Trinity/Whitgift 2021 entry

Thank you, really useful to read first hand experiences.

@SuiGeneris My son isn't sporty at all but has been loving Whitgift so far. They do make them do tasters of all sorts but there's no huge pressure for boys like my son to be on teams and he is happy not to be so He has taken up a couple of new things though, which is good. I think it's a great place for sporty kids but that's not all they do at all.

They work them hard from pretty much day one and homework had been a real culture shock, coming from a very average state primary but they learn some great stuff. The language programme has been a revelation to us. The staff seem really lovely and supportive. I think you do need to be willing to make the most of it!

Also, is anyone doing Atom to prepare for the pre-test for these schools? What sort of scores are realistic?

Thank you @AveEldon. I had the impression Whitgift was sportier and more alpha, and Trinity quirkier and perhaps kinder. Is that the case?

@SuiGeneris there are similar boys at both schools. Trinity has fewer places so has been seen as harder to get in.

Hi all,
Had been watching these threads for years and now it is my turn. DS is trying for Trinity and we had not really considered Whitgift until recently but in their online open day it looked like a very welcoming and down to Earth school.

What sort of boy do they look for, esp compared to Trinity?
DS is a voracious reader, generally bright and in the top 10/15% at his prep. Not very sporty, plays an instrument but only for pleasure, not for exams.

I find on these threads that often comments like “others are relegated to the playground” are from parents with zero direct experience of the school. My son had never played rugby when he arrived and started in the Fs and has over the years moved up for the Bs so I have plenty of experience of lower teams and on many occasions the Ds and Es had matches in the amazing main pitch ...certainly never in the playground! Lots of opportunities for everyone to try all sports !

I have 3 boys at Whitgift and no one is relegated to the playground at the back - there are enough pitches for all. No sports take place in a playground. Only last month the U12 E and F cricket teams played on the fabulous north field pitch.

The best teams have access to the best pitches (right in front of the school) and the best coaches of course, whilst the clubs are relegated to the playground at the very back but it the case in many places.
With the regard to the boy in question, the fact that his grades were not quite where the school would have liked them to be certainly didn’t play in his favour in the final decision to exclude. There wasn’t much doubt in the fact all the boys in that group had taken drugs, he was just the only one to admit to it thinking it was the right thing to do.

We only have experience of Whitgift during Covid but even under the necessary restraints at the moment, my son has been playing 5 different sports a week in various grounds/facilities (and he is NOT a sporty child - many kids are doing more!) plus using the music facilities etc, so I don't get the impression of restrictions at all.

Nonsense! The grounds are available to the kids with everyone getting a chance to play on the main pitches (including E and F teams!). We have never had any issues at all with facilities not being available. My DS has been commuting for a number of years on the train has never been approached by anyone wanting to sell drugs. As for the story mentioned above...there are always two sides of the story and the school quite rightly decided not to respond. And I completely agree with the zero tolerance policy.

The kids don't get to run wild with the peacocks and they don't get to kick a football about on the cricket pitches at lunch

Thanks both. Aside from the issues of this child, I also noticed a comment about the grounds, facilities, etc, not actually being particularly available to the children... is this people’s experience? Is it all show rather than substance?

[quote Doobiedooo]This thread concerns me, any thoughts? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/3619437-My-son-was-expelled-for-telling-the-truth-Sunday-Times?[/quote]
That boy was the only one to admit to it (but not the only one to take drugs), it is to note that his grades were not quite where the school would have liked them to be ...

I don't really have any comment on this. My son takes the train to school regularly. As it says in the story, the Whitgift schools are zero tolerance policy, and IMO rightly so.
I haven't heard of boys being targeted on trains. It really depends on the boy.

This story gets shared every few months.

By all accounts there was a lot more to the story - and no one goes to the papers to say that there was an issue at school and the school handled it well so it's hard to form a balanced view of pastoral care.

This thread concerns me, any thoughts? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/3619437-My-son-was-expelled-for-telling-the-truth-Sunday-Times?

Thank you so much for your comments. Keeping my fingers crossed!

@SD1000 My son did 11+ and has just started at Whitgift this year. He's not sporty at all, was Grade 5 & 4 on two instruments and he did well enough on the entrance exam to be assessed for scholarship but was unsuccessful. I don't think he's exceptional at Whitgift! He's a bright kid but he's certainly being challenged now. I think you stand as good a chance as anyone else

Not all the boys at T excel at something. They are all bright, some very bright. Many have interests/hobbies, but they are not all Grade 8 instrumentalists/county players/exhibitors at the Tate etc!

Thank you all so much for your comments. He doesn't excel at anything in particular but is a bit of an all rounder. He enjoys all sports, football in and out of school (not first team though), hockey, cricket and would do more sports if available or had time. He use to swim for Bromley but he lost interest a year ago. Grade 3 piano and music theory, would like to learn guitar. I just wonder if this is 'enough' compared to all applying. He would certainly make use of all the clubs on offer, he likes to try everything, works hard and always opts for the harder work at school.

@SD1000, as Justjuice suggests, all the schools need to look beyond the exam grades this year it has been catastrophic for all the children. Does your DS shine on other ways, beyond the academic where dylsexia tends to blot the academic profile of many. Your child's school must be supportive for your DS to be achieving well.

Hi SD1000 I would say speak to the school. I think this year more than others they are looking at extenuating circumstances, and not just test results and reports.
My older son has Aspergers and although it has generally not affected him academically, the school has always been very supportive of him and any concersn we have had. I really think they excel at this.

We are doing the 11+ this year, he wasn't ready last year. He is bright but has dyslexia and although he achieves expected level at school his educational psychologist assessment states that he has a high IQ and should be a high achiever. There is a discrepancy between what he is achieving at school and his potential as apparently is the case with many dyslexic children. My worry is whether the independent schools look at potential or if they just go by what school reports and test results show?

For Trinity sports scholarship, I would try anyway. you never know who applies at the same time as you do, plus the boys get to spend a day there so get a feel for it, increase visibility too.
Trinity is a great rounded, but academic school, we were also very happy with their online/home learning during lockdown. Obviously not the same as being in class but we don't feel the academic side of things really suffered and they managed to run some clubs to. Good luck !