Whitgift School 11 Plus (11+) Entrance Exam Information 2024
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Whitgift School first opened its doors in 1600, having been founded by the Archbishop of Canterbury, John Whitgift, four years earlier. Located in Croydon in south London, it occupies 45 acres of beautiful parkland.
The school educates boys aged 10 to 18 and takes boarders from age 13. Approximately 7% of its pupils are full or weekly borders and with only limited places available there is much competition for them.
The school has one of the biggest bursary schemes in the UK and is proud to be inclusive. It is part of the Whitgift Foundation, which was established to provide an education for local children, and currently provides 47% of pupils with some level of fee assistance either from a bursary or scholarship.
Whitgift offers a variety of qualifications, including A-levels, Pre-U, the IB and BTEC, and tailors programmes of study for the individual pupil. In the school’s most recent Educational Quality Inspection by the ISI, it was found to be ‘excellent’ for both the quality of the pupils’ achievements (academic and other) and the quality of the pupils’ personal development.
The school has an exemplary reputation for sports and performing arts. It owns a state-of-the-art Sports and Conference Centre, offers 40 different sports and has taken over 120 national titles in the past five years, including in hockey and basketball.
It also has an excellent Music School and Concert Hall and has close links to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Its orchestras and choirs tour internationally and have played in world-famous venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall and Goodwood House.
Whitgift School 11 Plus (11+) Information 2024
Address: Haling Park, South Croydon, London, CR2 6YT
County: Greater London
Admissions info: admissions@whitgift.co.uk or 020 8633 9935
School Type: Boys’ independent day and boarding school
Number of Pupils: 1490 (approx.)
Open Day Date: September / October
Exam Date: January of Year 6
Exam Type / Board: School’s own
Pass mark: Aim for 75%+ in our practice tests. See below for more details.
Whitgift School 11 Plus (11+) Open Days
Whitgift School holds Open Morning and Open Evening in the Autumn Term. These provide families with insight into school life and offer them the rare opportunity to explore facilities through guided tours. Places are limited thus booking is essential. You can view the school’s exact location on the map below:
Whitgift School 11 Plus (11+) Admissions
Places in Upper 1 (Year 7) at Whitgift School are offered on the basis of academic ability and performance in the 11+ entrance exam, plus interviews and references from your son’s current school.
For him to be considered for entry, you must complete the online application form and pay the £160 application fee. The deadline for this is in November of Year 6.
The 11+ entrance exam is held in January of the year of entry. If your son achieves the required result, he will be invited back for an interview. Please note that parents are also asked to attend an interview, conducted separately by a senior member of staff.
Whitgift School 11 Plus (11+) Scholarships and Bursaries
Academic Scholarship awards are made based on performance in the entrance examinations. Candidates who achieve outstanding results can be awarded a remission of between 5–50% of their fees.
Boys with exceptional talent in music, art, design technology & engineering, sport, drama and music may apply for a scholarship award in their specialist area. Those who achieve the required results in the entrance exam will then be called back for a specific audition or test. Scholarship awards can be up to 50% of the school fees.
A substantial number of bursaries are available for day pupils each year. Bursaries are means-tested and, to be considered for this award, you must send a completed bursary application form to the Whitgift Foundation.
The value of the bursary will depend on your level of need and financial circumstances. However, the school will also look into your son’s academic performance, as assessed throughout the admissions process. For more details, please follow this link.
Whitgift School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Format
The Whitgift School 11+ entrance exam consists of the following papers:
- English Paper 1: essay
- English Paper 2: comprehension, grammar, punctuation, syntax and vocabulary
- Mathematics: arithmetic, problem solving and reasoning
- Critical Thinking: assesses the ability to solve multi-step problems
Please see below for further details and recommendations on how to prepare for the Whitgift School 11+ examination.
How to Prepare for the Whitgift School 11 Plus (11+) Exam
One of the best ways of preparing for competitive entrance exams is to use practice papers. These help students to familiarise themselves with the format and question types they will encounter in the actual test in an efficient and effective manner. They also provide an excellent opportunity for students to practise working under time pressure.
Our practice papers, which are available for immediate download, print and use after purchase, offer excellent practice and preparation for the Whitgift School 11+ entrance exam. They cover all the key skills and can be used to identify any weaker areas that require additional work ahead of the exam and to help build confidence.
Our 11+ practice papers are thoroughly researched and up to date. Every year, they are used successfully by tens of thousands of students targeting schools with a competitive entrance exam. They are designed to be age appropriate but challenging, to reflect the demands of such an exam.
Whitgift School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Pass Marks and Target Scores
Pupils who are able to score 75%+ consistently in our 11+ practice tests should be on track to pass the Whitgift School 11+ test.
Whilst there are no guarantees, this has historically been a fairly strong indicator that your child should do well in the Whitgift School 11+ exam.
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!
Whitgift School 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
To prepare for the Whitgift English examinations, we would highly recommend using the following practice papers, which will help to improve comprehension and writing skills, including spelling and vocabulary:
Comprehension
11+ Complete Comprehension Guide
Writing
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the Whitgift School English exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
11+ English Bundle - Save 30%
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
To prepare for the maths paper, we would highly recommend using the following practice papers:
Full Practice Tests
Skill Specific Practice
11+ Fractions, Decimals & Percentages
11+ Reflection, Rotation & Symmetry
✅ You can now purchase a bundle of all of our recommended 11+ resources for the Whitgift School mathematics exam at a large discount. Click the button below to learn more:
11+ Mathematics Bundle - Save 30%
Critical Thinking
To prepare for the Critical Thinking exam, we would highly recommend using the following practice papers:
11+ Critical Thinking & Analysis Pack 1
11+ Critical Thinking & Analysis Pack 2
11+ Critical Thinking & Analysis Pack 3
Get 10% off orders over £70 and 20% off orders over £250 if you don’t buy a bundle. Use the code eppdiscount at checkout.
Interviews
This interview guide covers all the key concepts your child needs to be aware of for the 11+ Interview:
11+ Interviews – The Complete Guide
Our practice tests aim to show what sort of questions were included in Whitgift School 11+ past papers. The information provided about Whitgift School 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 Whitgift School:
Click here to learn about Year 6 entry via the 10 Plus (10+) Exam
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