An unprecedented year of success at Croydon's oldest school culminated this week with the news that a record number of pupils have been offered places at Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

Twenty-nine boys at Whitgift School, in Haling Park, South Croydon will be studying at Oxbridge next year, five of them reading Classics.

Whitgift, the seventh most successful boys school in the south east (Evening Standard league table), has just launched its glossy new 36-page prospectus as part of its bid to encourage the borough's boys to sit the school's entrance exam.

The school now has one of the biggest Japanese departments in the country, as well as offering the traditional Latin and Greek. Elsewhere the school is now a centre of excellence for design technology. And it's been a sensational year for sport, with a whole host of current and recent pupils receiving national honours. Nine boys have figured strongly in the various England fencing teams, with Marino Janahan becoming UK under 14 champion and Dudley Tredger winning the UK under 19 championship.

At least 17 others have been recognised by their country in various sports, including rugby, hockey, shooting, table tennis, tennis and water polo. Simon Feeney (pictured) was this year's Surrey cricket captain and Nathan Guage (also pictured) is a regular England chess player.

Soccer was added to the timetable this year for the first time in the school's 400-year history, with former Chelsea captain Colin Pates taking on the role of chief coach. The strings scheme in music provides free tuition for all and bursaries are available through the Whitgift Foundation to help with paying fees. Whitgift was also the only Croydon school mentioned in the Sunday Times's Good Independent School Guide.

For copies of the new Whitgift prospectus, call 0181 688 9222.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000.Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.