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The Tiffin Girls' School 11+ guide

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Atom
|
March 16, 2026

Are you thinking about applying to The Tiffin Girls' School? Find out everything you need to know about the entry process and how to prepare for the 11+ exam.

Key information for The Tiffin Girls' School

  • School type: girls' grammar school
  • Location: Kingston upon Thames, Surrey
  • Admissions contact: admissions@tiffingirls.org
  • Number of places in Year 7: 180
  • 11+ exam: school's own (two-stage)
  • Catchment area: yes

Important dates for 2027 entry

  • Tuesday 2nd June 2026: Stage 1 test registration opens
  • Tuesday 7th July 2026: school open evening (4.30–7.30pm, no booking required)
  • Tuesday 1st September 2026: Stage 1 test registration closes at 12 noon
  • Thursday 1st – Friday 2nd October 2026: Stage 1 test (your daughter will be invited on one of these two dates)
  • On or around Wednesday 14th October 2026: parents notified if their daughter is invited to Stage 2
  • Saturday 31st October 2026: deadline to apply for secondary school places
  • November 2026: Stage 2 test (for invited candidates)
  • Monday 1st March 2027: secondary school national offers day

How to apply to The Tiffin Girls' School

The Tiffin Girls' School is selective. This means that your daughter will need to take the 11+ exam to be eligible for a place. The process has two stages. Girls who perform well enough in Stage 1 are invited to sit Stage 2.

You must register your daughter for the Stage 1 test. Registration opens on Tuesday 2nd June 2026 and closes at 12 noon on Tuesday 1st September 2026. Late registrations are not accepted.

Your daughter will be invited to sit the Stage 1 test on either Thursday 1st or Friday 2nd October 2026. You'll find out whether she has been shortlisted for Stage 2 on or around Wednesday 14th October 2026.

If your daughter is invited to Stage 2, the test will take place in November 2026. Results from both stages are combined to produce a final score, which is used to rank all candidates.

You can apply for a place by naming the school on your common application form. This must be submitted to your local authority by Saturday 31st October 2026 — you do not need to wait for Stage 2 results before applying.

Important note: passing the test doesn't guarantee that your daughter will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Grammar schools are often oversubscribed with children who meet the qualifying standard. After the 31st October deadline, schools use admissions criteria to allocate places.

We've outlined the process for The Tiffin Girls' School below.

What will my daughter be tested on?

The Tiffin Girls' School sets its own entrance exam. Both stages cover English and maths only, based on Key Stage 2 content up to the end of Year 5.

Stage 1 is a multiple-choice paper. Your daughter will record her answers on a separate answer sheet, which is marked electronically. The exam covers:

  • English: reading comprehension, vocabulary and inference questions based on a passage of text
  • Maths: arithmetic, problem-solving and mathematical reasoning based on Key Stage 2 content

Stage 2 is by invitation only, for girls who score highly enough in Stage 1. This stage consists of written English and maths papers set internally by the school. These are not multiple-choice — your daughter will write her answers directly on the paper.

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How are places allocated at The Tiffin Girls' School?

After both stages, results are combined and age-standardised to produce a final score for each candidate. Girls are then ranked in order of their final score.

Places are allocated in a particular order. This is known as 'oversubscription criteria' and is specific to each grammar school you apply to. Details are available in The Tiffin Girls' School's admissions policy.

Does The Tiffin Girls' School have a catchment area?

Yes. The Tiffin Girls' School has an inner area and a designated area. Girls living within these areas are prioritised for places. Children who qualify for Pupil Premium and live within the catchment area receive additional priority.

The inner area covers 13 electoral ward areas including Berrylands, Canbury Gardens, Coombe Hill, Coombe Vale, Kingston Town, Norbiton, Surbiton Hill and surrounding areas.

The designated area covers 44 postal districts across Surrey and south-west London, including KT1–KT13, KT17, KT19, TW1–TW17, SW13–SW15, SW17–SW20, W3–W5, W7, W13, SM4 and CR4.

Girls living outside the designated area are still eligible to apply, but in practice all places have been offered to children within the designated area since 2014.

How can I help my daughter prepare for the test?

The Tiffin Girls' School entrance exam can feel like a big milestone, but preparation doesn't have to be overwhelming. Here's how you can help your daughter prepare for test day.

Stay on track with a clear plan

One of the hardest parts of 11+ preparation is knowing what to focus on, when, and how to make steady progress without it taking over family life.

A clear, structured plan helps your daughter feel less overwhelmed and more in control. It ensures she builds skills in the right order, covers everything she needs, and avoids last-minute cramming.

Atom's exam plan makes this easier. Enter your daughter's target schools and exam dates, and we'll create a personalised weekly plan tailored to the topics she'll be tested on. It shows her what to work on and when, adapts as she improves, and helps her build progress in a calm, manageable way — little and often.

That means less guesswork for you, less stress for her, and a clearer path all the way to exam day.

Build smart exam technique

As your daughter's knowledge grows, practice tests can help her feel more comfortable with the real exam format.

Atom's 11+ practice papers are exact replicas of real 11+ exams. They're also unlimited — you can download the same paper again and again, and your daughter will get new questions each time. This helps her practise without repeating the same content.

We've made marking easy for you, too. Simply photograph your daughter's answer sheets and upload them to Atom. The papers are marked instantly, showing her standardised age score (SAS), where she's doing well, and what she should focus on next. You'll also learn how she compares to other children applying to the same school.

Encourage regular reading

Strong reading skills play a big role in 11+ preparation.

Encourage your daughter to read every day, even for just 10–15 minutes. The key is variety. Mix fiction and non-fiction, different genres, and a range of authors. This helps her become more confident in understanding tone, purpose, and meaning across different texts.

Over time, regular reading will broaden her vocabulary, improve comprehension and inference, and build confidence in tackling unseen texts.

Looking for inspiration? Atom's recommended reading lists have suggestions spanning fiction and non-fiction for Years 3–6.

Celebrate progress, not just scores

When you're supporting your daughter through 11+ preparation, what really matters is knowing she's moving in the right direction — not just how she scored on a single test.

Atom's progress tracking gives you a clear, simple picture of how your daughter is doing in each topic and the direction she's moving in. You can see where she's on track, where she might need more practice, and spot progress as it happens.

That makes it easier to give meaningful encouragement, keep motivation steady, and focus on what matters most: consistent improvement, not just one-off results.

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Take control of your child’s 11+ preparation.

Not sure if your child is on track for the grammar school 11+? You don’t need to guess what to cover or whether they’re ready. Atom shows you exactly what to practise each week and how they’re performing, so you can stay ahead of the process without the stress.

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