WHITGIFT vs TONBRIDGE SCHOOL

[Svemoh]

Hello, we have just moved from India and DS appeared for Year 10 Entrance Exam at Whitgift and scheduled one at Tonbridge School,Kent . He is super bright and a fervent soccer player . We are looking for a Day Boarding place ( NOT FULL TIME BOARDER) at either school and are open to move to either Croydon /Tonbridge . Please advise which school, out of the two should we aim for if he gets accepted at both . Your insights would prove to be invaluable in our search.Many Thanks .

Whitgift is a serious rugby school so I am not sure they will cater for soccer/football players.

Whitgift have several academy players and have a link with Crystal Palace (or certainly did a little while ago). Victor Moses went there too. They’re quite different schools though - I get the impression Tonbridge is very posh (certainly very expensive...)

Exactly what I am trying to understand--different in what aspects ? Other than that Tonbridge has A Levels and Whitgift goes for IB in Sixth Form. Of course,Tonbridge is super expensive ....almost 10k GBP annually more than Whitgift.

Whitgift offers both A levels and the IB I thought?

Is Tonbridge mostly boarders?
Do they have school lessons on a Saturday?

Whitgift offers A-levels and IB at sixth form. Tonbridge is mostly boarders, Whitgift has one boarding house and offers flexi-boarding but there aren’t many full boarders there and it’s basically a day school with lots of extracurricular stuff. I know one family who turned Tonbridge down in favour of another London day school as it was just too expensive

Have you visited either, the sites and locations are vastly different. I believe the academic range is wider at Tonbridge. Do you need to live with easy access to London as Tonbridge can be a bit tricky if so.

Thank you all. I have already visited Whitgift and scheduling an appointment with Tonbridge presently. My son is an IB student since Grade 1 and keener on an IB Diploma at Sixth Form.Tonbridge's fees is prohibitive but we can stretch ourselves if its exceptional . Yes ,we would want an easier access to London as well as my husband's office is at Liverpool Street .Also, I have a daughter who is due to start her reception this September. Would Croydon offer more/better primary schools as compared to Tonbridge ?

Hi Svemoh
Have you tried sevenoaks school?
Their IB is rated very high and it's slightly cheaper than Tonbridge
It's also a very diverse school and it is also a mixed school.
Regarding primary, there are good primaries in Tonbridge itself.
Sevenoaks is also very good but the catchment for state primaries is very small.
If you are after private primary for your daughter sevenoaks has a few good ones but they are busy and you need to ring and check.
One other option is to live in a town like Orpington which has great trains to Tonbridge, sevenoaks and London.
It would also work out cheaper for house prices.
If you need further details pls pm me

Good luck for your son

Must add that sevenoaks school does tend to be full as their main intake is at year 7 and year 9 ( other than 6th form)
However no harm is ringing and asking.
In this economic climate there could always be spaces
Hope this helps

Thank you so much Scoobydoobydoo... We had contacted SevenOaks last year but they refused to consider our application as their intake for next two years is already full. The registrar advised us to visit the school when Sixth Form applications start for my son . Year 10 is a tricky Entrance Checkpoint and very few schools entertain the application .

Have you considered the Judd School in Tonbridge? It does A Levels rather than IB, but is very, very high achieving. My niece just went there for 6th form and is now at Oxford.

It's a state school, so no fees. Tonbridge is an easy commute into London and has very good primary/secondary schools, both state and public.

I know nothing about Croydon education, though so can't compare. If I had to choose to live in one town or the other, Tonbridge would get my money, hands down.

Judd is very good but it would be extremely difficult to get a grammar space in year 10.

Svemoh, I don't envy you!
Only you can decide which would suit your son after you visit both schools.
Also where you live could drive them decision too.
I would strongly suggest you consider the diversity aspect of it too especially as you are relocating.
As he is a teenager acceptance at peer groups etc is all the more important.
I haven't seen either Tonbridge or whitgift but from what I have heard Tonbridge is a very posh typical British public school.
It may or may not suite everyone.
Croydon is also a lot more ethnically diverse than Tonbridge and if you choose the right part of Croydon, you should get a good house.
The high street etc are not great though but that's my opinion.
You would have plenty of good Indian restaurants in Croydon:-)
Also check out train costs.
Tonbridge to London zone 1 is quite pricey.
However there are fast reliable services that being you into London in 40 mins.
Croydon also has several transport options but it is unfortunately served by an unreliable train operator.
Few things to consider
Good luck and hope it all goes well!

The centre of Croydon is quite tatty Loking at the moment but is due to have the shipping centre replaced with a large Westfield. I believe final planning is now passed so work should begin soon. Commuting is quick from east Croydon if you are on that line. 15-20 minutes into a variety of London stations and very frequent trains. Also a fair bit cheaper that tonbridge I would assume as within the London zones.

Thank you all....very valuable insights indeed ...Heartfelt appreciation for fellow Mumsnet members .... Would accordingly arrive a decision now .

Hi Svemoh,
I see this is an old thread but a friend is considering Tonbridge for his DS so I’m curious to know what you decided in the end.