Hi all, have been lurking and sharing your high and lows from a distance. I am parent with two DS's at Whitgift, one in Yr11 and one in Yr 8, so can give a sense of perspective on some of the posts. Will also state upfront that we do benefit from bursaries.
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Is Whitgift a top tier or super selective school, no it is not! For that you would be looking at schools like KCS Wimbledon, Westminster etc. They are super selective, and still offer sports and music and the results show. E.g KCS had 55 offers to Oxford or Cambridge out of a year group of 100. Whitgift had 8 out of a year group of 200, so the difference is clear. However ,Whitgift is a solid school that will give your DS's a good solid base from which to build. For us has it been everything we imagined no, but are are DS'shappy. Yes!
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The Whitgift foundation schools have one of the most generous Bursary schemes in the UK, it is widely acknowledged as creating a unique and diverse social mix. Not a bad thing, but has and does create issues in the social dynamic of the school.
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Having spent £10 million on the Sports Centre are they keen to promote sporting excellence? Yes they are! But there is a feeling amongst existing Whitgift parents that this is to the detriment of bright boys at the admissions process. When DS2 was sitting 11+, a clever boy inis year group at his state primarywas offered scholarships at five other schools but not at Whitgift. A not so bright boy from the same state primary but a great cricketer was offered a 30 % scholarship with a full fee remission with a bursary. There is a feeling amongst parents that this pattern is worrying and had been mentioned to the school, as Whitgift have lost a lot of bright boys because of this as they choose to go elsewhere.
Part of the issue is that the school is so (too) big. Naturally they are focused on the top 10 %in each year who are scholars whether they are in Music, Drama, Sport or Academic. It does leave a big underbelly of boys in that middle ground who can get a bit lost in the system, and I would question if I was full fee paying as to whether there was value for money. Part of the issue is class size. Burntoutdad comment re great staff ratio is simply wrong. Whitgift have class size of 25, against Trinity with 22 and the super selectives have 20. Places like St Paul's and KCS teach in classes of 8 for the first three years in Maths, English and French etc.
In terms of offers and places offered, this year the rumour going round parents already at the school is that all passed that want a place have been offered a place, some went on the reserve list but have know been offered. If you can pay full fees there are still places available. Part of the issue is that the scholarship pool has been cut drastically so they have had a lot of rejections from parents expecting scholarships. They were expecting this so over offered massively. We have heard through the HM of Ds2 old prep school that lots did not get Trinity but did get into Whitgift, or offered Scholarships at other schools but not at Whitgift. It is also an open secret there that if your DS has not got a place elsewhere and did not try initially for Whitgift then a full fee place can be secured there today.
A big shock for me and perhaps why I'm writing this post is what I have just found out regarding GCSE entries, if they feel that your DS is not up the mark in a subject and will damage their rankings, they will ask him to sit the exams at Croydon College, so you pay the fees but are not sitting public exams under The Whitgift umbrella. Trinity does not do this, don't know about the others. There is also a big cull before entry to he sixth form. If you want proof of this ask them the question how many sat GCSE in English and Maths under the Whitgift name' you will find the answer will be 160-170, weal know that there is 200in each year group, so ask them what happened to the rest, as everyone sits English and Maths.......
Ok so this is not a rant, nor am I doing the school down, I have two DS's that are doing well there and have benefited from what Whitgift offer, but you need to be aware and manage your way through the school.and see past the Peacocks and Purple Capes. Top tier - no, a good solid school - yes.Enjoy and rejoice that your DS's have got in but go in with your eyes open!!!