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Whitgift School entrance guide

Founded by the eponymous John Whitgift in the sixteenth century, Whitgift School is situated in Croydon, South London, amongst extensive playing fields. A large school, with just under 1,300 boys enrolled, it caters for both day pupils and boarders (full boarding available from Year 9 onwards but flexi-boarding from Year 7), with a fairly high proportion travelling to the UK to board. Entry to the school is mainly via the 11+ but occasional places are offered throughout each year, though the number of vacancies can vary. Separate entry points at 10+ and 13+ remain popular with a few sixth form applications at 16+. To be offered a place, boys will need to perform well on their assessments as well as at interview. Below, you can meet our tutors who have experience supporting boys to Whitgift and read our guide to the most popular entry points.

Open days and events at Whitgift School

Open days and Events at Whitgift School

Open events take place at Whitgift School each term, and details can be found on the school website. These are pre-bookable, and places are limited. There is also an excellent virtual tour available for those unable to travel to the school in person. For those interested in finding out more about the school before making a decision, Whitgift School also publish a regular podcast which is available online to download.

10+ and 11+ entry to Whitgift School

The process for 10+ and 11+ entry to Whitgift School is largely the same, with slightly different entry papers depending on the age of the child. If a boy is unsuccessful at 10+, there is nothing to stop him applying again for 11+ entry the following year. 

Following an application in Year 5 for 10+ entry (or Year 6 for 11+ entry), boys are invited to an examination day in the latter part of the Autumn Term. Here they will sit assessments in English, Maths and Critical Thinking. The English paper is divided into two parts. Firstly, boys are assessed on their creative writing skills, and secondly, on their spelling, grammatical and punctuation accuracy and their comprehension skills. The comprehension will often be a poem. The Maths exam is non-calculator and consists of a mix of basic and more complex problem-solving questions. Critical thinking sample papers are not available but recent experience suggests they are based on types of problem solving questions commonly found at this level. 

The second stage of the process is an invitation to an interview, which takes place in the Spring Term prior to entry. Parents are also interviewed at this point, and a decision is taken shortly thereafter, with offers posted by February half term.

13+ Entry to Whitgift School

13+ entry to Whitgift School is a popular choice, with places available for boarders in advance if they sit the 11+ exam papers in Year 6. Day pupils will apply in Year 8 and sit entrance examinations in English, Maths and Science in the Autumn Term. Sample papers are available on the website. The 13+ English exam at Whitgift School consists of a comprehension and a creative writing paper, with an emphasis on an understanding of poetry. The 13+ Maths exam is a mixture of basic calculations and problem-solving questions and is non-calculator. The 13+ Science paper is based on the National Curriculum for that age group and consists of a mix of shorter and longer answers. 

The second stage of the 13+ entry process to Whitgift School is an invitation to interview, which takes place in the Autumn Term; parents are also interviewed and a decision is made shortly after this, with offers posted by the end of the term.

16+ Entry to Whitgift School

16+ entry to Whitgift School is available through a two stage process. The first stage is an entrance examination, taken in two of the pupil’s proposed A-Level or IB subject choices and also in Critical Thinking. Boys are expected to achieve good GCSE results, with a minimum number of grades at grade 7. The second stage is an interview with a senior member of staff at Whitgift School; parents are also interviewed and a decision is made shortly after this, with offers posted by the end of the Autumn Term.

Scholarships and Bursaries at Whitgift School

Scholarships are available at Whitgift School. Academic scholarships are awarded following the entrance examinations; some are worth up to 50% of the fees. Boys who wish to be awarded an academic scholarship at 11+ will have an extra stage to their application, a scholarship assessment day at school, to which they will be invited. 

Scholarships are also available for Art, Design and Technology, Music, Drama and Sport. Art, Drama, Music and Sport scholarships are available at all entry points. Design and Technology scholarships are available at 13+ and 16+ only. Detailed information is available on the website, but it should be noted that prospective pupils can be awarded a maximum of three different scholarships.

Bursaries are available at Whitgift School for those boys who would otherwise be unable to access the education the school provides. The John Whitgift Foundation makes provision for bursarial support for up to 110% of the fees (thus including extras such as trips and uniform). Details are available on the website, and an application for a bursary must be made at the same time as a general application to the school. 

Click here to access the official Whitgift School website

We could not have asked for a better fit for our son. Emily made him comfortable from the start and he actually enjoyed the tutoring. He is now thriving and at his new school and this is part due to the dialogue between her and his teacher. Emily is really approachable and flexible. Our son was prepared and not anxious for his 11+ exams and that owes significant debt to Emily
Abigail is great with our daughter, making the lessons engaging and helping her to understand the methods behind the answer rather than rote learning. She is able to help explain things in different ways if our daughter isn't initially able to grasp the concept.
Helen is simply an amazing tutor. She is exceptional at explaining maths and english to our son, especially when he needs a bit of extra support in specific areas. She is also extremely organised, structuring his learning around his own needs, as well as highly communicative with us as parents so that we are all on the same page. The cherry on the cake is that she is also warm, friendly, and smiley. Our son always enjoys his sessions with her, as they're joyful but have also really helped him build his skills and confidence.
Alex was great at helping our daughter feel confident before and during the 11+ by working on her less strong areas. She was also excellent at supporting the interview prep making sure she had tools to deal with any questions that came up rather than scripting answers. She was notably more confident after speaking to Alex.
Jacqueline is a fabulous tutor! She is excellent at engaging my somewhat head strong daughter and has not only picked up on her strengths, but is encouraging her to build on them which is increasing her confidence. Jacqueline’s knowledge is second to none, but what makes her wonderful has been her ability to get to know my daughter, understand her way of thinking and adapt a teaching style that brings out her best work. I trust Jacqueline 100% and no longer sit in on my daughters sessions. I leave them to it as I know Jacqueline has the experience and level of expectation that is needed to help my daughter reach her full potential.

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