Whitgift School 11 Plus (11+) Entrance Exam Information – Key Details
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. Although the school is located in Croydon in south London, Haling Park, the site which it has occupied since 1931, consists of 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 2017, in the school’s most recent Educational Quality Inspection by ISI (independent Schools Inspectorate) in 2017, 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 excellent reputation for sports and performing arts. It has 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 world-famous venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall and Goodwood House.
11 Plus Information for Whitgift School
Address: Whitgift School, 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
Whitgift School 11 Plus Admissions
Places in Upper 1 (Year 7) at Whitgift School are offered based on academic ability and the results of the school’s 11+ entrance exam, plus interviews and references from boys’ current schools.
The 11+ entrance exam is held in January of the year of entry and comprises papers in English (comprehension and composition), maths and verbal reasoning. Boys who achieve the required result in the entrance exam will be invited back for short interviews, where the candidate and their parents are interviewed separately by a senior member of staff.
Academic scholarship awards are made based on the results of the entrance exam. Candidates who achieve outstanding results can be awarded a remission of between 5–50% of their fees.
Boys with an 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 an award, parents must send a completed bursary application form to the Whitgift Foundation.
A copy of the Whitgift School’s admissions policy can be downloaded from its website.
How to Apply for 11 Plus Entry to Whitgift School
The Whitgift School holds an open morning and open evening in September and early October respectively. Booking is not required for these events. They also hold open afternoons throughout the autumn term to give an insight into a normal school day. Places are limited for these and places must be pre-booked.
For your son be considered for entry into Upper 1 (Year 7) at Whitgift School, you must complete the online application form and pay the £100 (£130 for overseas pupils) application fee. Applications are accepted from August to November of the year prior to entry.
Whitgift School 11 Plus Exam Format
The Whitgift School 11+ entrance exam consists of the following papers:
- English Paper 1: Essay (55 minutes)
- English paper 2: Comprehension, grammar, punctuation, syntax and vocabulary (45 minutes)
- Mathematics: arithmetic, problem solving and reasoning (1 hour)
- Verbal Reasoning.
Sample exam questions for English and maths are available to download from the school’s website.
The maths papers are based on the national curriculum and are designed to be age appropriate.
How to Prepare for the Whitgift School 11 Plus 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.
English
To prepare for the Whitgift English papers, 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
Mathematics
To prepare for the maths paper, we would highly recommend using the following practice papers:
Verbal Reasoning
Practice Tests
To prepare for the Verbal Reasoning paper, we would highly recommend using the following practice papers:
Skill specific practice
The following topic specific packs will help your child prepare for the various question types that could come up in the Whitgift School 11+ Verbal Reasoning exam:
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Anagrams
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Analogies
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Compound Words
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Embedded Words
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Form a Word
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Insert a Letter
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Letter Analogies
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Letter Calculations
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Letter Codes
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Letter Sequences
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Move a Letter
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Number Analogies
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Number Calculations
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Number Sequences
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Shuffled Sentences
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Synonyms
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Word Completion
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Word Match
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Word Opposites
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Word Pairs
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Word Puzzles
11+ Verbal Reasoning: Word Relationships
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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.
