue Coat before her appointment at MCS in 2020. She served as an Intelligence Officer in the British Army and worked as an equity research analyst in the City. She earned a first-class degree in Music from New College, Oxford University and gained a Full Blue in rowing. (First-class degree in Music, New College, Oxford University)

• Second Master

  Mr Ed Trelinski

  Ed arrived at Reading Blue Coat in September 2020 from Rugby School where he was Housemaster of a boys' boarding house. He joined Rugby in 2009 following four years on the political campaign trail in Washington, D.C. and New Orleans. He holds a BA in History from UCL and an MA in Political Management from George Washington University. He teaches A-level Politics. (BA History, UCL; MA Political Management, George Washington University)

• Foundation Director

  Mrs Sarah Bunnell-Pyper

  Sarah joined Reading Blue Coat in 2018 as Community Co-ordinator and became the Foundation Director in 2021. Previously worked at St Peter's College, Oxford and at Greene's Tutorial College, Oxford. She holds a BA (Hons) in Performing Arts, Communication, Media and Culture from Oxford Brookes University. Instrumental in setting up the Foundation Office, curating alumni events, editing the alumni magazine '1646', and overseeing fundraising for the Performing Arts Centre. (BA (Hons) Performing Arts, Communication, Media and Culture, Oxford Brookes University)

• Director Of External Relations

  Mr Charles Cadby

  Charlie joined Reading Blue Coat in December 2024 from Magdalen College School, where he was Director of Marketing and Communications. Previously spent seven years at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, in roles including Head of External Relations and Bye Fellow. Started his career in financial services. Holds a prize-winning first-class degree in Geography from University of Liverpool and an MPhil in Latin American Studies from University of Cambridge (Simon Bolivar Scholar). (First-class degree in Geography, University of Liverpool; MPhil Latin American Studies, University of Cambridge)

• HR Director

  Mrs Inga Gregory

  Inga joined Reading Blue Coat as Head of HR in November 2021 following a 12-year career in HR. Her career began in graduate recruitment for a Management Consulting firm before moving to Edinburgh where she completed her MSc in Human Resource Management while working in HR at Queen Margaret University College. She spent 6 years at Vodafone supporting the Global Technology team. (MSc Human Resource Management, Edinburgh)

• Headmaster

  Mr Peter Thomas

  Pete joined Reading Blue Coat in September 2015 as Second Master and took over as Headmaster in September 2020. Born and raised in Horsham, West Sussex, he read Geology at Durham University before working for five years as a Response Officer for Sussex Police. He taught at The Judd School in Tonbridge for two years before joining Dauntsey's School Geography Department, where he was Housemaster of both Day and Boarding Houses. (Geology degree, Durham University)

• 1City of London Freemen's SchoolAshtead

  Fees £27.6kA*-A 78%Rank #351

  City of London Freemen's School matches Reading Blue Coat in being co-ed with day and boarding options, has overlapping entry phases including 11+ and 13+, and is in a similar fees bracket (£26.5k vs £26.1k) with a close rank (#408 vs #413) and 47km commute.

• 2Mount House SchoolHertfordshire

  Fees £26.2kA*-A 59%Oxbridge 5%Rank #271

  Mount House School is an independent co-ed day school with selective entry, overlapping 11+ to 18 entry phases, fees close to Reading Blue Coat (£26.2k vs £26.1k), and a reasonable 55km distance.

• 3St Albans High School for GirlsSt Albans

  Fees £28.5kA*-A 78%Oxbridge 12%Rank #298

  St Albans High School for Girls, while single-sex girls, is a selective day school with similar fees (£28.5k) and strong academic outcomes including high Oxbridge rate, within a 51km commute and overlapping 11+ and 13+ entry phases.

• 4North London Grammar SchoolHendon

  Fees £26.5kA*-A 35%Oxbridge 2%Rank #297

  North London Grammar School is a co-ed day school with overlapping entry phases, similar fees (£26.5k), and a close rank (#401) within 49km, offering a similar selective ethos.

• 5Babington House SchoolKent

  Fees £26.1kA*-A 66%Oxbridge 7%Rank #252

  Babington House School is a co-ed day school with selective entry, overlapping entry phases up to 16+, fees comparable (£26.1k), and a strong Oxbridge rate, located 67km away.

Peers refreshed annually plus on-write. Filters: sex, boarding, entry phase, geography, fee band, tier. Scoring: 0.45 outcome similarity + 0.25 structured + 0.10 embedding + 0.20 AI re-rank.