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Our View
Successful, popular and a real contender on the London day-school circuit, Whitgift has wowed us. Academic results are stellar, sport and co-curricular spectacular, the pace of change and innovation terrific and the social conscience inspiring. This is a school for bright boys from all backgrounds – and with a community of over 1,500 pupils, it’s also a place that doesn’t do anything by halves.
Where?
Whitgift’s 45-acre Croydon campus is exceptionally beautiful – and the absolute antithesis of the concrete jungle you might expect. With its string of stunning buildings – ranging from the traditional to contemporary – immaculate grounds, beautiful parkland and water gardens flush with pink flamingos, it’s a proper oasis in this patch of south London. A few tweaks and changes to the already impressive facilities are in the pipeline (all part of the school’s 2025 Vision), including a shiny new academic centre to house the sixth-form – and more pedestrianised areas as social spaces for boys to hang out in.
Head
At the end of the summer term 2024, former head Chris Ramsey handed over the reins to Andrew Halls, who has taken up the role of interim head of Whitgift for a year. Previously head of Magdalen College School and King’s College School, Wimbledon, Mr Halls is a brilliant appointment – and we’re huge fans. In September 2025, new permanent head Toby Seth will take up the role. Throughout his career, Mr Seth has worked at Wellington College, Godolphin and Latymer, The King’s School Macclesfield and Pocklington School – and we very much look forward to meeting him.
Admissions
Places at Whitgift are highly coveted – around 60 spaces are available at 10+, and 180 at 11+. The school is keen that the pupil body (and staff) reflect the local community which is so diverse economically and ethically. At all entry points, applicants sit the school’s own exam, with the top performers invited back for an interview to ensure that the school and its values are a good fit. At 13+, entry is for both day and boarding places. Every application is assessed forensically and with 800+ applicants across all entry points, they need to. In Year 9, there are between 30 to 50 places available with around 200 applying. Academics aside, the school is looking for boys who have the potential to be independent thinkers and flourish in the Whitgift environment.
Academics and destinations
The school believes that the boys-only model frees pupils not to be stereotyped in subject options, and academic success matters here – it’s the broadness of the curriculum and the sheer range of qualifications that make Whitgift stand out. Independent learning and problem solving sit at the fore, with boys encouraged to stretch themselves and embark on their own individual research projects to get them thinking critically. Effort and rigour are foundation stones, and the boys achieve excellent results, supported by equally impressive teachers.
Lessons in global citizenship, digital literacy and theology and philosophy all kick in from the word go; first years study Korean (‘because it’s different’) and all Year 7s do three languages, choosing between French or Spanish, Latin or German and Mandarin or Japanese (Whitgift was one of the first schools in the country to teach the latter). All boys are screened in the junior years to identify if any learning support is needed, and there is a specialised team and resources available to meet learning needs. One mother praises the ‘exceptional’ subject clinics for pupils who need extra support.
In the sixth form, boys pick between the IB and A-levels. Maths and STEM subjects both see big uptakes at A-level, but history, languages and the humanities are incredibly strong too. Results are superb: Whitgift consistently ranks as one of the top 20 IB schools in the world. Leavers head for Oxbridge and Russell Group universities, with a handful of medics each year and an increasing number opting to apply overseas, particularly the US.
Co-curricular
Music and the arts are very impressive. The extraordinarily talented Whitgift Chamber Orchestra regularly performs alongside the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, choirs and music ensembles have played at the Royal Albert Hall and choristers have sung in ‘all the cathedrals in the south of England’, says a pupil.
Drama flourishes too, with a dedicated performing-arts centre (Twelfth Night The Musical and Animal Farm are just two recent shows they’ve staged) and some boys take lead roles in television, film and West End productions. They also take a biennial show to the Edinburgh Festival and there are at least five productions a year that pupils can get involved in. The art offering is equally impressive, with huge art studios and large Design, Technology and Engineering workshops at the heart of the school.
Sports facilities are first class, too: there are pitches galore, and a recent investment in slick hybrid surfaces has meant less downtime for teams (given the British weather). New floodlights have also extended playing time, and night matches on the rugby pitch have become a popular addition. Add to that squash/fives courts, a super indoor pool and much, much more – absolutely everything happens on site (bar riding for modern pentathlon). And sport here isn’t just the preserve of the elite: the director of cricket coaches the F team too – and there’s plenty for the team-sport-averse, including golf (the school has its own driving range), fencing, modern pentathlon and swimming. There’s as much emphasis on performance as there is on the benefits of sport to pupils’ wellbeing, too, including boosting confidence, being able to collaborate and learning how to step up after defeat.
Evenings and weekends are packed with clubs and societies – it’s not uncommon for 1,000 or so boys to be back on campus on a Saturday for sports fixtures, play rehearsals or to prepare for CCF or DofE expeditions. The co-curricular programme here is based around opportunity and participation: every new boy is taught to fence, and gets six free golf lessons with a PGA professional and the chance to learn an instrument for a term, free of charge. There’s a raft of outdoor education, too, from mountain biking and climbing to kite surfing and skiing. Animal Club – the chance to hang out with the biology department’s snakes, reptiles and insects – gets top billing on the list of 100+ clubs and societies. Other options include yarn club, beekeeping and War Hammer.
Diversity, charity and partnership programmes are the lifeblood of the school, and Whitgift’s latest aim is to get every single boy actively involved in community service. Its Primary Project sees more than 1,000 local school children spend a week at Whitgift each year. At the height of the pandemic, staff, in partnership with the local council, invited almost 200 local Year 5 children in for a summer school of lessons to boost their confidence and help them catch up with classes missed during lockdown. Saturday masterclasses are held for local pupils who are given the opportunity to stretch and nurture their talents.
Boarding
Despite being predominantly a London day school, Whitgift has a thriving boarding house for 110 boys. Full boarding is popular with overseas students, while weekly boarding caters for sixth formers studying towards their final exams and those who face a long daily commute or a heavy schedule of co-curricular activities (flexi boarding can be booked as late as the day before). The proximity of central London means weekend trips into the capital are plentiful.
School community
This is a large school, but mentors, a rock-solid tutor system and large Year Group Teams keep a close eye on each and every boy – and form solid relationships with parents too. Overseeing it all is the wonderfully empathetic deputy head pastoral Dayle Kirby who is laser focused on providing the best pastoral care to help the boys to mature on all fronts. The collegiate atmosphere between staff and pupils means boys feel able to bring issues to teachers and there are also three trained counsellors on site. Boys speak openly about the palpable community spirit here and the head believes that prefects should be chosen based on who they are rather than what they have achieved. Social challenges facing teenage boys in today's world are also firmly on the radar, and the Ideatum programme helps place pastoral care front and centre.
It’s also a school that pupils are prepared to travel for, with pupils commuting in from everywhere from Southwark to the depths of Surrey.
One of Whitgift’s great strengths is its incredibly socially and ethnically diverse community – and the school is part of the John Whitgift Foundation, which runs one of the biggest educational bursary systems in the UK. Around a quarter of boys are on significant means-tested bursaries (many on over 100 per cent fee assistance with extra funding for uniform and trips) and the school is committed to doubling this figure over the next decade through its Whitgift For All bursary fundraising initiative.
And finally....
A very large, very special school with a strong moral compass at its heart. This is not a place for showing off; it’s about working and playing hard, thinking of others and getting to know yourself, nurturing your passions and sharing your talents with others. Exceptionally diverse and inclusive, there’s a wonderful sense of normality here with a giving back mindset that’s admirable.