Whitgift School

About Whitgift School

Whitgift School, a private boys’ secondary in Croydon, holds an Ofsted rating of Outstanding, and its sixth-form results provide the clearest evidence of why. In the 2023/24 academic year, the average A-level grade per entry was A-, with a points-per-entry score of 47.76. Over half of all A-level entries (51.7%) were graded AAB or higher, and the best three A-levels averaged out at an A- grade. The school’s value-added score of 0.26 places it in the ‘Above average’ progress banding, meaning pupils typically leave with stronger results than their prior attainment would predict. This is a school where academic outcomes at sixth form are consistently strong, and the data suggests that students are pushed to exceed expectations.

At GCSE level, the picture is more nuanced. Whitgift’s Attainment 8 score sits at 12.1, and its EBacc average points score is 1.19. However, the school does not enter pupils for the EBacc combination of subjects — the EBacc entry percentage is 0% — and no Progress 8 score is published, which is common for independent schools that do not follow the state curriculum. For context, the local authority average Progress 8 for state schools in Croydon is -0.04, so Whitgift’s lack of a comparable metric makes direct benchmarking difficult. What is clear is that the school’s focus is firmly on A-level success, where it outperforms many of its local peers. Among Croydon’s 26 secondary schools, only five hold an Outstanding rating, and Whitgift is one of them.

The school is well-resourced, with facilities including a theatre, swimming pool, gymnasium, music rooms, playing fields, sports hall, tennis courts, astro turf, a chapel, and a dedicated sixth form centre. It offers boarding alongside day places, and the range of extracurricular activities is broad: drama, gardening, science club, debate, coding, newspaper, film club, chess, Model UN, and Young Enterprise. Sports on offer include hockey, rugby, football, tennis, athletics, cross country, netball, badminton, and rounders. With 1,500 pupils against a capacity of 1,600, the school is near full but not oversubscribed to the point of being inaccessible. Whitgift suits families who value strong A-level outcomes, a wide array of facilities, and a structured, all-boys environment with boarding options. The headteacher is Chris Ramsey.

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