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Secondary education

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Original poster

Trinity/Whitgift 2019 thread

862 replies

enterparentone · 14/12/2018 17:04

Is there a thread yet for parents with kids doing entrance exams in Jan? It's been so helpful looking through previous years threads and now we're going through it I'd love a hand-hold and any advice on what to expect!

OP posts:
Yey22 · 22/02/2019 12:51

johnsmith75023, I’m sure there is no harm in asking although trinity is slightly cheaper than whitgift so 20% off whitgift isn’t more cheaper than Trinity without scholarship. Goodluck

SoupDragon · 22/02/2019 14:29

Who do you talk to at Trinity and is it just a matter of being honest?

I wrote to the (previous) headmaster and was honest, although I didn't come right out and ask for a scholarship. Things may have changed.

I felt there was nothing to lose.

MumOfLL · 22/02/2019 17:42

johnsmith75023, as far as I know, there are quite a few parents prepared to ask Trinity to reconsider DC offers without scholarship, including myself.

DS got an offer with 25% scholarship from one school, but full fee offer at Trinity. I called admission team and the answer was all scholarships have been allocated and only offer at the time of entry. I got the feeling that someone else has tried before me. Blush Anyway, worth a try!

Unlike Whitgift, last year DS got 10+ offer without scholarship and they said that after 2 years they could reconsider it if DS performed academically very well. We didn't accept the offer though.

walkingtheplank · 22/02/2019 19:57

I don't really see how you can negotiate a scholarship when the school has not offered one at all.
My DS was offered good scholarships from 2 schools and a full-fee place at T. We'd have preferred T and whilst I know that some do negotiate it didn't feel appropriate for us to do this. For me, the point of a scholarship is that that the school considers the child to be very able and/or have great potential and are therefore willing to reduce the fees in order to secure that child. A full-fee offer indicates that this is not how T saw my DS so we accept that and have, with much regret, chosen to decline the offer.
I think it's different if they've offered you a small scholarship as they obviously want your DS and there is possibly some negotiation to be had.

calpop · 25/02/2019 16:01

I agree. If you call Trinity they will politely, and clearly, demonstrate that, whilst your child has done very well, his marks across all 3 exams do not put him in the top 5% in each of them (for academic).

You also have to remember that 100s of boys will be wait listed or not offered places at all.

Over the past few years I have personally known 2 or 3 boys be offered scholarships at Whitgift and other schools, but not Tirinity.

It can be a bitter pill to swallow, but reflects the academic standard there.

Trinity are also expressly moving away from scholarships and towards bursaries.

This is not their first rodeo :)

AveEldon · 25/02/2019 16:02

I have heard of people negotiating (low value) sports scholarships at schools but not academic ones

SoupDragon · 25/02/2019 16:07

I must have imagined doing it then.

calpop · 25/02/2019 16:09

when did you do it - in the last 2/3 years?

Onwardsandupward · 25/02/2019 17:23

Do you think Trinity is more academic superior than Whitgift then, or is it perception and the smaller intake?

Wobbles21 · 25/02/2019 21:46

The exam is harder at Trinity because of the time pressure. It seems generally that academic scholarship at Whitgift doesn’t imply same at Trinity. We certainly know boys who have got into W and not T but W gets good performances out of the boys .

That said we got 25% from W and 30% from T so the difference was significant because W is more expensive.
DS choose T because he felt it was a harder exam and therefore it was a greater prize to get in. Not sure that’s true though.

Actually Ds thought the Trinity exam was harder than Kings college Wimbledon but that may just be him.

Smorgas · 25/02/2019 21:49

Hi,

Is anyone on the offer waiting list with Trinity? If so have you had any interaction with the school yet? I am trying to work out the likelihood of moving from the waiting list to an offer and have no sense of the chances at all. Thanks.

Original poster
enterparentone · 25/02/2019 22:55

I imagine there will be significant movement after 1st March when state offers come out as a number of boys will opt for grammar places. Good luck!

OP posts:
Motheroftw0 · 26/02/2019 14:59

Does anyone know how many places are there for 11 plus entry and how many are offered a place in Trinity?

PutMum · 26/02/2019 15:58

I was wondering if I could get a view on the following from some of the mums who have experience either personally or anecdotally of Trinity and Whitgift. We have a full fee offer from T, and a modest scholarship from W which financially puts them on par for us. We came to the 10+ process quite late, almost by accident and put in applications without visiting Trinity.

DS visited T for the exam, art and music assessments, seemed to like it until he sat the W exam in the old library and was blown away. He is very taken by W, finds it inspiring and beautiful and being an emotional/ intense learner I think this will mean quite a lot to him. Would we be foolish to reject Trinity without going on a parent tour? Feel uneasy about rejecting T without visiting, so any comments, thoughts would be much appreciated. DS will be moving from a small, cosy state school so I have some concerns about feeling lost in W - so pastoral support would make a difference. Thanks in advance for all and any inputs!

MuMama25 · 26/02/2019 16:56

Personally I think they are both great schools and you choose the one that suits him - I don’t think you’d be foolish to choose either one above the other - also I think their wanting to go is really important

Jige · 26/02/2019 17:55

PutMum congrats on your DS in doing so well to get offers from both schools.
Personally if you don’t have a preference then it is important to take into account which school your DS likes and wishes to go to.
However, if you and your DS have not had a tour of Trinity or Whitgift then it is wise to go and have a proper look at both. And then see what you and your DS feel and have a discussion.

Many people assume that because both the schools come from the same foundation, that they are the same. They are both very different, but academically the same.
Give T & W a call to arrange a visit and it may become clear which school you think will suit your DS. Good luck.

Motheroftw0 · 26/02/2019 17:57

Sorry to post again -

Does anyone know how many places are there for 11 plus entry and how many are offered a place in Trinity?

Yey22 · 26/02/2019 18:33

I think it’s about 70 but I could be alittle more

Yey22 · 26/02/2019 18:33

Don’t know how many offers go out though

Motheroftw0 · 26/02/2019 18:46

Thanks @Yey22

3underThree · 26/02/2019 18:57

Putmum, I would choose T !

PutMum · 26/02/2019 19:47

Thank you Jige and MuMama25. I am also inclined to go with DS' wishes, but recognise that it's not an informed decision if he has seen one and not the other. 3underThree - I too instinctively feel the scale of Trinity would suit us better, but really dare not force a school choice against DS' wishes. Will try to tour Trinity this week so we can make a balanced choice.

Snowstorm18 · 26/02/2019 20:26

PutMum, good luck. Both schools are wonderful. We’re closer to T but W was always DS’s dream school. He joined last year (year 7) and is simply loving it!

AveEldon · 26/02/2019 21:10

@PutMum - I think it's best to try and visit both schools with your DS on a normal school day

Seeline · 27/02/2019 10:00

Agree you really need to see both schools to make an informed decision.
My DS was a JBug at T 6 years ago, so things will have changed a bit, but I can honestly say it was the best decision we could have made. The school really help them with the big step up, and look after them. The real advantage came when the main intake started in Y7, and DS was one of the 'old boys' Grin