The Old Palace School, Croydon, 11 Plus (11+) Entrance Exam Information – Key Details
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Table of Contents
Introduction
The Old Palace (of John Whitgift) School is an independent school for girls in Croydon, London, operated by the Whitgift Foundation. It consists of a nursery, a preparatory department and a senior school.
The school was founded in 1889 by the Sisters of the Church. The building itself was the summer residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury till the 19th century when it was sold and used as a bleaching factory.
The building was rescued by the Duke of Newcastle in 1887 and given to the Sisters Of The Church who began using it for educational purposes.
In 1975, the school became a fully independent day school for girls. It merged with Croham Hurst School, a former independent school, in 2008. The Old Palace is protected as a Grade I listed building.
For students new to Year 7, the school offers established strategies to ensure a smooth transition. Girls’ confidence is aided by a strong framework of pastoral care.
The curriculum for Year 7 students includes courses in art, design & technology, drama, English, French or Spanish, geography, history, computing, Latin, mathematics, music, PE & swimming, RS, and science.
The Old Palace School offers The Learning for Life programme which underpins the human, social, spiritual, cultural, careers and academic aspects of students’ work.
The school is known for its commitment to providing a safe, stimulating and caring environment where a strong sense of self-worth and simultaneous efforts to contribute to the community are strongly encouraged.
Whilst working in partnership with all members of the community, the school invests in promoting self-discipline and the habit of taking personal responsibility among its students.
The Old Palace School, Croydon 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information
Address: Old Palace Road Croydon CR0 1AX
County: Surrey
Admissions info: admissions@oldpalace.croydon.sch.uk or 020 8688 2027
School type: Independent day school for girls
Number of students: 870 (approx.)
Open day: October
11+ Exam date: January of Year 6
11+ Exam type / Board: School’s own & online test
Pass mark (Papers): Aim for 75%+ in our paper-based practice tests.
Pass mark (Online Reasoning Test): Aim for 75%+ in our online practice tests.
Open Events for The Old Palace School, Croydon, 11 Plus (11+) Entry
Open Days occur all throughout the year and include Saturday afternoons for Seniors and visits during normal school days (Nursery, Prep & Seniors). Individual visits are also possible and can be arranged with the Admissions Officer.
The Old Palace School hosts an Open Afternoon in February at the Senior School. It includes a pupil-guided tour of Old Palace and a talk by the School’s Head. The afternoon finishes with tea and scones in the historic library.
Introduction to Year 7 takes place in September, whilst the Whole School Open Day is set in October.
All Open Events require families to pre-register if possible.
The Old Palace School, Croydon, 11 Plus (11+) Admissions
The admission process consists of written and online testing and an interview. The most recent school report and a reference from the Head Teacher of the current school are also required.
The assessment includes English and mathematics papers and an online test in Reasoning. These tests take place in January of the year of entry. Each candidate’s social interaction will also be observed.
Places for entry will be offered based on ranking in the entrance assessments. Interviews with parents/carers and students will also be scheduled throughout the Autumn term.
Students should bring a piece of work that they are particularly proud of to the interview in order to discuss it with a member of the Senior Leadership team for approx. 15 minutes. The interviewer will focus on the student’s interests and strengths at school and assess their communication skills, creativity, general knowledge and logic.
Parental sympathy towards the ethos and values of the Old Palace School is crucial for the child’s academic success, which is why they will also be interviewed.
The Old Palace School, Croydon, 11 Plus (11+) Exam Format
The Old Palace Croydon School 11+ examination in January consists of maths, English and Reasoning papers.
The English paper assesses comprehension and writing skills, whilst the maths paper covers problem-solving abilities and arithmetic skills. Both papers consist of mainly standard format questions.
The Reasoning paper is taken online. It may well resemble the Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT), which is an online assessment that covers Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, Spatial Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning.
How to Prepare for The Old Palace School, Croydon, 11 Plus (11+) Exam
In order to boost your child’s confidence ahead of The Old Palace Croydon School 11+ examination, we strongly suggest that you make use of our practice tests.
They cover all the question types that could be asked on the big day and can help your child familiarise themselves with the style and layout of the actual exam. In this way, you will become aware of their strengths and potential weaker areas that require additional work.
Our practice papers will help you create a study schedule that highlights what needs to be studied and when. Such a structured approach towards 11+ exam preparation removes any unnecessary stress from the preparation process, making it less demanding.
Through practising under timed conditions, your child will get used to answering questions quickly, efficiently and confidently. Every year, hundreds of thousands of students gain a significant advantage over their peers with the help of our practice tests.
The Old Palace School, Croydon, 11 Plus (11+) Exam Pass Marks and Target Scores
Pupils who are able to score 75%+ consistently in our practice papers should be on track to pass the written sections of the Old Palace 11+ exam.
Pupils who are able to score 75%+ consistently in our online practice tests should be on track to pass the Old Palace 11+ online Reasoning test.
Whilst there are no guarantees, this has historically been a fairly strong indicator that your child should do well in The Old Palace School, Croydon, 11 Plus examinations.
Don’t worry if your child is not scoring well in our practice papers from the outset. With targeted practice and focus, it’s possible to make big improvements in a short amount of time!
The Old Palace School, Croydon, 11 Plus (11+) Exam Practice Papers
NOTE: The following English and Mathematics practice tests are in standard format, which means that students need to write in their own answers rather than choose from a list of multiple-choice options. This matches the 11+ Exam format used by the school.
English
We highly recommended the following packs for successful preparation for The Old Palace School, Croydon, 11+ English paper. They will help improve your child’s comprehension and writing skills, including spelling, vocabulary and inference:
Comprehension
11+ Complete Comprehension Guide
Writing
11+ English Bundle
If you’d like to have your child’s writing assessed and marked, you may be interested in our Writing Marking Service. Please click here to learn more.
Mathematics
For successful preparation ahead of The Old Palace School, Croydon, 11+ maths exam, we recommend the use of the following packs. They will help develop your child’s arithmetic and problem-solving skills:
Full Practice Tests
Skill Specific Practice
11+ Fractions, Decimals & Percentages
11+ Reflection, Rotation & Symmetry
11+ Mathematics Bundle
Interviews
11+ Interviews – The Complete Guide
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Online Reasoning test
The following Cognitive Abilities Tests (CAT) online practice tests and courses are highly recommended for successful preparation for The Old Palace School, Croydon, online Reasoning test which resembles CAT4. They will familiarise your child with many different Reasoning question types that could come up in the exam. The practice tests are specifically designed for CAT4 Level C, which is taken for Year 7 (11+) entry.
CAT4 – Level C – Practice Test 1
CAT4 – Level C – Practice Test 2
CAT4 – Level C – Practice Test 3
CAT4 – Level C – Practice Test 4
CAT4 – Level C – Practice Test 5
CAT4 Level C Practice Tests Bundle
CAT4 Quantitative Reasoning Course
CAT4 Non-Verbal Reasoning Course
CAT4 Level C Video Courses Bundle
Get 10% off orders over £80 and 20% off orders over £200. Use the code ppdiscount at checkout.
Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included in The Old Palace School, Croydon, 11+ exam past papers. The information provided about The Old Palace School, Croydon, was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware of future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you are unsure of anything. School contact details are provided within the post.
Other entry points for The Old Palace School, Croydon:
Click here to learn about Year 1 entry via the 5 Plus (5+) Exam
Click here to learn about Year 3 entry via the 7 Plus (7+) Exam
Click here to learn about Year 4 entry via the 8 Plus (8+) Exam
Click here to learn about Year 6 entry via the 10 Plus (10+) Exam
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