Croydon High School: parents' guide to Year 7 entry

Croydon High School is an independent day school in Croydon, South London for girls aged 3–18, incorporating a nursery, junior school, senior school and sixth form. It is a member of the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) – the UK’s leading family of 25 independent girls’ schools.

Croydon High School was founded by the suffragette Dorinda Neligan in 1874 and focuses on ‘every girl, every day’. This means that the school takes the time to get to know each child as an individual with potential and adapts the right level of challenge accordingly.

Pupils are allocated to one of four school houses, each named after an inspirational woman in the fields of science, medicine and politics, literature and pioneering nursing. Girls are asked to challenge themselves and develop ‘an understanding that they are not competing with each other, but they are competing with the world’.

The exam results at Croydon High School are strong. In 2021, 68% of GCSEs were graded 9/8/A*/A and 83% of A level results were A* or A. Student destinations are nearly all Russell Group universities.

Key information for Croydon High School

• Headteacher: Emma Pattison

• Address: Croydon High School, Old Farleigh Road, Selsdon, South Croydon, CR2 8YB

• London Borough: Croydon

• Admissions contact: Sharon Smith – [email protected], 020 8260 7543

• Age range and gender: 3–18, girls only

• Number of pupils: 800

• Number of places in Year 7: approximately 80 (half transferring from the junior school and half external applicants)

• Ratio of applicants to places: undisclosed

• Open day date: Wednesday 29th June 2022 and Saturday 8th October 2022

• Overview of selection procedure for Year 7 entry: Adaptive online test, a learning exercise (followed by a writing exercise) and an informal discussion exercise with a small group and a member of staff

• Registration deadline: Monday 7th November 2022

• Assessment date for Year 7 entry: Saturday 3rd December 2022

• Scholarship assessment date: Week commencing Monday 28th November 2022

Croydon High School fees and financial assistance

For the academic year 2022-23, the senior school fees in Years 7 to 9 are £6,008 per term. The fees for the academic year 2023-24 will be published in April 2023.

Croydon High School offers a limited number of bursaries (funded places) to girls who would not otherwise be able to benefit from the school’s education. These are means-tested and the value of the bursary is related to the income and financial resources of the girl’s family. The award of a bursary is at the headmistress’ discretion based on the child’s performance in the assessment process.

The school also offers a limited number of scholarships. For pupils entering Year 7, there are academic scholarships and music, art and design, drama and sports scholarships. The financial value of these is undisclosed.

Croydon High School term dates

The term dates at Croydon High School in 2022-23 are:

• Autumn term: 5th September – 16th December 2022

• Half term: 17th – 28th October 2022

• Spring term: 5th January – 29th March 2023

• Half term: 13th – 17th February 2023

• Summer term: 19th April – 7th July 2023

• Half term: 29th May – 2nd June 2023

Admissions process for Croydon High School

Candidates hoping to join Croydon High School in Year 7 will join girls moving up from Croydon Junior School.

If you are interested in 11 plus entry at Croydon High School, you will need to register your child with the school before 7th November 2022. Registration can be completed on the school website. The registration fee is £100 per child.

On Saturday 3rd December 2022, candidates will sit an adaptive online test which is designed to assess each child’s ability in skills including numeracy, problem-solving and vocabulary. They will also take part in an exercise which includes taking part in a classroom lesson and following up with a writing task based on the skills and content they have learnt. The third part of the assessment is an informal discussion exercise with a small group and a member of the school’s senior teaching staff.

Letters with the outcome of your child’s application will be sent at the end of January 2023.

Croydon High School entrance exam format

Croydon High School uses its own adaptive online test for 11 plus entry. This is designed to assess ability in skills such as numeracy, problem solving and vocabulary. There are no specimen papers available for this.

How to help your child prepare for the selection process at Croydon High School

To prepare for the entrance exam at Croydon High School, we suggest starting preparation early – ideally at the end of Year 4 or beginning of Year 5.

Croydon High School does not share specimen papers or many details about its entrance exam. However, as the test will assess skills in numeracy, problem-solving and vocabulary, we recommend that your daughter is comfortable with the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum in English and maths before the exam day.

Regular reading time alongside revision will help your child boost their vocabulary and concentration. As the exam day gets closer, we suggest that your child completes online adaptive tests to help her practice time management and get a feel for this unique type of assessment. Atom Nucleus has plenty of online mock tests that use an adaptive algorithm, such as practice ISEB tests as seen below:

Atom Learning can help

We have over 90,000 teacher-written practice questions that cover the entire Key Stage 2 national core curriculum. Our online learning platform, Atom Nucleus, also includes video tutorials, help sheets, live exam preparation courses and adaptive mock tests. It’s our mission to help your child feel prepared and confident on exam day.

Begin your free 5-day free trial of Nucleus today to unlock success in the classroom, entrance exams and more.

We know how crucial this time is, so our team is on hand to support you and your family every step of the way. You can book a call with one of our Education Experts to ask any questions you might have about 11 plus entry to Croydon High School:

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