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Mercia Collegiate Sixth Form, at Mercia School, Millhouses, wants to welcome 100 “first-class” students of any background for the new academic year in September 2023.

In a mission statement, the college says it will be “unapologetically academic” and will put pupils up to an interview and an entrance exam.

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Mercia Sixth Form Collegiate, part of Mercia School Trust, says it wants 'unapologetically academic' teenagers of any background to apply for its new academic year.

In return, the school aims to prepare students for Oxbridge and leading universities.

Ruth Hollingsworth, director of the new sixth form, said the aim was to ‘advantage the disadvantaged’ in the name of social mobility.

She said: “We are giving people the private school experience without the private school fees.

“It’s about redefining the sixth form and the meaning of elite. Elite should be about quality, not entitlement.

Director of the new sixth form Ruth Hollingworth and Mercia School headteacher Dean Webster.

“When it comes to the number of Sheffield pupils getting to Oxbridge, the numbers are really low compared to other cities. We want to change that.”

Mercia School, part of Mercia Learning Trust, is currently the most oversubscribed school in Sheffield. It has not yet received a full Ofsted inspection.

Sixth form open days will take place on October 15 and November 24.

Mercia School headteacher Dean Webster said: “There are bright pupils in every postcode and we want them all to have the chance to study at our new sixth form.

“A lot of students want degrees in dentistry, law or medicine and they need a lot of support to get there - we want to give that support to the people who need it.

“We are unapologetically academic. There will be no other sixth form like it.”

The school says it will have its own in-house medical and law schools, guests speakers from Oxbridge alumni, work to prevent working class students from dropping out of university.

Now, the school is asking teenagers from across Sheffield and north Derbyshire to apply.

In particular they want to reach students in the north of Sheffield and Hope Valley. These are both served by bus routes running close to Mercia and do not have an academically focused sixth form.

For more information, visit the Mercia School website.

Mercia Collegiate Sixth Form: New Sheffield sixth form 'unapologetically' only wants the most academic teens